The FIFA Interactive World Cup (FIWC) scooped the “Best Football Brand of the Year” at the Football Business Awards, which took place at Stamford Bridge last night (Thursday, 07 November 2013).
In a closely fought contest against some terrific brands operating in the world of football including Budweiser, Continental Tyres, Opta and St. George’s Park, the online videogame tournament was considered by the Football Business Awards judging panel to be the biggest success story of 2013.
The FIWC is an annual tournament organised by FIFA in cooperation with EA SPORTS™ and Sony PlayStation® with the goal to find the best virtual football player in the world. The tournament is hosted on the PlayStation network and can be accessed via EA SPORTS’ FIFA 14, engaging with football fans all over the world.
Following the inaugural FIWC in 2004 when there were just 28,000 competitors worldwide, numbers have grown year on year with the biggest spike coming in 2013 which saw the number of registered players around the world surpass the amazing 2.5million milestone, firmly establishing itself as the biggest videogame tournament in the world.
Now in its tenth year, FIWC 2014 looks set to be even bigger as the tournament becomes more closely aligned with the FIFA World Cup™ than ever before. Millions of competitors from all over the world will battle it out to secure one of 20 coveted places in the Grand Final, which will be hosted in Rio de Janeiro during the 2014 FIFA World Cup™. This will be the first time ever that the FIWC Grand Final has taken place in the Host Nation of the FIFA World Cup, adding an extra incentive for the eventual winner to be crowned world champion in the same country as the world’s best team in July 2014.
Pitch has been working alongside FIFA for three consecutive seasons, promoting the tournament and engaging media across Europe, including key markets such as Spain, France, Germany, Italy and the UK. The PR brief for FIWC 2014 now extends to Brazil, the destination for next year’s Grand Final.
