The NFL season ends in early February, but that doesn’t mean the competition will stop.
The league announced Friday that eight NFL teams will hold Madden NFL 17 video game competitions in their respective cities this February and March. Fans can start qualifying on Jan. 9 via online ladder tournaments to determine the top eight players that will compete in each city.
The club tournaments will be played in front of live audiences and stream on NFL team websites and apps, along with the Madden NFL Twitch channel. Gamers will have a chance to win $10,000 in total prizes at each city.
Winners from each market will compete at the Madden 17 Club Series Championship in early April, which has a $50,000 prize pool and provides an opportunity to qualify for the more lucrative 2017 EA SPORTS Madden Championship in May.
The Madden NFL 17 Championship Series, which encompasses all of the qualifying tournaments as well as the final competition, will offer a total prize pool of $1 million. It’s part of EA Sports’ push into eSports.
Here are the dates and locations for the eight club tournaments:
February 18: Minnesota Vikings – To Be Announced
February 25: New England Patriots – Gillette Stadium
February 26: Buffalo Bills – (716) Food and Sport
March 2: Seattle Seahawks – Museum of Pop Culture
March 4: Jacksonville Jaguars – EverBank Field
March 11: Pittsburgh Steelers – Heinz Field
March 19: San Francisco 49ers – Levi’s Stadium
March 22: Kansas City Chiefs – Arrowhead Stadium
