With Atlanta United’s announcement of the signing of Paulo Neto as their new esports athlete for 2020, the club has taken the step into elite esports. But what does that mean, and what can Atlanta United fans expect from their team in 2020? Here is a rundown of the upcoming competitions:

eMLS

The premier esports competition for MLS teams, Atlanta United will make its second appearance in the competition in 2020. There are three weekends of competition, starting in January in Philadelphia. In February, Paulo will travel to Portland for the second series, with another prize purse and seeding implications for the final series on the line. The season will culminate with eMLS Cup in March, which will be held at South by Southwest in Austin this year. Click here for more information on the eMLS season.

Global Series and eWorld Cup

A good performance in the eMLS season will help Neto in his quest at the elite, international competitions: the Global Series. There are six Global Series tournaments throughout the year, with the next one coming up in Atlanta in January. Players must qualify for these tournaents to get invited, but Neto has already qualified for the next tournament in January. The top 64 players on each console are invited to the Global Series Playoffs in June, and if they perform well at that tournament, they will compete at the FIFA eWorld Cup in July. Due to prior registrations, Paulo Neto will compete officially as a free agent until the transfer period at the end of February, but will fully represent Atlanta United in any subsequent tournaments after that.

Other International Tournaments

Finally, as a South American Paulo Neto is eligible to compete in the inaugural eCopa Libertadores, the new tournament pitting the best talent in South America against each other. And should he perform well at the regional level, he could be selected to represent Brazil at the FIFA eNations Cup.