OFFICIAL RULES

Table of Content

1. Overview
2. Registration and Eligibility
3. Team Eligibility and Composition
4. Competition Structure
5. Participation in Live Events
6. Enforcement
7. Prizes
8. General Terms
9. Commerical Rights
10. Appendix A: Code of Conduct
11. Appendix B: Eligible Countries/Territories

1. OVERVIEW

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

The EA SPORTS FIFA 22 Global Series (“Competition”) is sponsored by Electronic Arts Inc. (“EA”), 209 Redwood Shores Parkway, Redwood City, CA 94065, USA and is governed by these Official Rules (“Official Rules”). 

The Competition is a series of video game competitions (“Events”) conducted using EA SPORTS FIFA 22 (“Game”) for PlayStation 5 (“Supported Platform”). 

The following is the list of Events in this Competition:

• Global Series Open
• Team of the Year Cup
• Team of the Season Cup
• Global Series Regional Qualifiers
• League Events
• Global Series Playoffs

Additional Events will be added to these Official Rules as they are announced.

All federal, state, provincial, and local laws and regulations apply.

Any third party that operates another video game competition incorporating the Game is the sponsor of such competition and will determine the applicable terms and conditions for participation.  Non-EA SPORTS FIFA 22 Global Series competitions are governed by separate terms and conditions for participation.

2. REGISTRATION AND ELIGIBILITY

2.1 REGISTRATION PROCESS 

To register to be considered for eligibility for the Competition, Players must register with their valid EA Account athttps://futchampions.com (“Registration Site”) and accept the Official Rules and the Event Rules for Events that they wish to compete in (“Event Rules”). 

Players may register from October 4, 2021 to December 31st, 2021.

Online Tournaments/Individual Events have additional requirements.

Team of the Year Cup may have additional registration requirements, including payment of USD $50 registration fee per Team, to participate. 

2.2 ELIGIBILITY 

One must meet the following eligibility requirements to be considered a “Player”:

• Be at least 16 years old.
• Be the minimum age required to have a full (not underage) EA Account in their territory of residence, and meet the following minimum age requirements as of the time of registration and acceptance of the Official Rules and/or Event Rules:
  • From Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Korea – at least 18 years old; 
  • From Japan – at least 17 years old; 
  • All other territories – at least 16 years old.
• Have a valid EA Account.
• Register their valid EA Account for eligibility and accept the Official Rules and Event Rules;
• For Players under the age of majority in their territory of residence, have a parent or legal guardian review and consent to these Official Rules and any Event Rules on their behalf and accompany them to any Live Event (as defined in Section 4). 
• Be a resident of one of the eligible countries/regions listed in Appendix B.
• Own or have access to the Game on a Supported Platform and have connected it to their valid EA Account.
• Agree to EA’s Privacy and Cookie Policy located at https://privacy.ea.com (“Privacy and Cookie Policy”) and User Agreement located at https://terms.ea.com (“User Agreement”).
• Have a valid PSN ID.
• Have a valid Battlefy account (https://battlefy.com) for Online Tournaments.
• Have a valid Discord account (https://discord.com).
• Enable Two Factor Authentication on their EA Account.
• Receive an invitation from EA to participate.

2.3 EVENT RULES

Event Rules, including registration requirements, deadlines, gameplay rules, prizes, and other details related to individual Events, will be posted as part of the registration process for each individual Event. Players must accept the Event Rules before participating.

2.4 ACCEPTANCE OF OFFICIAL RULES; CHANGES TO THE COMPETITION AND OFFICIAL RULES

Players must accept the Official Rules and Event Rules on the Registration Site to be considered for participation in the Competition and specific Event.

These Official Rules and all Event Rules may be updated by EA without notice as necessary, including without limitation, to add further clarity, correct errors, comply with changes in applicable law, or address matters that arise after their publication.  

EA reserves the right to cancel, suspend and/or modify all or part of the Competition, or any part of it, if any fraud, technical failures or any other factor impairs the integrity or proper operation of the Competition, including the safety of Players or fairness of the Competition, as determined by EA in its sole discretion. EA reserves the right to disqualify any Player or Team at any time for any reason, including without limited to, for tampering with the operation of the Competition, or acting in violation of these Official Rules.  Any attempt by any person to deliberately undermine the legitimate operation of the Competition may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and EA reserves the right to seek damages and other remedies (including attorneys’ fees) from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law.

By participating in the Competition, Players agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of EA, Competition officials, and Competition administrators.

2.5 PROOF OF RESIDENCY 

Players may be required to provide proof of residency in an eligible country/region to compete in the Competition. The sufficiency of any such proof or documentation will be determined by EA (or its agent) in its sole discretion. The list of eligible countries/regions can be found in Appendix B.

