FIFA E-World Cup 2018 Announced

ELECTRONIC ARTS AND FIFA TO BRING ESPORTS TO MILLIONS THROUGH THE EA SPORTS^TM FIFA 18 GLOBAL SERIES ON THE ROAD TO THE FIFA EWORLD CUP 2018

The Largest Competition in FIFA History Will Exponentially Expand the Global Audience With Accessible Competition and Features Top-Flight Football Leagues and Clubs

Today, Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) and Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) announced the launch of the  EA SPORTS FIFA 18 Global Series on The Road to the FIFA eWorld Cup 2018, a landmark competition slated to bring global excitement to millions of competitors and spectators. This expanded, unified  ecosystem between EA and FIFA exponentially increases the scale of competitive FIFA year-over-year and kicks off Friday, November 3. The competition will culminate at the showpiece event in the FIFA eWorld Cup 2018, where the winner will be crowned the undisputed world champion of EA SPORTS FIFA 18 in August 2018.

“Last year was a pivotal achievement for competitive FIFA, engaging millions of competitors and spectators through world football and global competition,” said Todd Sitrin, SVP and GM of the Competitive Gaming Division at EA. “In partnership with FIFA, we’re accelerating the growth of competitive gaming through the EA SPORTS FIFA 18 Global Series on The Road to the FIFA eWorld Cup 2018, producing more competition, attracting more competitors and connecting with more fans than ever before.”

“Competitive FIFA is a global entertainment phenomenon that maximizes the combined power of world football and competitive gaming in unprecedented fashion,” said Philippe Le Floc’h, Chief Commercial Officer at FIFA. “We’re thrilled to partner with EA in creating the EA SPORTS FIFA 18 Global Series as the Road to the FIFA eWorld Cup 2018 will increase the ways millions of fans consume football.”

The Road to the FIFA eWorld Cup 2018 is a multi-staged, global journey. Competitors will qualify based on FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) Champions Weekend League online performance and at blockbuster live qualifying events throughout the year. Through the qualifying stage, EA and FIFA will identify the top-ranked 128 competitors (64 competitors representing PlayStation 4 and 64 competitors representing Xbox One) to advance to the EA SPORTS FIFA 18 Global Series Playoffs, vying to be one of the 32 stars to qualify for the FIFA eWorld Cup 2018. The winner of the FIFA eWorld Cup 2018 will be declared the world champion.

The EA SPORTS FIFA 18 Global Series magnifies the ways competitors of all levels can compete through both online competition and at inimitable, industry-moving live events. In online play, all competitors will first compete in FUT Champions weekend leagues as the globally engaging, worldly popular competitive mode returns. Accompanying the fun found in online competitive play are a variety of blockbuster live events ensuring maximum opportunity for all to qualify for the EA SPORTS FIFA 18 Global Series Playoffs – a sample of competitive formats in EA SPORTS FIFA 18 include:

• FIFA Ultimate Team Champions Cups – These mass entry tournaments kickoff first through the popular FUT Champions mode with the top competitors qualifying for two major live tournaments – held in January and April.
• FIFA eClub World Cup – An all-star tournament pitting world-class EA SPORTS FIFA 18 competitors signed to pro teams against one another.
• Licensed Qualifying Competitions – Notable third-party competitive gaming organizations and brands will host marquee events offering qualifying spots for the EA SPORTS FIFA 18 Global Series Playoffs. Our third-party qualifiying tournaments will offer three times the competitive opportunity for our players to compete year-over-year.
• Official League Partner Qualifying Competitions – Competitors can represent their favorite real-life club through official league competitions and specific details on how leagues will be involved to be available soon.

EA has the mission to make stars of all its competitors by making competitive gaming accessible to all. Quickly becoming a leading entertainment brand in competitive gaming, with top-selling videogame franchises EA SPORTS FIFA, Madden NFL football and Battlefield 1, award-winning interactive technology and cross-platform digital experiences, EA’s competitive experiences ignite the passion of millions of competitors and spectators through competition around the world.

For more details on the entire EA SPORTS FIFA 18 Global Series, please visit www.FUTChampions.com .