EA Use The Football Engine Behind 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa And Predict Spain Will Win The World Cup

EA have used the football engine behind the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa to predict who will win this years World Cup. EA predict that Spain will win the World Cup, beating Brazil 3-1 in the final. EA used the engine to predict every match in the World Cup, from the group stages to the final and have made the following predictions:

World Champion: Spain
World Cup Final: Spain 3 Brazil 1
1st team to be eliminated: South Africa
Golden Boot winner: David Villa (Spain), 7 goals
Golden Ball winner: Kaka (Brazil)


Commentary on The Final:
The Final itself was an epic battle as Brazil put on a dazzling display of free-flowing samba style football early on against the Spaniards, taking a 1-0 lead in the 30th minute with a Felipe Melo strike from just inside the box. It didn’t take long for Spain to level the score after a goalie error that left striker David Villa in the clear. He tapped in his 6th goal of the tournament in the 42nd minute. The second half saw fortunes turn in favour of Spain, as their disciplined build up play and domination of possession paid off with a goal in the 61st minute when Villa connected for his second goal of the match, off of Andres Iniesta’s driven cross. Brazil had several efforts on goal in the final third of the match but couldn’t capitalize on its chances as they pushed all players forward in an attempt to draw even, eventually conceding a splendid counter attack goal in the 88th minute from Cesc Fabregas, which delivered Spain the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

EA Have provided the results of all the rounds from their final:

Final	Score
Brazil	1
Spain	3

Semi Finals
England	2
Brazil	2 (5-4 Pens)
Spain	2
Argentina	1

Quarter Finals
Brazil	3
Netherlands	2
England	2
France	1
Germany	1
Argentina	3
Italy	1
Spain	1 (5-4 Pens)

Round of 16
France	2
Nigeria	1
England	3
Australia	1
USA	2
Germany	2 (3-1 Pens)
Argentina	2
Mexico	1
Netherlands	2
Slovakia	0
Brazil	3
Chile	1
Italy	2
Cameroon	1
Spain	3
Portugal	1

Press Release

GUILDFORD, UK.– 3rd June , 2010 – And the FIFA World Cup Trophy goes to … Spain! Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) today declared the winner of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South AfricaTM. Using the market-leading EA SPORTSTM football engine that drives 2010 FIFA World Cup South AfricaTM on the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, EA was able to simulate the 2010 FIFA World Cup and test all 32 teams under the same conditions they will face in the weeks ahead. It was determined that Spain will defeat Brazil 3-1 at Soccer City on July 11 to win its first World Cup.

EA SPORTS 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa, the officially licensed videogame of the World Cup, predicted the following placements:
World Champion: Spain
World Cup Final: Spain 3 Brazil 1
1st team to be eliminated: South Africa
Golden Boot winner: David Villa (Spain), 7 goals
Golden Ball winner: Kaka (Brazil)

Fans around the globe will compare these astonishing results to the real-world tournament as it unfolds beginning June 11. The Final itself was an epic battle as Brazil put on a dazzling display of free-flowing samba style football early on against the Spaniards, taking a 1-0 lead in the 30th minute with a Felipe Melo strike from just inside the box. It didn’t take long for Spain to level the score after a goalie error that left striker David Villa in the clear. He tapped in his 6th goal of the tournament in the 42nd minute. The second half saw fortunes turn in favour of Spain, as their disciplined build up play and domination of possession paid off with a goal in the 61st minute when Villa connected for his second goal of the match, off of Andres Iniesta’s driven cross. Brazil had several efforts on goal in the final third of the match but couldn’t capitalize on its chances as they pushed all players forward in an attempt to draw even, eventually conceding a splendid counter attack goal in the 88th minute from Cesc Fabregas, which delivered Spain the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Spain’s path to FIFA World Cup glory included a quarterfinal 5-4 penalty shootout victory over Italy after an absorbing 1-1 draw, and a 2-1 win over Argentina in the semi final. Brazil’s journey to the Final included a 3-2 win over the Netherlands in the quarter final and a 5-4 shootout victory over England after the two teams played out a 2-2 draw in the semi.

Visit http://www.FIFA-WORLD-CUP.EASPORTS.COM for more information about game features on each available platform. EA SPORTS 2010 FIFA World CupTM is in stores now. It is rated “E” for Everyone by the ESRB and 3+ by PEGI in Europe. Screenshots can be downloaded at www.easports.co.uk/press.

EA SPORTSTM is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, global videogame competitions and breakthrough digital experiences. EA SPORTS delivers personal access to the emotion of sports through industry-leading sports simulation videogames, including Madden NFL football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, NCAA® Football and NCAA Basketball, Fight Night boxing and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® golf, while EA SPORTS Active for the Wii is the most critically acclaimed product available for interactive fitness.

For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums, fantasy leagues and game communities, please visit www.easports.co.uk to connect, share and compete.

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About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTSTM, EATM, EA MobileTMand POGOTM. In fiscal 2010, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.7 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million units. EA's homepage and online game site is www.easports.co.uk. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet atwww.easports.co.uk/press.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile and POGO are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc.
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