Players invited to participate in the Live Event may be required to sign and return a Declaration of Eligibility to Travel, and must certify their country/region of permanent residence by providing a government-issued identification, such as a driver’s license, identification card, or work visa with a photo, name and physical address in an eligible country/region.

Players under the age of majority in their territory of residence may provide a school identification card if government-issued identification is not available and their parent or legal guardian must also provide government-issued identification.

Players may also be required to produce a recent invoice from a utility (energy, telephone, or cable) company with a name and physical address in an eligible country.

2.6 EMPLOYEES AND CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

Employees of EA and its respective affiliates, subsidiaries, representatives, advertising, promotion and publicity agencies, vendors, Battlefy Inc., Sony Interactive Entertainment, FIFA, former employees of EA who participated in the development of the Game, and the immediate family members or persons living in the same household of such employees are not eligible to participate in the Competition.

2.7 REGISTRATION DATA AND LEADERBOARD

As part of the registration process, Players will be asked to provide optional information, such as chosen Team of Representation and chosen Country of Representation.  This information may be used in any leaderboard data created as part of the Competition. The leaderboard will be published on fifa.gg and updated with point totals on a regular basis, as determined by EA in its sole discretion.

2.8 REPRESENTING AN ORGANIZATION AT THE LIVE EVENT

Players and Teams may represent an organization in the Competition.

Prior to an event’s Roster Lock Date, Team Captain or manager must provide the following by emailing eafifaleagueops@ea.com:

• Name of organization, club or team the Player(s) will be representing and authorization for use;
• Organization logo and authorization for use; 
• Contact information for the officer or representative of the organization;
• Team Name;
• Player’s real name and display name;
• Photo of Player(s) and authorization for use.

EA will inform Teams and qualified Players of any other applicable deadlines and required information. This information may be incorporated into the broadcast and web coverage of the event.

3. TEAM ELIGIBILITY AND COMPOSITION

3.1 ROSTERS & ROSTER LOCK

A Team must contain two (2) Players. EA retains a right of approval over the roster submitted by each Team and may reject any roster that does not comply with the Official Rules.

Players must register for every Online Tournament or Live Event with a Team. Players may not be a member of more than one (1) registered Team for the same event. To join a new Team for an event, a Player must first leave or be removed from the Team with whom they are currently registered for the event.

If a Team has qualified directly for the Group Stage of an event or won a travel award to the Open Bracket of the event, the Team must maintain both Players from the qualifying event roster in order to retain their reserved spot in the Live Event. 

Players may leave a Team voluntarily or may be removed from the Team by the Team Captain. 

3.2 TEAM CAPTAIN

The Player who receives the invitation to participate in the online tournament and creates the Team on the Registration Site during the registration process will be deemed the Team Captain. The Team Captain is responsible for managing the official roster for their Team on the Registration Site, for inviting new players to become Competitors on the Team, and for registering the Team for each Online Tournament or Major. 

3.3 TEAM NAME

During the registration process, the Team Captain must indicate an official Team name. The name must be unique from other Team names, is subject to approval by EA, and must comply with the requirements in Appendix A8.

Teams with names that are the same or similar to companies or organizations may be required to provide proof that they are authorized representatives of that organization.

3.4 TEAM ELIGIBILITY

If a player on a team is found to be ineligible prior to the Roster Lock Date of the event the team is registered for, the team will be required to replace the ineligible player with an eligible player.

If a player on a team is found to be ineligible after the Roster Lock Date of the event the team is registered for, the team may be allowed to replace the ineligible player with an eligible player, subject to FIFA Global Series administration approval.

If a player on a team is found to be ineligible after the start time of the event, the team will be removed from the event and forfeit all matches in the event.  

Live Events may feature additional eligibility requirements. Please refer to the event-specific rules for more information. 

3.5 PRIZE ENTITLEMENT

Any prizing won in a team-based competition owned by EA will be split evenly between the two players on the roster of the winning team unless otherwise requested via email by both players to eafifaleagueops@ea.com.

4. COMPETITION STRUCTURE

The Competition will consist of several tournaments that take place online and offline.  

4.1 FUT Division Rivals 

4.2 Online Regional Qualifiers

4.3 Global Series Open

4.4 Team of the Year Cup

4.5 Team of the Season Cup

4.6 Partner League Events

4.7 Global Series Playoffs

EA reserves the right to cancel or re-schedule Live Events, and to modify the Live Events tournament structure if, in its sole and exclusive judgment, such changes are necessary for reasons including but not limited to health and safety, competitive integrity and to maintain a fair and respectful environment for all Players. EA also reserves the right to make such changes if it deems they are necessary to comply with applicable law and conditions pertaining to public health.

