After seven months of intense competition, FIFA, EA and PlayStation today congratulate the 32 finalists who have secured their place in the Grand Final of the fourth annual FIFA Interactive World Cup. On the virtual soccer pitches of EA SPORTS FIFA Soccer 08, players spanning the globe from Australia to South Africa, Brazil to Korea to the USA and Italy, dribbled and scored their way through the tournament’s 20 live qualifiers, while over 25,000 players competed in the online leg via PLAYSTATION Network. The finalists will compete to become the FIFA Interactive World Player of the Year at the Sony Center in Berlin on May 24.

"I am very impressed with the level of the participants. It is clear that they have been practicing hard, and like any football event, practice is one of the most important things. The FIFA Interactive World Cup is establishing itself as a premier gaming tournament, and the only one under the FIFA banner," explained Chuck Blazer, FIFA Executive Committee Member, who added "I think it is apt that there are now 32 competitors which mirrors the number of teams in the FIFA World Cup. This tournament is a serious one, and like its big brother tournament, the FIFA World Cup, it is the pride of being crowned the FIFA World Champion that encourages these great performances."

Defending champion Andries Smit from the Netherlands will be vying for the crown for a second year running. Hoping to prevent this from happening are the other 31 finalists, including Michael Labelle of Houston, Texas, who won the Los Angeles qualifying competition, and online tournament winners Didi Agbai of South Carolina and Michael Ribeiro of New Jersey. They join Chris Bullard from the UK, the only previous winner to have reached three FIWC Grand Finals in the tournament’s four year history; or Davor Brescakovic from Switzerland, who showed his true determination by competing in and winning the New Zealand qualifier having lost in the semi-finals of the Swiss event. They’ll all be keeping an eye on the next generation of virtual soccer virtuosos, including Ivan Pastyrcak from Slovakia and Sachith Reddy from India - both only 14. All finalists will be in hot competition to be crowned FIFA Interactive Player of the year, win an invitation to the FIFA World Player Gala 2008 and a cash prize of USD $20,000.

"FIFA 08 is a highly competitive game that has all the fast paced adrenaline pumping action of watching real football and requires a tactical mind and a love for football. The Grand Final will be played in a real football ambience and will provide the opportunity to experience a live tournament with all the thrills spectators and players feel with a FIFA World Cup title on the line," says Anthony Baffoe, former Ghanaian international and the first African player in the German Bundesliga, who will not only be one of the many soccer guests that evening but also the co-host of the event.

Everybody is welcome to cheer on the finalists at the Grand Final in Berlin and enjoy the free entertainment set up during this one day virtual football extravaganza set to kick off at 11am CET. Live entertainment will include German hip-hop artist Das Bo.

List of Finalists

Bjorn Diedricks - South Africa


Gwan Hyeong Kim - Korea


Sachith Reddy - India


Chan Charm Wah - Hong Kong


Andries Smit - Netherlands


Roland Csaszar - Hungary


Christian Lonhart - Denmark


Pedro Caiado - Portugal


Alex Barets - France


Karol Rogaczewski - Poland


Alfonso Ramos - Spain


Dominik Posch - Austria


Ivan Pastyrcak - Slovakia


Michael Labelle - Texas


Davor Brescakovic - Croatia


Roberto Garrapa - Italy


Ruben Morales Zerecero - Mexico


Tunc Polat - Switzerland


Buey Siong Tay - Australia


Ivan Soberon - Spain


Michael Pommer - Australia


Max Fayers - England


Marko Krivokapic - Germany


Abubakr Ebrahim Akhalwaya - South Africa


Stephen Coorey - Australia


Andre Casagrande Buffo - Brazil


Didi Agbai - South Carolina


Michael Ribeiro - New Jersey


Carl Condliffe - New Zealand


Chris Bullard - England


Danny Taylor - England


Mustafa Agyuez - Germany

For official terms and conditions of the FIFA Interactive World Cup, visit: http://www.fifa.com/interactiveworldcup/organisation/documents/index.html.