Electronic Arts will donate $1 million to the Global Giving’s Coronavirus Relief Fund in conjunction with its upcoming FIFA Stay Home, Play Together campaign tournament.
The money will aid Global Giving in donating masks and ventilators to hospitals while also sending doctors to communities in need. The nonprofit organization is also helping feed children who rely on school meals and will deliver essential items to families in quarantined cities and refugee camps.
The FIFA 20 Stay and Play Cup streams from April 15-19 on EA Sports FIFA’s Twitch account, and EA is encouraging fans who watch the tournament to donate and support global relief efforts if they can.
“We want to bring the global football community together with the EA Sports FIFA 20 Stay and Play Cup, so millions of fans can experience the thrill of their favorite clubs and professional footballers playing — even when we have to be apart,” EA CEO Andrew Wilson said in a press release. “As part of ‘Stay Home, Play Together,’ we’re working to help people around the world find more ways to connect through play. Combined with relief contributions we are making, we hope to make a positive impact in people’s lives during this challenging time.”
Globally known European football clubs Chelsea, Liverpool, and Real Madrid will join 17 of their counterparts as the real-world professional athletes represent their teams on the virtual pitch.
The publisher kicked off the Stay Home, Play Together campaign on March, 26 with an Apex Legends tournament that saw top pros compete for $50,000 while the company gave an additional $250,000 to the International Red Cross. Three Apex Legends Global Series tournaments have also been added over the next two months with a prize pool of $100,000 per event. In early April, NFL players showed off their virtual gridiron skills in Madden NFL 20 as Los Angeles Chargers’ Free Safety Derwin James came out on top. The upcoming FIFA tournament will closely follow the format that worked for the Madden version.
Beyond these competitions, EA is adding in-game events to other games. Fans can get 1,500 company coins just for logging in on Battlefield V. Also, Plants vs. Zombies 2 is having an Aloe Immune Booster event through April 16 that allows players to partake in a one-time quest while also getting a free piñata in the store each day.