4.1 FUT Division Rivals

Players who have registered on https://futchampions.com during the registration window described in Section 2.1 will have opportunities available to them in the Division Rivals game mode. These opportunities include:

• Qualification to play in Online Regional Qualifiers
• Qualification to play in Global Series Open
• Early Registration Priority for Team of the Season Cup

Opportunities will be granted to Players depending on their end of season ranking as compared with other players in the region corresponding to their Country of Representation (as per Appendix B).

4.2 Online Regional Qualifiers

There will be four Online Regional Qualifiers for each region featuring 1v1 play. The following maximum number of players per region will qualify to compete:

• Europe East - 256
• Europe West - 256
• LatAm South - 256
• LatAm North - 128
• Middle East - 128
• North America - 128
• Africa - 32
• North Asia - 32
• South Asia - 32
• Oceania - 32

Each Online Regional Qualifier will use the player’s FUT Division Rivals Skill Rating at the end of the season to determine eligibility. Only the top eligible players in each region will qualify. Players will earn Global Series Points based on their finish within each tournament. The players with the most Global Series Points (see Section 7) in each region will earn a place at the Global Series Playoffs.

4.3 FIFA Global Series Open

The FIFA Global Series Open is a collection of 16 team-based tournaments. Each tournament will use a Swiss and/or double elimination bracket to produce a winning team of two players that will qualify for the Team of the Season Cup.

• Buenos Aires Open - 128 Teams
• Dubai Open - 128 Teams
• Frankfurt Open - 128 Teams
• Johannesburg Open - 32 Teams
• Madrid Open - 128 Teams
• Mexico City Open - 64 Teams
• Miami Open - 64 Teams
• Milan Open - 128 Teams
• Paris Open - 128 Teams
• Portland Open - 64 Teams
• Sao Paulo Open - 128 Teams
• Singapore Open - 64 Teams
• Stockholm Open - 128 Teams
• Sydney Open - 32 Teams
• Tokyo Open - 32 Teams
• Washington Open - 64 Teams

4.3.1 Eligibility for the FIFA Global Series Open

Both members of each team must be registered with the FIFA Global Series before November 12th, 2021. Players will receive an invitation via email if they are among the top number of registered players in their region as listed above. Regions are based on the player’s Country of Residence. 

The player whose invitation is used to enter the tournament will be considered the Captain. The Captain’s region will determine which tournament the players play in. The teammate must be located on the same continent as the Captain. Invitations are only to be used by the player and are non-transferrable, even if both players have earned an invitation.

4.4 Team of the Year Cup

The Team of the Year Cup will be a 32 team competition consisting of the following players:

• 16 Winners from the FIFA Global Series Open
• 16 Invited Teams by EA

This will be an in-person event with no public participation or audience. Teams will be split into 4 round robin groups that will seed 24 players into an elimination bracket.

4.5 Team of the Season Cup

The Team of the Season Cup will be a team-based competition consisting of three parts as follows.

4.5.1 Group Stage

16 teams will start the tournament in the Group Stage. The Group Stage of the Team of the Season Cup will consist of the top 16 teams in the Team of the Year Cup held earlier in the season. 

The 16 teams in the Group Stage will be divided into 4 round robin groups. Each group will consist of 5 teams with the last spot left open for a team from the Open Bracket. Based on finish, teams will earn a spot in the Championship Bracket as follows:

• 1st & 2nd in each group will earn a seat in the Winner’s Bracket
• 3rd in each group will earn a seat in the Loser’s Bracket Round 3
• 4th in each group will earn a seat in the Loser’s Bracket Round 2
• 5th in each group will earn a seat in the Loser’s Bracket Round 1

4.5.2 Open Bracket

The Open Bracket will consist of 256 teams and feature open registration. Some players may receive priority registration if they meet certain criteria such as:

• Top 64 on the Global PlayStation Rankings in FUT Division Rivals on specified dates
• Placement in Online Tournaments

The Open Bracket will be a double elimination bracket. The four last remaining teams in the Winner’s Bracket will earn a spot in the Group Stage. The four last remaining teams in the Loser’s Bracket will earn a spot in Loser’s Bracket Round 1 of the Championship Bracket.

4.5.3 Championship Bracket

The Championship Bracket will consist of 24 teams and determine the overall winner of the event. 8 teams will start in the Winner’s Bracket and 16 teams in various stages of the Loser’s Bracket based on the criteria laid out in Section 4.5.1 and 4.5.2. The Championship Bracket will determine the overall winner of the event.

4.6 League Events

“League Events” include:

• eChampions League, exclusive to Europe, operated by EA in collaboration with a third party
• eLibertadores, exclusive to South America, operated by EA in collaboration with a third party
• TBD number of events sponsored by Partner Leagues, with varying numbers of participants

Eligibility and details will vary from league to league. Please refer to the applicable league websites for more information. Non-registered Players are allowed to compete in League Events, but only eligible, Registered players will be allocated a Seat to the Playoff.

