As FIFA 18 grows in stature as an esport, with football’s governing body organising the eWorld Cup and plenty of the world’s biggest leagues creating their own esports divisions, the sector is growing quickly.

Today, some potentially significant news has come out of UEFA, European football’s governing body, that they and Konami – the makers of Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) – will end their current deal after the Champions League final in May.

The speculation, then, will be rife that the license to reproduce UEFA competitions like the Champions League and the Europa League will go to FIFA instead, but perhaps this will also have repercussions for esports, too.

Goodbye Pro Evo, hello FIFA? ???? pic.twitter.com/b9yTmC3e8v

— B/R Football (@brfootball) April 18, 2018

At a time when FIFA 18 is solidifying itself as the go-to title for clubs and leagues wishing to get into the esports space, this gives UEFA the chance to enter the esports structures and perhaps organise their own tournament, incorporating the teams who are already active in various European esports leagues and who already have their own players.

We won’t know any more about this until UEFA’s current deal with Konami and PES runs out at the end of this season’s Champions League, but with so much happening in such a short space of time in the FIFA 18 esports space, it’s not unreasonable to wonder if UEFA are looking to join in the fun.