Army Entertainment, part of the U.S. Army, will work with MGM Resorts International to host a Street Fighter V competition.

Qualifiers will be held at various U.S. military bases worldwide and streamed live on the U.S. Army’s official Twitch channel.

The grand finals will be held at the PAX West gaming festival in Seattle.

The U.S. Army has teamed up with MGM Resorts International to hold a Street Fighter V championship series. Eight U.S. garrisons worldwide will compete, each hosting an esports tournament in its designated recreation zone.

Army Entertainment, part of the U.S. Army’s Installation Management Command, will run the competitions. Four of the tournaments will be streamed live on Twitch , on the newly created Army Entertainment channel.



The U.S. Army is participating in an esports tournament! Four garrisons’ competition will be live streamed through https://t.co/rBN9H4O959 check out the article below to find out who. #ArmyEsports #gaming https://t.co/P7GlhBUtTk — Family MWR Programs (@FamilyMWR) July 25, 2018

All active-duty soldiers from bases across the U.S., Germany, and South Korea are eligible to compete. Winners will move onto the grand finals at the international gaming culture festival PAX West later in the year. Fort Bliss, Texas, will kick off with its tournament on July 28.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]All active-duty soldiers from bases across the U.S., Germany, and South Korea are eligible to compete. [/perfectpullquote]

“The competition will develop soldiers’ outlook and overall fitness using current technology. Soldiers train for the competition by improving hand-eye coordination, mental focus and reaction time,” the U.S. army said as part of a statement on its official site. “These skills help improve a soldier’s overall readiness to help with normal job duties.”

This is not the U.S. military’s first foray into the world of esports: earlier this month, Turner and IMG’s ELEAGUE extended its partnership deal with the U.S. Air Force—the first time an esports organiser has had an official armed forces partner across all of its platforms. The U.S. Air Force has also partnered with Cloud9’s Counter Strike: Global Offensive team.

Esports teams comprising active soldiers are also nothing new: Korean Starcraft pro team Air Force ACE is comprised of South Korean Air Force members, and was the first ever military pro-esports team.

Recruitment and advertising are likely a huge influence on the military’s recent interest in esports. A great number of competition viewers on livestreaming platforms, such as Twitch, are males aged 14-30; the army’s ideal recruitment bracket. Additionally, the discipline, teamwork, strategy and dexterity required for esports players is a mutually beneficial fit for army values.