Mosaad ‘Msdossary’ Aldossary tasted global glory at the 2018 FIFA eWorld Cup, recording a comfortable 4-0 aggregate victory over Belgium’s Stefano ‘StefanoPinna’ Pinna in London. The Saudi Arabian was the last man standing after 32 of competitive FIFA gaming’s elite vied for the right to be named the EA Sports FIFA 18 World Champion.

Three entertaining days packed with excitement, drama and goals unfolded at The O2, a stunning setting for the eSports action, as the curtain closed on the current campaign.

FIFA.com runs the rue over this year’s Grand Final, which provided a number of historic firsts – from the new trophy and record prize money to the introduction of anti-doping and match manipulation measures.

1. Another trophy for ‘MsDossary’ 2018 was quite the year on the FIFA circuit for ‘MsDossary’. The Saudi Arabian was victorious in the FUT Champions Cup Manchester in April and followed up with a second honour in London. The Grand Final victory signifies a major landmark in the 18-year-old’s already-impressive career. Could this be the start of an era of ‘MsDossary’ dominance?

2. Further increases in prize money 2017 marked a significant milestone for competitive FIFA gaming with the introduction of a $200,000 USD prize for the winner – and this year the stakes were even higher. The 2018 Grand Final had the highest prize money in competitive FIFA gaming history. An increased total prize pool of over $400,000 USD was up for grabs, with $250,000 USD going to the champion.

3. Favourites falter Top seeds Michael ‘Megabit’ Bittner and Nicolas ‘nicolas99fc’ Villalba sent out a daunting message to the competition on the opening day, each emerging with perfect records. But although they looked unstoppable on Day One, the German and Argentinian exited at the quarter-finals on Day Two. Xbox’s ‘Megabit’ fell to eventual champion ‘MsDossary’, while PlayStation’s Nicolas was eliminated by Denmark’s Marcus ‘Marcuzo’ Jorgensen.

4. Defending champion hoodoo continues Since the introduction of the FIFA eWorld Cup, previously known as the FIFA Interactive World Cup (FIWC), the reigning champion has never retained their title, reflecting the extremely competitive nature of the tournament. 2017 winner Spencer ‘Gorilla’ Ealing was in London this year to defend his crown but fell to Kurt ‘kurt0411’ Fenech in the quarter-finals.

5. German despair Eight Germans reached the Grand Final in London, making them by far the most represented nation at the tournament. With the formidable ‘Megabit’, the experienced Kai ‘deto’ Wollin and more, many expected the Germans to go far. But all had departed after the quarter-final stage.

6. Global coverage English, Spanish, German and Chinese – the FIFA eWorld Cup was live streamed in four languages, with commentary teams providing expert analysis and reaction over three days. The tournament was brought to users on a plethora of social media platforms, which included FIFA’s own Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and, of course, FIFA.com.

7. Anti-doping controls For the first time in the competition’s history, anti-doping measures were introduced for the 32 players participating in the Grand Final. Controls saw players selected via random or targeted methods in accordance with the World Anti-Doping Code.

8. Integrity standards Another first at the Grand Finals saw the FIFA Integrity Department implement integrity-related measures, thoroughly monitoring pre-match and live betting markets around the world for any match manipulation alert, incident or suspicion to protect the integrity of the game.

9. FIFA 19 sneak peek Before Saturday’s final, fans watching in The O2 were treated to an exclusive preview of FIFA 19 ahead of next month’s official release. New features such as division rivals, player picks and dynamic tactics were revealed, as well as some of the icons included on the new edition.

10. eSports continues to soar From live broadcasts in four languages to increased prize money and viewing figures, competitive FIFA gaming has experienced staggering growth over the last number of years – and its reach is continuing to increase. Over 20 million took part in qualifying for the FIFA eWorld Cup, while a crowd at The O2 – one of the world’s most iconic music and entertainment venues – was on hand to see the action unfold live.