Norwegian Football Federation Lays Groundwork For Esports Team

Norwegian video gamers are competing for places on the country's national team "with a view to forming a squad" to play in organized esports competitions under the national team banner as well as at any future European or World Championships, according to Paul Nicholson of INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL. With a sponsorship deal in place with banking company Santander, the Norwegian Football Federation held qualification matches with more than 350 players competing for places at a 64-player final round to be held at the Ullevaal Stadium on Oct. 13, ahead of Norway's Nations League match with Slovenia. Coordinated via Facebook, the qualifiers were played online, with the finals to be played offline. The finals tournament will be streamed by TV2 on its OTT platform, "with highlights used in the broadcast build-up to the Slovenia game." Santander is already a sponsor of a number of Norwegian youth teams and the bank "has targeted marketing support" at the esports genre (INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL, 9/24).