Online World Cup Partners With FIFA

Electronic Arts, Microsoft, and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) are teaming up to bring soccer players around the world together with online tournaments and real-world camps.

Online gamers will be invited to participate in an international online tournament played on EA's FIFA Football 2005 using the Microsoft Xbox Live service. The tournament will travel to six continents from October until December 2004, with the finals being played at the FIFA World Player of the Year Gala in Zurich in December 2004.

Along the tournament route, FIFA will coordinate several mini-camps complete with special guests that will take place between tournament matches.

This is the beginning of the marketing blitz for the World Cup 2006, and both Microsoft and EA will be offering special products over the next two years as teams continue to move towards the kickoff of the international sports spectacular.