Esports Virtual Arenas (EVA) is officially launching the EVA Pro League, which is claimed to be the world’s first VR esports league.
Starting on April 14, eight teams will compete in the virtual reality shooting game as players physically run and dodge around a 500 m² arena while wearing wireless headsets and carrying connected rifle controllers.
Think paintball, but with VR headsets.
The EVA Pro League will feature a €50,000 ($58k) base prize pool and eight prestigious European esports organisations.
The eight teams participating in the EVA Pro League 2026 are:
- G2 Esports
- Team Vitality
- Team Heretics
- SK Gaming
- GiantX
- Shifters
- Solary
- OG Esports
The winning team will take home €15k ($17.5k) and the prize pool will be further boosted with 25% of the revenue generated by €19.99 ($23) exclusive club skin bundles sold in-game to fans.
Additionally, the Top 4 teams from the regular season will directly qualify for the EVA Summit playoffs, where an additional €15k will be up for grabs.
EVA Pro League Format and Schedule
The regular season for the EVA Pro League will take place over several months, starting April 14 and concluding on October 25 ahead of the EVA Summit Playoffs.
The eight teams will battle against each other in best-of-threes with a rotating map pool on the following schedule:
- Day 1 to 7 — Atlantis, Engine, Horizon, Helios Station, Lunar Outpost, Polaris, The Cliff
- Day 8 to 14 — Artefact, Ceres, Silva, Outlaw, Engine, Polaris, The Cliff
Is Virtual Reality the Future of Esports?
The claimed first VR esports league has drawn big names and it will be fascinating to see whether the blend of athleticim and gaming can truly draw a crowd.
Yassine Jaada, VP of Esports and Communications at EVA who previously lead Paris Saint-Germain Esports for five years, claims that VR esports will stick around:
“Today, as a game publisher, we are taking a step no one has yet dared to take: creating the first professional virtual reality competition bringing together eight major European clubs.
“VR is not a trend, it is the next arena for elite esports, and we will be the ones leading the way.”
G2 Esports CEO Alban Dechelotte added that the new league is a fascinating prospect that the org is keen to explore:
“EVA represents an exciting new frontier for esports, redefining how competition is played and experienced.
With the launch of G2 EVA, our first-ever mixed roster, we’re making a clear statement about the future we believe in. This is about pushing boundaries, both in how we compete and who gets to compete, as we continue building a next-generation sports club.”
Is the idea of VR esports one that excites you? Let us know your thoughts on the Insider Gaming Discord.
And in other unique esports news, Red Bull Wololo Londinium brought the RTS genre back into the spotlight.
