Rally Cry Championship Tour returns for 2025

Gaming technology company, Rally Cry, has announced that the Championship Tour will return for 2025, featuring the competitive sports simulator title, EA Sports College Football 26.

Following last year’s event in partnership with the Army National Guard, the tour kicks off with live football matches in Atlanta, alongside a three-month-long online esports tournament.

There will be two marquee college football matchups at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium tailgate in Atlanta, where fans can play EA Sports College Football on site while watching the matches.

These games include Syracuse vs. Tennessee starting at 8:00 A.M ET on August 30th, and Virginia Tech vs. South Carolina starting at 11:00 A.M ET the following day. Both matches will be broadcast live on the official Twitch channel.

Football Esports Action at the Rally Cry Championship Tour

For esports fans, the Rally Championship Tour will also host an open online ladder tournament with a $5,000 (~£3,709) prize pool. There will be two ladders, four weekends each, where players increase their ratings by playing between 13:00 P.M ET and 19:00 P.M ET each day. Registrations are open and will close on November 9th.

This is the full ladder schedule for the Rally Championship Tour.

• Ladder 1:
  • Week 1: September 20th-21st
  • Week 2: September 27th-28th
  • Week 3: October 3rd-5th
  • Week 4: October 11th-12th
• Ladder 2:
  • Week 1: October 18th-19th
  • Week 2: October 25th-26th
  • Week 3: November 1st-2nd
  • Week 4: November 8th-9th

The top eight players from each ladder will move on to a double-elimination Playoff, facing off against the nation’s top collegiate leagues. Four playoff spots will be offered through partner qualifiers, including the Eastern College Athletic Conference, National Esports Collegiate Conference, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Football Other American Esports Tournaments Over the Years

The Rally Cry Champions Tour isn’t the only esports tournament being hosted in 2025. EA Sports is also hosting the Madden Championship Series‘ 26th season, featuring five competitive events scheduled to take place until February next year. This year will feature three challenges and a Last Chance Qualifier, culminating in the $1.5m (~£1.17m) Madden Bowl.

Rally Cry has hosted various esports tournaments over the years, including the 2024 tour, which visited college locations such as Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena and Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, among others.

The gaming technology company has produced competitions dating back to 2022, featuring in events such as FORECON in San Antonio, Texas. It has previously expanded into other titles like Rocket League, Fortnite, and Madden with NBC-held youth sports outlet SportsEngine.