As the eFootball PES franchise celebrates its 25th anniversary since its debut in 1995 and over 100 million copies sold, Konami invites football fans all over the world to join them once again as they head out onto the pitch for a new action-packed season of football and prepare for the future.

Sixteen teams will be competing from 8 to 10 July to see who will become eEURO 2021 champions. The competition is the biggest ever efootball competition for national teams. Contenders from all 55 UEFA member associations have taken part, competing exclusively on KONAMI's eFootball PES 2021 SEASON UPDATE on PlayStation 4.

“The UEFA eEURO has given efootball enthusiasts the chance to dream of representing their country on the biggest stage and we would like to wish all the team’s competing at the final tournament, the very best of luck,” said UEFA marketing director Guy-Laurent Epstein.

“The inaugural UEFA eEURO was an undoubted success, with over 15 million people having watched competition footage across UEFA’s platforms. We have seen a massive growth in the popularity of efootball over the past few years and eEURO 2021 is continuing to give us the opportunity to connect with new and existing fans of national team football.”

Fans of the game will also be able to watch the matches unfold on KONAMI’s official PES Twitch channel and more. Meanwhile, KONAMI is also running an in-game campaign, which will allow PES users across console, PC and mobile to get eFootball Points by watching the UEFA eEURO 2021 Finals via UEFA or KONAMI channels.

A unique tournament

All the teams in the competition will be looking to emulate Italy, who were the first ever winners of the UEFA eEURO last year. For many of the gamers, the competition has also enabled them to fulfil life-long ambitions of representing their countries in a major international event.

“I think the eEURO is a unique tournament and it's a big stage for PES players to show what they're made of,” said Yos Sonneveld, who is known as AFC_INDOMINATOR in the gaming world. “This tournament makes it possible to represent your own country and to be one of the players representing the Netherlands is truly special.”

“I think this tournament is the biggest and most important tournament in the history of PES,” Erman Gökdemir (Simegal_Erman), who is representing Turkey explained. “It’s a great level of competition, while the game brings together good players from many countries. The eEURO gives us the pride and happiness to represent our country.”

How will the final tournament work?

The 16 teams have been drawn into four groups of four, with the top two from each advancing to the quarter-finals. Selected encounters will be broadcast on UEFA’s YouTube channel. The teams in each group will play each other in a dual tournament bracket format (double elimination without a grand final). The top two teams in each group will progress to an eight-team single elimination bracket.

• Group A
  • Serbia
  • Montenegro
  • Poland
  • Turkey*
• Group B
  • Romania
  • Croatia
  • Portugal
  • Russia*
• Group C
  • Spain
  • Greece
  • Netherlands*
  • Germany*
• Group D
  • France
  • Israel
  • Ukraine*
  • Italy*

*Qualified via the play-offs

The four group winners will be drawn randomly against a runner-up from another group. Each match, until the final, will be a best of three series. The final will be a best of five. Matches will be played 1v1. A total of €100,000 in cash prizes will be split between those competing in the final tournament, including €40,000 for the victors.

How did qualifying work?

The group stage draw took place in February, with the competing countries divided into ten groups of five or six.

Every country played two matches each (1-vs-1) against the other nations in their group; points from both matches were added to the group table. The ten group winners qualified directly for the final tournament.

The ten runners-up took part in a play-off tournament to determine the other six finalists. The contenders were split into two groups of five, with the top three advancing from each.

Key Features:

• SEASON UPDATE – PES 2021 is an updated version of last year’s title, eFootball PES 2020, providing the latest player data and club rosters. Due to the delayed season endings for many leagues, the latest data for certain licensed leagues and teams will be available via a day one patch (internet connection required).
• EXCLUSIVE UEFA EURO 2020 CONTENT – Ahead of the real-life tournament in 2021, the official UEFA EURO 2020™ content will be included at launch in PES 2021. Featuring the offline UEFA EURO 2020™ Tournament Mode, all 55 UEFA national teams, Wembley Stadium and more, this is the best way to simulate the tournament before and after its summer debut.
• ICONIC MOMENT SERIES – Relive and recreate memorable moments from the careers of current and former football superstars with this new myClub series.

Standard And Club Editions

• STANDARD EDITION – With a unique cover looking back at the history of one of the greatest footballers of all time, Lionel Messi, the Standard Edition of PES 2021 will be available in physical and digital retail stores at SRP $29.99.
• PARTNER CLUB EDITIONS – For the first time, fans will be able to purchase special Club Editions of PES 2021 through digital platforms exclusively. Available for FC Barcelona, Juventus, Manchester United, FC Bayern and Arsenal FC, the all-new Club Editions will include unique club-specific content such as myClub squads, Iconic Moment Series players, exclusive kits, branded menus and more. The Club Editions will be available at SRP $34.99.
• LOYALTY DISCOUNT – To recognize our most dedicated players, a 20% discount will be available when you pre-order a Club Edition of PES 2021 through eFootball PES 2020 (including LITE).
• VETERAN'S BONUS – In addition, for those who played myClub in eFootball PES 2020, there will be a Veteran's Bonus available with various rewards depending on the milestones achieved in-game. Reward and Milestone details will be available on the official website.

eFootball PES 2021 Season Update is available on PS4, Xbox One and PC (Steam).