FIFA INTERACTIVE WORLD CUP 2010

FIFA launches soccer World Cup for virtual players
Tue Oct 6, 2009 10:20am EDT

LONDON (Reuters) - Soccer's global governing body FIFA, gaming software-maker Electronic Arts and Sony Corp's PlayStation announced the start of the FIFA Interactive World Cup 2010 (FIWC10) season on Tuesday.

The sixth edition of the world's largest football gaming tournament allows virtual athletes the unique opportunity of competing in an official FIFA World Cup, FIFA said in a statement.

The champion will be decided at the final in Barcelona, Spain on May 1, 2010, for which players can qualify online or at live qualifier events.

The winner will receive $20,000 and "a money can't buy" experience of attending the FIFA World Player Gala, where he or she will mingle with the best football players in the world.

"More than half a million players vied for a spot in the Grand Final of last year's FIFA Interactive World Cup," said Chuck Blazer, a member of the FIFA Executive Committee.

"This makes it the FIFA tournament with the most competitors."

Over the next seven months, players will compete against each other online or at one of the 10 live qualifier events that will be held in Australia, Brazil, Denmark, France, Italy, Japan, Poland, Russia, South Africa and Britain.

For the first time, the online qualification will be split into two separate seasons, the first running from October 2 through to December 18 2009, and the second from January 4 to March 31, 2010.

Players interested in participating in either the online qualifiers or one of the live qualifier events will find all information on how to register as well as reports and stories around the tournament on the official website, www.fifa.com/FIWC.

The 31 players to successfully qualify for the grand final will come up against last year's FIWC champion -- Bruce Grannec from France -- who has automatically qualified for the final and will be aiming to become the first player to retain his title.

(Reporting by Paul Casciato, editing by Steve Addison)
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved

FIFA INTERACTIVE WORLD CUP 2010

How to Enter? - How to Play?

Fancy being the world's number one? Think you have the nerve, stamina and ability to cut it against the world's best virtual footballers? To claim the prestigious world title, you must demonstrate advanced skills, applied technical aptitude and concise ball control. But even if you are just a football fan intrigued by the fascination of the virtual game, we look forward to welcoming you as a contestant.

The EA SPORTS™ FIFA 10 game will be available on PlayStation®3 to deliver the next generation of football gaming right to your fingertips! You can now take your EA game 'ball' onto the Playstation3 'pitch' and get started with your FIFA Interactive World Cup training!

There are two routes to qualify for the FIFA Interactive World Cup Grand Final: via Online Qualification on the PlayStation®Network or by participating in one of the 10 Live Qualifier Events across the globe.

Online Qualification
If you're unable to attend one of the Live Qualifier Events, then Online Qualification on the PS Network is the place for you.

How does it work?
Once registered, every single FIFA 10 game you play on the PlayStation®Network against anybody in the world will count for the overall Confederation standings. Should you be a resident of Germany, for example, you will fall under the European Confederation leader-board. And guess what.... These standings will be updated and published on FIFA.com on a weekly basis so you can always keep track of where you are currently ranked!

This year for the first time ever, the Online Qualification will be split into two separate seasons with the first season running from 2nd October 2009 - 18th December 2009. The first 10 finalists for the FIWC10 Grand Final will be confirmed once the first season has been completed.

The second season - from which the remaining 11 online Grand Finalists will be determined - will run from 4th January 2010 - 31st March 2010.

The Online Qualification split of the Grand Finalist spots for the two seasons will be as follows per Confederation:

Season One:
UEFA - The top 4 ranked players
CONCACAF - The top 2 ranked players
AFC - The top 1 ranked player
CONMEBOL - The top 1 ranked player
CAF - The top 1 ranked player
OCEANIA - The top 1 ranked player

Season Two:
UEFA - The top 4 ranked players
CONCACAF - The top 3 ranked players
AFC - The top 2 ranked players
CONMEBOL - The top 1 ranked player
CAF - The top 1 ranked player

How to Register?
To take part in the FIWC10 Online Qualification, you need to have an active EA Online Account. To activate your EA account, whether you never had one or you are reusing from FIFA 09, go in the main menu and:

* Select 'Sign In to EA'.
* Accept the Terms & Conditions.
* Read the Information Sharing screen and submit in order to continue.
* In the EA Online Account Creation screen fill in the details and submit.
* You are now registered with EA Online. You will need to now follow the FIWC10 ingame registration process below.

Registered EA Online Account Holders:

* From the Main Menu select Online Game Modes.
* Select FIFA Interactive World Cup from the menu.
* You are presented with a registration screen where you can enter your name and e-mail address.
* Please fill in information and submit.
* You are presented with a confirmation screen.
* Please advance to select Confederation/Nationality.
* You then end up in the FIFA Interactive World Cup hub. From here on, every time you access this mode this is the screen you will default to (since you are already registered).
* From here you have the option to play online qualification matches for the FIFA Interactive World Cup tournament and view the FIFA Interactive World Cup online leaderboards.

Live Qualifier Events
Apart from the Online Qualification mode, we're also running spectacular tournaments in 10 countries around the world; whatever your ability, everyone gets his/her chance! Here, you will be able to play shoulder-to-shoulder against your opponents, and secure one of the 32 prestigious slots at the Grand Final next spring, representing your own country!

Each of these Live Qualifier Events are open to anyone regardless of nationality or country of residence. These are NOT National Qualifier Events, so you may have players travelling from across the globe just to attend one of these events to compete, adding to the truly global feel of the FIWC!

Note that you cannot pre-register for these tournaments so make sure to keep checking in for the latest updates on Qualifier Venues near you! You can then just sign up at the event on the day for what promises to be the ultimate football gaming experience.

Each winner of a Live Qualifier Event will then be whisked away with a friend, parent or guardian to the FIFA Interactive World Cup 2010 Grand Final.

Defeat in the early stages, however, does not mean that you have to go home immediately as there's plenty more to keep you entertained at these events: Watch the remaining competitors battle it out, explore the latest game trials on the next generation PlayStation hardware, meet professional football stars or just enjoying the live music with your friends and family. There's something for everyone at a FIWC Live Qualifier Event!