Today, the National Football League and amateur esports platform PlayVS revealed that they’ll be teaming up to launch the first-ever Madden NFL Youth Championship (MYC). The competition will be played on the most recent release in the series, Madden 25, and will be a tournament series exclusive to to middle and high school students across the United States.
In the press release that came out via PR Newswire earlier today, the groups emphasized that they aim to “promote leadership skill development, camaraderie, and personal growth through joining a community of Madden NFL players.” Individual players must be ages 13-18 in the U.S to compete in up to four open tournament qualifiers held throughout the year:
- Fall Qualifier #1: Oct. 25 – 27 (Registration opens Sept. 9).
- Fall Qualifier #2: Nov. 22 – 24 (Registration opens Oct. 24).
- Winter Qualifier #1: Feb. 21 – 23 (Registration opens Nov. 21).
- Winter Qualifier #2: Mar. 28 – 30 (Registration opens Feb. 20).
Winners from the fall qualifiers will compete in January in Orlando at the 2025 NFL Pro Bowl Games, and winners from the winter qualifiers will travel to Green Bay in April to compete in the championship finals at the 2025 NFL Draft. Schools with their own official esports programs are also eligible to register, competing in a season-long competition to be crowned the best team in the state or region.
To celebrate the launch of the Madden 25 Youth Championship, Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams will join “The Insiders” on NFL Network on September 10, 2024, at 7 p.m. ET to discuss the positive impact it will have on participants and what they can look forward to by competing.
