WYLDE becomes esports and gaming partner of League of Ireland

WYLDE has announced a partnership with the League of Ireland to become its esports and gaming partner.

Co-owned by former Jamaican sprinter and Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt, the Irish esports organisation will be supporting ELOI (eLeague of Ireland), the official national EA FC esports competition.

While the financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, WYLDE will provide the tournament infrastructure and operations to run the tournament.

Based in Dublin, Ireland, the organisation was founded in 2020 by former investment banker Steve Daly and David Cronin, former COO at Irish tech company QUMAS. Throughout the years, WYLDE has competed in a variety of titles, including Rainbow Six, EA FC, VALORANT, Rocket League, and TrackMania.

Earlier last month, however, the team announced its exit from Rainbow Six, citing the sustainability of operating a team in Ubisoft’s first-person shooter title as a factor behind the decision. In addition to competitive operations, WYLDE also operates Ireland’s National Esports Centre to provide opportunities for aspiring esports professionals.

The Irish national EA FC league will see the top 20 domestic players compete across four stages to determine which player will become the champion.

Starting off in early March, the competition will kick off with Open Qualifiers featuring a double-elimination format. The 14 best players from the qualifiers will join the league alongside the top four from last year’s standings and two additional invitees.

The league phase will have the 20 players split into four groups of five each, facing each other in a double round robin. The top player from each group goes directly to the finals, while the 2nd to 4th place will compete in playoffs to determine the four remaining finals contenders.

The final top eight will then compete in an offline tournament on March 22 at the National Esports Centre to determine the winner, who will receive an eChampions League spot as well as a play-ins spot at the FC Pro 26 World Championship during the Esports World Cup later this summer.