Electronic Arts and FIFA announced today that the FIFA eWorld Cup™ 2018 Grand Final achieved a record global audience – generating more than 29 million views across online platforms during the three-day event.

Underlining the exciting potential growth for the tournament and competitive FIFA gaming, the global online audience for this year’s FIFA eWorld Cup Grand Final represents a 400 per cent increase in digital viewership over the 2017 FIFA Interactive World Cup Final and double the digital viewership of the EA SPORTS FIFA 18 Global Series Playoffs held in Amsterdam from 28 May to 3 June.

Peak concurrent viewership during the Grand Final broadcast on 4 August was an estimated 322,000 across 12 digital platforms, in addition to being delivered to 19 broadcasters covering over 60 territories around the world.*

The three-day Grand Final at The O2 in London brought together the 32 best competitive FIFA players in the world with Mosaad 'Msdossary' Aldossary from Saudi Arabia being crowned the EA Sports FIFA 18 World Champion and winning the grand prize of $250,000 USD, as well as an exclusive invitation to The Best FIFA Football Awards™.

As the final event of the season for competitive FIFA gaming, the FIFA eWorld Cup Grand Final was the culmination of the EA SPORTS FIFA 18 Global Series – a new format introduced this year that included international online and live events around the world. More than 20 million players from 60 different countries participated in competitive FIFA this season throughout the Global Series – representing one of the most inclusive and global competitive ecosystems in the eSports industry.

Speaking about the event, Jean-Francois Pathy, FIFA Director of Marketing Services, said: "This year's FIFA eWorld Cup Grand Final was an important milestone in the progress and continued professionalization of competitive FIFA gaming. Following the move to a new venue and a new format, the success of this year has underlined the unique opportunity that competitive FIFA gaming has to engage with new fans and audiences, as well as how it can support FIFA's ongoing efforts to drive interest and develop football around the world.

With a 400 per cent increase in viewership from 2017 to 2018, we are thrilled with this year's results and look forward to our continued partnership with EA Sports and accelerating our programs in the coming year."

Todd Sitrin, General Manager and Senior Vice President Competitive Gaming Division at EA SPORTS, said: “The power of real-world sports and eSports is a massive multiplier, and this year’s increase in online viewership is indicative of this power coming to life. We've dramatically accelerated the growth of competitive gaming through the EA SPORTS FIFA 18 Global Series and this year's Grand Final, rallying the global football community together within this singular ecosystem that we know will only grow in the seasons to come.”

* Numbers from official broadcaster will be communicated at a later date.