EVA sets 2027 plans after first VR esports season

European virtual reality operator Esports Virtual Arenas (EVA) has completed the first season of its Pro League and EVA Summit. Solary won the Pro League, while OG Esports claimed the Summit. EVA plans to revise the league format, hold more live events and improve its online broadcasts in 2027.

Solary finished first in the Pro League regular-season standings with 36 points and received €15,000. G2 Esports, OG Esports and Shifters followed in the standings.

OG Esports won the EVA Summit on 25 October at EVA Paris-Est, defeating Shifters 3-0 in the final. The event replaced the Coupe de France and used open regional qualifying brackets to give grassroots teams a route to matches against professional organisations.

The Pro League began in April 2026 and featured eight European organisations: G2 Esports, Team Vitality, Team Heretics, SK Gaming, GIANTX, Shifters, Solary and OG Esports. The six-month season included 56 matches and more than €100,000 in prize money.

EVA’s competition system has three levels: local venue leagues, the 16-team EVA Challenger League and the Pro League. The Summit links the levels by allowing regional teams to qualify for matches against clubs from the top division.

Mehdi Fassi Fihri, EVA’s vice president of esports, said the first season showed that a professional VR league could operate with established esports organisations. He added that supporters of Solary, Shifters, SK Gaming and G2 followed their clubs into VR competition.

“Our live events, especially the Summit final at EVA Paris-Est, had hundreds of fans in the venue with flags, chanting for their favourite teams,” Fassi Fihri said. “VR esports is a physical sport, and it’s spectacular to watch in person.”

Fassi Fihri identified online viewing as an area for improvement. EVA plans to make its matches easier to follow on streams and to give viewers a clearer sense of the arena atmosphere.

EVA raised more than €35 million in a funding round led by Paris-based private equity firm RAISE Invest. The company operates more than 70 franchised arenas of about 500 square metres across 11 countries and recently expanded its games software with EVA Karting GP.

EVA’s 2026 competitive calendar will end with the Challenger League Last Chance Tournament on 29 November. The event will determine promotion and relegation places. The Pro League is scheduled to return in 2027 with a revised format and more tournaments. Its 2026 season was sponsored by poker and betting platform Winamax.