EA cancels Apex Legends and FIFA events due to Coronavirus

EA has cancelled or postponed a raft of Apex Legends and FIFA 20 esports due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak which has infected over 100,000 people in 117 countries.

​EA announced that the Major 1 of the Apex Legends Global Series - originally scheduled for 13-15th March in Aringlinton, Texas - is postponed, while the Apex Legends Global Series Online Tournament #2 scheduled for 21st and 23rd March will go ahead as planned.

In the FIFA 20 Global Series the FUT Champions Cup Stage V Bucharest, scheduled for 2-3rd May, is cancelled. South America's CONMEBOL eLibertadores scheduled for 7-8th March would be postponed, while the Playstation-only Licensed Qualifying Event, scheduled for 2-3rd May, has also been cancelled. 

The eChampions League online qualifiers scheduled for 14-15th March are set to take place as usual.

A statement reads: "These decisions haven’t come easy, but given the large, global nature of these events, we believe that making these changes are in the best interest of protecting the health of the community, including competitors, attendees and staff."

"As we continue to monitor the situation around the Coronavirus and receive guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO), we’ll continue to evaluate and provide more updates as it relates to all of EA’s Competitive Gaming events." 

Read more: How the Coronavirus has impacted esports

In giving their reasons for why some events were cancelled while others were postponed or set to go ahead EA said: "We are working together with our partners to determine the best course of action for each unique event."

Currently, the only events that are set to go ahead are online only.

At the moment no dates have been given for when these the postponed events will take place EA.

"We continue to monitor the situation around the Coronavirus and receive guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO), we’ll continue to evaluate and provide more updates as it relates to all of EA’s Competitive Gaming events."

"We don’t have specific dates to share at this time but will be making an update in the near future."

All the EA events effected by Coronavirus

Apex Legends Global Series:

• Major 1 | Arlington, Texas | 13-15 March | Postponed
• Global Series Online Tournament #2 | 21 and 23 March | Remains 

EA SPORTS FIFA 20 Global Series: 

• CONMEBOL eLibertadores Online & Live Event | 7-8 March | Postponed
• eChampions League | Online Qualifiers | 14-16 March | Remains
• FUT Champions Cup Stage V |  Bucharest | 3-5 April | Cancelled 
• PlayStation Licensed Qualifying Event | 2-3 May | Cancelled