Fifa 17 gaming matches are to be broadcast live on television after BT Sport announced they had won the rights to show the remaining four EA Fifa Majors in this year’s Ultimate Team Championship Series.

Pitting the best Fifa 17 competitors in the world, fans will be able to watch virtual football on TV for the first time as competitors on BT Sport strive to become the ultimate champion, competing on both Xbox One and PlayStation4 consoles.

Simon Green, head of BT Sport, said: “This is yet another example of live innovation from BT Sport. Competitive interactive football gaming is a rapidly growing industry.”

Todd Sitrin, senior vice‑president and general manager of the competitive gaming division at EA, said: “There’s a profound opportunity for competitive gaming to achieve mainstream success and the key to accomplishing this is accessibility.”

The remaining four EA Fifa Majors will all be screened, starting next month with the rest of the world regional final in Vancouver on 21 April. That will be followed by the Americas regional final, also in Vancouver, on 22 April, the European regional final in Madrid on 6 May and the Fifa 17 Ultimate Team Championship final in Berlin on 20-21 May.

The winner of this year’s series stands to win nearly £130,000, while the runner-up will receive almost £65,000.