Spain’s Alfonso Ramos is the new FIFA Interactive World Cup (FIWC) champion after triumphing over FIWC 2009 champion Bruce Grannec to win the thrilling final in Dubai. Ramos is the first person to have won the tournament twice, having taken the FIWC champion title in 2008, and has now netted himself a cool 20,000USD grand prize, a ticket to the Ballon d’Or Gala and the prestigious accolade of being crowned the 2012 FIFA Interactive World Cup Champion.

With six online seasons, eleven live qualification events held worldwide, a record-breaking 1,300,000 participants and a breathtaking Grand Final staged by FIFA and Presenting Partners EA SPORTS and Sony PlayStation in the exclusive Jumeirah Resort in Dubai, the FIWC continues to set a formidable standard in the world of gaming.

After a tense 90 minutes the match ended with a stalemate as both Grannec and Ramos both struggled to break down their opponent’s rear-guard. After an equally tight extra-time period the match went to a decisive penalty shootout with plenty of opportunities for both players to win. However, Ramos stayed cool under pressure and struck the 20,000USD winning penalty.

The FIFA Interactive World Cup 2012 Grand Final was about more than just virtual football. The finalists enjoyed an incredible three-day visit to Dubai which included visiting the Burj Kalifa, the world’s tallest building, getting the chance to meet and play football with former FIFA World Cup winners Christian Karembeu and Luca Toni along with enjoying all the thrills and spills that Wild Wadi waterpark had to offer. The 24 Grand Finalists’ adventure in Dubai may be over, but their memories of it will live on forever.

Ralph Straus, FIFA’s Head of Strategy & Brand Management commented, “We are delighted to crown the first ever FIWC Champion to win the event on two separate occasions. The number of players competing in the FIWC this year represents yet another record-breaking achievement with our online community growing dramatically year on year. We are looking forward to further strengthening our collaboration with our Presenting Partners, EA Sports and Sony PlayStation, to develop and drive the online growth of this remarkable initiative.”

Nick Caplin, Head of Communications, SCEE added, “PlayStation would like to congratulate Alfonso Ramos on his fantastic victory in this year’s FIFA Interactive World Cup. This year’s tournament has been an incredible success with over 1.3m players playing via PlayStation Network and we look forward to taking the tournament from strength to strength in the coming years.”

Jon Rosenblatt, Senior Marketing Director, EA Sports, Europe and Asia, added, “Tonight’s incredibly skilled and thrilling finale provided a suitable end to this year’s competition and Alfonso Ramos is a worthy champion. The FIFA Interactive World Cup 2012 has seen the strongest field of competitors ever and to emerge as the Champion is testament to his skills on the virtual pitch – congratulations!”

Streamed live for the very first time to an online audience, the popularity of the tournament continues to soar as fans all over the world were able to join in and witness the tension and excitement first hand Ramos’s success in the 2012 FIWC Grand Final.

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The FIFA Interactive World Cup, the world largest online gaming tournament, has beaten its own Guinness World Record. This years FIWC has seen over 1 million players play in attempt to become World Champion.

And now the FIWC is headed east to Dubai’s Jumeirah Beach Hotel for the eighth FIWC Grand Final. The Final will take place from 21-23 May 2012, where 24 finalists will be flown to Dubai for a once-in-a-lifetime experience and a shot at taking the FIWC Champion crown from last year’s winner Francisco Cruz. As well as this, the finalists will get to sample all the city has to offer from indoor skiing to desert tours, as well as visiting Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.

Former FIFA World Cup champion Christian Karembeu has today been unveiled as an official FIWC ambassador and will be present at the tournament and keeping a close eye on proceedings. Karembeu, part of the Task Force Football 2014 and a member of FIFA’s Technical Study Group who assess the performance of players at FIFA events, will be hoping to test himself against some of the world’s best FIFA 12 players to see how his skills match up on the virtual pitch.

Eleven gamers from seven different countries have already qualified for the Dubai Grand Final, meaning that there are still 14 places up for grabs. Do you think you’re good at FIFA 12? Prove it!

You can participate in this year’s FIWC through the on-going online tournament played on the PlayStation Network, by registering ‘in-game’ in FIFA12 on your PS3. For more information on the FIWC, go to: www.fifa.com/fiwc. This year’s Champion will walk away with USD 20,000 and an invitation to attend the FIFA Ballon d’Or 2012.

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The FIFA Interactive World Cup 2012 kicks off TODAY.

Do you think you have what it takes to beat the best players on earth and be crowned the World Champion? As well as this the FIWC12 Grand Prize includes $20,000 in prize money, the FIFA Interactive World Player award and a VIP trip to the FIFA Ballon d’Or Gala. Worth putting your skills to the test don’t you think?

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The second season of the FIFA Interactive World Cup 2011 has begun!

Take part from January 1st 2011 to see if you have what it takes to beat the best and become the next FIFA World Champion.

You’ve still got plenty of time to take part or practice with another 4 seasons to come.

Winners from each online season and a number of live events (to be announced soon) will go on to the grand final. For further details please visit www.fifa.com/fiwc .

All you need is a copy of FIFA 11 and an internet connection to get started, so what are you waiting for?! Register now… and good luck!!

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After nearly two months of training on EA SPORTS FIFA 11 on PlayStation 3, it is time to put your virtual football skills to the test as the FIFA Interactive World Cup 2011 kicks off.

After the massive success of the FIFA Interactive World Cup 2010, when more than 780,000 players battled it out for the title, the world’s biggest virtual football tournament returns this year, starting with the first online season which began on 1 December.

This year’s event features a new format; in order to make the online qualifying stages more flexible and accessible there will now be six mini seasons lasting 25 days each, beginning on the first of every month from 1 December through to 25 May 2011. The best two players per season will qualify for the Grand Final, which will take place in June 2011.

An additional 10 players will qualify for the Grand Final through the Live Qualifier Events (1 per event), with the full constellation of 24 finalists completed by the current FIWC champion Nenad Stojkovic and the winner of a special promotional event. For more details please visit FIFA.com/FIWC.

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