- Stars of YouTube’s most talked about teams and international football legends to take part in another epic showdown at Wembley Stadium, connected by EE, on Sunday 25th November 2018 at 2pm, with faster matches and new rules for the latest series – view the trailer here
- Tickets to the live final are available exclusively for EE customers from Friday 7th September, and general sale from Monday 10th September via www.ee.co.uk/wembleycup
- Sport Relief confirmed as lead charity partner with £2 from every ticket sold supporting the charity
- The EE Wembley Cup 2018 celebrates the launch of EE’s enhanced BT Sport offer*, which allows customers to cast BT Sport content from their phone to their TV
6th September 2018, London: Today, EE is launching the fourth series of The EE Wembley Cup, bringing together stars of YouTube’s most talked about teams and international football legends, for the most epic online football-themed series in history, with a live final at Wembley Stadium connected by EE, on Sunday 25th November 2018 at 2pm.
This year, The EE Wembley Cup is full of new twists on the ‘beautiful game’ with not two, but four teams, set to go head-to-head, packing in even more pitch action and recognisable faces. The team captains include YouTube footballing sensations Spencer Owen (Hashtag United) and returning side F2 Freestylers (F2 FC), plus EE Wembley Cup newcomers, Calfreezy (Rebel FC), with WillNE and Stephen Tries (XO) completing the star-studded line up.
Tickets for the live final at the nation’s home of football, Wembley Stadium, go on general sale from Monday 10th September at midday for £15, with no booking fee. EE customers can get theirs hands on tickets from Friday 7th September for just £10. Just text* WEMBLEY to 141 to receive an EE booking code.
2017’s final saw Hashtag United make it a notable hattrick of wins – as they beat F2 FC 6-1, to take home the trophy for the third year running, with over 34,000 fans in attendance on the day. The latest series will see Hashtag United take on some fierce competition, with revenge on the minds of F2 FC and new additions, Rebel FC and XO, looking to make a mark on the competition.
Designed for the devoted YouTube generation, the tailor-made tournament is set to be the most electrifying yet, with the following rules new to this year:
Shorter and sharper game play – although regular 11-man football rules still exist, each match in the new series will now be a fast and furious 30 minutes, with the semi-final and the final taking place live at Wembley, providing an opportunity for fans to see their team play twice.
Man Down Time – if it’s a stalemate at the end of the 30 minutes, the game moves into the dramatic race against the clock where a player is removed from each team, every minute. The first team to score wins!
A new Draft stage – will allow team captains to boost their teams with international football legends and YouTube stars in preparation for the important semi-finals. Four legends and four YouTubers are up for grabs in an American Football inspired draft episode.
Spencer Owen, founder of YouTube channel Spencer FC, said: “The reaction to the first three series of The EE Wembley Cup has been incredible, so we can’t wait for fans to check out the new series and hear what they think of our new rules! Each year, The EE Wembley Cup goes from strength-to-strength and with the amazing football and YouTube talent we have on board this year and some BIG changes to the format – it’s set to be the best series yet.”
Pete Jeavons, Director of Brand Marketing at EE: “The EE Wembley Cup was created to redefine the football experience for the next generation of fans and as the YouTube football audience continues to evolve, we have to make sure The EE Wembley Cup continues to deliver the football, the drama and the live event that these fans demand. This year, with two new teams, a new tournament format and new rules, we will pit four of YouTube’s best-known teams against each another for the ultimate YouTube bragging rights.”
He adds: “The EE Wembley Cup is just another example of how we are committed to offering our customers the very best experiences through our world class partnerships – whether that’s being able to cast BT Sport from your phone to the TV through our new enhanced offer or getting a great deal on early bird tickets to attend The EE Wembley Cup Final in November.”
Fans don’t have to wait for the live final to see the teams in action, as EE is creating a 7-part series (kicking off later this year), following the YouTube stars build up to the live final day, which can be viewed on Spencer FC’s YouTube channel and on EE’s official website.
The event is not-for-profit, with £2 from every ticket sold being donated to Sport Relief, who bring together the entire nation to get active, raise cash and change lives. Their work helps people both here in the UK and the some of the world’s poorest communities.
Source: EE Newsroom
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