The FIFA 21 Challenge brought together professional football players with pro FIFA players. It attracted an average minute audience (AMA) of 254,057 with a total viewing time exceeding one million hours (1,024,696 hours).
The previous record dating from January 2018 with the FUT Champions Cup in Barcelona which recorded an average audience per minute of 92,678.
4 professional football players and 4 pro FIFA players met to try to win the FIFA 21 Challenge.
Footballers Achraf Hakimi, Declan Rice, Gio Reyna and Trent Alexander-Arnold were paired off with pro FIFA players Tekkz, MoAuba, Levy and Gravesen.
It was Tekkz and Trent Alexander-Arnold who won and secured $20,000 to donate to a charity of their choice
“FIFA is an integral part of football culture. Bringing professional footballers and our esports pros together create the entertainment that sets our tournaments apart, ”said Brent Koning, EA SPORTS FIFA Commissioner. “The success of the FIFA 21 Challenge reinforces our strategy and vision to expand the esports audience, create content for our fans, and highlight the value of entertainment-focused events that are branching out beyond traditional esports. "
The high viewership was down to a new FGS Token system arriving in FIFA 21. Players that watched a minimum of 60 minutes of the stream received an FGS Token which can be exchanged for FUT packs.