1. What is the FIFA Interactive World Cup?
The FIFA Interactive World Cup (FIWC) is a virtual football tournament organised by FIFA and its presenting partners EA SPORTS™ and PlayStation®. The FIWC is an official FIFA tournament that gives football fans from every continent the chance to qualify for the Grand Final, where the best virtual footballer in the world is crowned, receiving 20,000 USD prize money and an invitation to the FIFA Ballon d’Or.

The inaugural FIWC took place in 2004 and over the years has become a firm fixture in football fans’ diaries. In 2007, PlayStation® joined EA SPORTS™ as the new presenting partner. And in 2010, the FIWC first appeared in the Guinness World Records. Over the years, the tournament has continued to grow significantly with 2.5 million players signing up in 2013.

On the 1st October 2014, the FIWC15 kicked off and marks the 11th edition of the tournament. For the first time, the FIFA Interactive World Cup has been able to combine two generations of consoles within one tournament. The online qualification takes place on the PlayStation® Network and can be accessed through the latest version of EA SPORTS™ FIFA 15 on the PS3. The Live Qualifiers will be accessed and played through the latest version of EA SPORTS™ FIFA 15 on the PS4. The Grand Final will also be played on the PS4.

The climax of the FIWC tournament is the Grand Final, where the top 20 FIFA players from this year’s tournament will battle it out for a chance to become the FIWC World Champion. The 20 finalists for the Grand Final will be made up from the current FIWC champion, 16 winners from the Online Qualifiers and 3 winners from the Live Qualifiers.

In previous year’s, the FIWC Grand Final has been held in many fantastic locations including; Berlin, Los Angeles, Dubai and Madrid. Last year’s Grand Final took place in Rio de Janeiro during the FIFA World Cup™, where virtual met real football.

Virtual meets real is a continuing concept with this year’s Grand Final being no exception as it is hosted by the current FIFA World Cup™ Champions’, Germany, with Munich being the host city.

2. How can I participate in the FIFA Interactive World Cup 2015 Online Qualifiers?
Only Players holding a passport of or resident in a nation within the FIFA Confederation where the FIWC Country Qualifier is being held will be able to participate in such FIWC Country Showdown/Live Event. So for the Online Qualifiers on ESL Play you need to be from Germany, France or the United Kingdom. You also need to have a PlayStation® 4, a copy of FIFA 15 in order to play in the tournaments as well as an ESL account, which you can register for free. To be able to register on the ESL website, you only need to have a valid email address or a Facebook account you can use for the login. After that you only need to sign up for the Online Qualifiers in your country. You can find all Online Qualifiers on the FIFA Interactive World Cup Portal on ESL Play.

3. How old do I have to be to participate in the FIWC?
The FIWC Online Tournament is limited to participants aged 13 or older. In some countries access to the FIWC15 Online Tournament may be limited to participants aged 18 or older.

4. What is the prize for the winner?
The winner of the FIFA Interactive World Cup 2015 will win USD 20,000 and a trip to the FIFA Ballon d'Or 2015.

5. What are the restrictions for the Online Qualifiers?
The Online Qualifiers are strictly region-locked. Only Players holding a passport of or resident in a nation within the FIFA Confederation where the FIWC Country Showdown/Live Event is being held will be able to participate in such FIWC Country Qualifier. Players, who already qualified for the Live Qualifier are not allowed to participate in any Online Qualifier.

6. Will there be a player limit for the Online Qualifiers?
The tournament size is limited to 1,024 players. We have two Online Qualifiers per country, so everyone has two chances to compete. We will also be using the check-in system, which means you need to confirm your sign up 30 minutes before the tournament starts. It is a first come, first serve system.

7. How do I sign up correctly?
You can sign up for the Online Qualifier by clicking the Sign Up button on the right side of the Online Qualifier page. It is important, that you confirm your slot 30 minutes before the Online Qualifier starts. Only then you will be able to compete in the Online Qualifier. With the sign up you are just reserving a slot for the Check-In phase, which is between 13:30 and 13:50 CET. In the last 10 minutes before the Online Qualifier starts we have the late sign up, where players can sign up, if they are not already in the tournament.

8. What are the correct match settings?
The following match settings are used for the Online Qualifiers. Changing the settings is not allowed!

• Half length: 6 minutes
• Controls: Any
• Game Speed: Normal
• Squad Type: Online
• If draw: Golden Goal

9. What proof do I need for a match result?
Both players are responsible for the screenshots and the upload deadline is 15 minutes after the match ended. The screenshots and/or videos are needed as evidence in case there is a conflict, which needs to be checked by a staff member. We can only take a good decision, if there is enough proof for it. A screenshot always needs to contain the ingame nickname of the players, so we know that the screenshot is from a certain match.

10. How does a match protest work?
If you have any issues during the match, you can open a protest by clicking the link "Open Protest" in the right side bar of the Online Qualifier. If you don't find the link, you can also use the direct link to see all matches, where you can write a protest. There you can choose your match and open a protest, so a staff member can check your issue. However, keep in mind that a protest needs to be written within 10 minutes after the match is over, so we don't have any bigger delays in the Online Qualifiers.

11. Where can I find the latest tournament news?
Breaking news, tournament information and announcements about the FIFA Interactive World Cup 2015 can be found on FIFA.com/FIWC, on the official FIWC Facebook page and on the FIWC Twitter account @FIWC.

12. How to take screenshots with a PS4 and share them on ESL?
Please check out the official PlayStation website to get the answers on how to take and share a screenshot. You need to upload those screenshots on your ESL match. If you are on the Online Qualifier page, you will see a "Upload screenshot/matchmedia" on the right side. There you need to click and select your screenshot and then you can upload it to your ESL match.

13. When do I have to play my Online Qualifier matches?
All Online Qualifier matches need to be played on the day of the tournament. You need to play all matches, including the final and match for third place on the day of the tournament itself.

14. I don't have an opponent right now. What to do?
If you are in the next round, but you don't have an opponent yet, you need to be patient as your opponent is still playing in the round before. If you have any further questions, feel free to contact our support during the cup itself.