FIFA Video Game

Real Madrid forward Marco Asensio has missed the entire season with a serious knee injury but the time away from the pitch paid unexpected dividends when he was crowned champion of LaLiga's FIFA 20 video game tournament on Sunday.

With Spanish soccer on hold along with most live sports while the world fights the coronavirus pandemic, players traded the pitch for PlayStation in an online tournament organized by eSports commentator Ibai Llanos and endorsed by LaLiga. 

It was feared that for the first time, the month of March would be without a crazy tournament. Filling in for March Madness is the Ultimate QuaranTeam Cup, a FIFA 20 tournament featuring 128 teams from around the world.

During the break, several clubs’ social media teams played games like Connect-Four to fill the void of the football break.

Time for some international football...

No match is complete without a world-renowned broadcaster on the call. While footballers are finding ways to stay fit and in top-form during this break, commentators are doing the same. One of the best examples is this hilarious update from Clive Tyldesley's kitchen.

With football matches cancelled across Europe to stop the spread of the coronavirus, LaLiga players Borja Iglesias and Sergio Reguilon found a novel way to attract 60,000 online fans - by battling out a thrilling Seville derby on the FIFA 20 video game. 

Let’s be brutally honest here, we’re all extremely bummed right now. The European leagues are in disarray, MLS has been suspended and everyone is a little on edge because of the coronavirus. So if you're self-quarantining or simply hiding, here are the best FIFA 20 game modes to play to take your mind off things.

1. Tournaments

Oh christ, Valentine’s Day was weeks ago . . . did you completely forget about it up until this very moment? Is that the reason your significant other has been tirelessly working on a doll in your image, driving needles into it and reciting Necronomicon incantations under their breath? That could explain it.

Don’t worry, I’ve got just the thing to rekindle the old flame: FIFA Ultimate Team cards but in real life from CardsPlug (but obviously not marketed as FUT cards for legal reasons, I’d assume). 

I’ll have you know that my FIFA 20 Career Mode is going pretty well. I don’t concede often (I could probably play at a higher difficulty considering my 18 years of experience), but I'm also a dumpster fire going the other direction. Still, there’s a lot to like up in Newcastle as the city continues to come to gripes with its first American manager — I’m a trailblazer like Bob Bradley, screaming about “PKs” and “road games.” 

Major League Soccer is trying to become a big player in the world of eSports. The Philadelphia Union aren’t helping much right now.

It’s FIFA Friday. And the fans are already pissed about FIFA 20 Career Mode.

Every year FIFA Friday — the date on which the latest edition of EA Sports’ mega-franchise is released — is welcomed by joy among the FUT fanatics. Usually, it’s also accompanied by hardcore Career Mode enthusiasts moaning about the lack of updates to their favored mode.