With a spot at Dubai’s Grand Final up for graps, a total of 64 participants will meet in the New Zealand qualification event from 8:30am on Saturday 21 April before the OFC Final kicks off at around 4:30pm featuring the top qualifiers from New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Tahiti.
The eager participants will battle it out in head-to-head games of EA’s FIFA 2012 played on the PlayStation® 3. The prize includes an all-expenses paid trip to Dubai, UAE, where the Oceania champion will compete against 23 other players in the world finals from 21 May.
This weekend’s event in Auckland represents the final stage of the OFC live qualification series held across the Pacific region for the first time, beginning in Tahiti last December.
Aside from the fierce competition, there will be extra PlayStation® 3 kiosks for the general public to enjoy and an inflatable pitch to keep the kids entertained. There will also be loads of giveaways including the chance to win a brand new PS3™.
FIWC is the world’s largest online gaming tournament now in its eighth year. Presenting partners EA SPORTS™ and Sony PlayStation® have helped to ensure the 2012 competition is the biggest yet with over one million gamers all over the world signed up for the tournament.
New Caledonian-born Christian Karembeu has been named as a FIWC Ambassador and will be at Dubai’s Jumeirah Beach Hotel this May to keep a close eye on proceedings.
“I am delighted to be a part of this year’s FIWC Grand Final,” says the FIFA World Cup™ winner, who has also served as a FIFA and OFC Ambassador at various events.
“The tournament gives football fans all over the globe the opportunity to become a real FIFA world champion.”
Fifteen gamers from 10 different countries have already qualified for the Dubai Grand Final meaning that there are still nine places up for grabs.
This year’s world champion will walk away with USD $20,000 and an invitation to attend the FIFA Ballon d’Or 2012.