On Saturday, 20 February, Seattle Sounders will welcome eight finalists to their hometown for the FIFA Interactive World Cup 2016 Host Country Qualifier.

The live qualification event, which will be held at Seattle’s THE NINETY and played exclusively on the Xbox One, will decide the last name to join the 31 confirmed Grand Finalists and officially conclude the qualification phase of the 2016 edition of the world’s largest gaming tournament.

The FIWC 2016 Grand Final takes place from 20-22 March in New York. At the Grand Final, 32 of the world’s elite EA SPORTS™ FIFA 16 gamers will compete for the chance to win $20,000 USD along with an exclusive trip to the FIFA Ballon d’Or.

Tournament format The eight players competing at the Host Country Qualifier will engage in an instant knockout tournament, ensuring that every match on the day is an all-or-nothing affair. At the end of the day, one lucky winner will get to represent USA at the 2016 Grand Final. Only one American player have ever won the FIWC title. Could Seattle mark the beginning of a new American champion’s journey all the way to the Final of the Interactive World Cup?

It would not be a live FIWC event without some star players, big matches and surprises! What are we planning for Seattle? There’s only one way to find out! Follow the FIFA Interactive World Cup on Facebook and @FIWC on Twitter on 20 February.