23 March 2012 \u2013 Last night, the FIFA Interactive World Cup Australian Live Event for 2012 kicked off with pre-qualifying heats staged at EB Games stores in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Newcastle, Gold Coast and Rockhampton.<\/p>\n
For the very first time, FIFA and presenting partners EA SPORTS\u2122 and PlayStation\u00ae have given participants from all over the country the chance to compete taking the heats to five states across Australia.\u00a0 The winner from each heat will now be flown to Sydney on April 4 for the FIWC 2012 Australian Grand Finale event at the Australian Maritime Museum in Darling Harbour, to compete against each other and determine Australia\u2019s best player.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And the heat winners from around the country are…roll the drums please:<\/p>\n
Sydney (Top Ryde):\u00a0\u00a0 Mikko Quilala, 27y.o. from Green Valley, NSW.<\/p>\n
Sydney (Miranda): \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Adam Kharman, 17y.o. from Bankstown, NSW.<\/p>\n
Melbourne: \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Kieran Murray, 21y.o. from Beaumaris, VIC. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Adelaide: \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Charles Woodham, 20y.o. from Wattle Park, SA.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Perth: \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Irshad Zamir, 21y.o. from Alexandra Heights, WA.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gold Coast: \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Todd Sekli, 17y.o. from Robina, QLD.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Newcastle: \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Samuel Lage Liberato, 23y.o. from Brazil.<\/p>\n
Rockhampton: \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Matthew Ouston, 18 y.o. from Cooee Bay, Yeppoon, QLD.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Australian champion will then be invited to compete at the international Grand Final event later in the year, for their chance to win US$20,000 as well as being awarded their FIWC trophy at the annual FIFA Players Gala alongside such football luminaries as David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, Ricardo Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo, Fernando Torres, Lionel Messi, Tim Cahill and many more.<\/p>\n
The virtual football tournament loved by football fans across the globe, has now surpassed one million players participating in the annual tournament. Following the first ever FIWC in 2004, the tournament has grown significantly and in 2011 secured its place in the Guinness World Records as the largest online gaming tournament in the world. This year’s FIWC has already attracted over 130,000 more players than last year\u2019s event, tipping it over the 1 million player mark for the first time in the tournament’s history.<\/p>\n
As part of the celebrations, there will be a limited number of tickets for people to win to attend the Australian Grand Finale Event and witness the crowning of the Australian 2012 FIWC Champion. \u00a0To find out more on how you can win, visit: \u00a0http:\/\/facebook.com\/fiwcaustralia<\/a>,<\/p>\n \u00a0http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PlayStationAU<\/a>\u00a0 or http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/FIFAaus<\/a><\/p>\n The FIFA Interactive World Cup (FIWC) combines online and offline football tournaments played with EA SPORTS\u2122 FIFA 12 on PlayStation\u00ae3 (PS3\u2122).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 23 March 2012 \u2013 Last night, the FIFA Interactive World Cup Australian Live Event for 2012 kicked off with pre-qualifying heats staged at EB Games stores in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Newcastle, Gold Coast and Rockhampton. For the very first time, FIFA and presenting partners EA SPORTS\u2122 and PlayStation\u00ae have given participants from all over<\/p>\n