Players are not allowed to compete in more than one domestic League Event. Players must be residents of the country in which the League Event is played unless they have a signed contract with a team endemic to that league.

Players will not earn Points in a domestic League Event. Instead, they will play for a reserved seat in the Global Series Playoffs (a ”Seat”)

4.7 Global Series Playoffs

The Global Series Playoffs will feature 128 players consisting of the top ranked players on each Regional Rankings and the top players from each League Event. If a player earns a Seat at the Global Series Playoff through a League Event and has enough Global Series Points in the Regional Rankings, the seat normally awarded through the Rankings will pass down to the next eligible Player.

In the event that a Player earns a seat both through a domestic League Event as well as the eChampions League or eLibertadores, the first seat earned will be used and the other will pass down to the Player with the next highest finish in the league.

5. PARTICIPATION IN LIVE EVENTS

5.1 TRAVEL FOR COMPETING IN LIVE EVENTS

EA or third parties may provide travel accommodations for some invited or qualified Players to a Live Event at EA’s or such third party’s expense. For Players with travel expenses paid by EA, the selection of transportation carriers, hotels, and/or related transfers will be in EA’s sole discretion. EA reserves the right to provide ground transportation instead of airfare based on a Player’s travel distance from a Live Event. If a Player requests special travel or accommodation plans, such as different travel dates, different carriers, or departure/arrival cities other than the designated city for the tournament, and if the cost of the special travel request exceeds that of the standard tournament travel plans, EA may require the Player to cover the difference in cost.

Receiving travel accommodations is contingent upon compliance with these Official Rules. If a Player is disqualified or travel is forfeited for any reason, EA may award that Player’s travel and accommodations to an alternate Player, who may assume that Player’s place in the Competition.

Incidentals for travel, including, without limitation: telephone calls, facsimile charges, Internet charges, spa/beauty salon services, laundry, tours/excursions, gift shop purchases, hotel processing fees, airline service charges and any other expenses not mentioned in these Official Rules are the sole responsibility of the Player or parent/guardian, and the Player may be asked to account for any such incidental charges by providing the applicable hotel with a credit card. Hotel and airfare cannot be used separately. Travel and accommodations are subject to availability and certain restrictions. Any extra nights’ stay and any additional costs associated with an extended stay are the sole responsibility of the Player and his or her parent/guardian. Valid passport and/or other travel documentation may be required, which is the responsibility of each Player. Additional restrictions may apply.

5.2 DECLARATION OF ELIGIBILITY AND REQUEST FOR BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Players must sign a Declaration of Eligibility to Travel and complete the Request for Biographic Information prior to accepting travel accommodations to the Live Event(s). The Declaration of Eligibility to Travel will be provided to Players via email to the email address used to register for the Competition. If a Player does not complete the Declaration of Eligibility to Travel within seven (7) calendar days of attempted notification, fails to sign and/or return the Declaration of Eligibility to Travel within the required time period, refuses travel, is ineligible to accept travel, or is unavailable to travel on dates appropriate to the Live Event(s), the Player forfeits travel accommodations, as well as their place in the Live Event/Competition.

If a Player is a minor in his or her territory of residence, the Player’s parent or legal guardian will be required to sign all necessary documents to accept travel and must accompany the Player to the Live Event(s). In these instances, travel accommodations will include additional airfare for one (1) parent or legal guardian. Player and parent/legal guardian must travel together on the same itinerary and will share hotel accommodations.

5.3 BACKGROUND CHECKS

In order to participate in a Live Event, and to the extent permissible in the Player’s country of residence, potential prize winners may first be required to submit to a background check and provide the necessary information that EA requests to be eligible to receive a prize.  EA reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any potential winner based on such background check if EA determines, in its sole discretion, that awarding a prize to such winner might reflect negatively on EA.

6. ENFORCEMENT

EA Accounts, the leaderboard, and match data may be audited, including for malicious behavior and cheating.  Any Player may be disqualified immediately from the Competition and related competitions, at the discretion of EA or its designees, for any reason, including for any failure to comply with the User Agreement, Privacy and Cookie Policy, and these Official Rules, including the Code of Conduct at Appendix A, which may include but is not limited to:

• using any cheats, hacks or other third-party “helper” applications in playing Game matches;
• intentionally disconnecting from the Internet during any Game match;
• colluding with other teams/players in playing Game matches;
• selectively matching up against the same opponent repeatedly;
• taking advantage of known exploits in the Game (it is the responsibility of players to understand and avoid all current illegal exploits); or
• abusive or disorderly behavior, including any use of harassing, negative, or profane language online.  

EA, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to disqualify any Player or Team at any time, for any reason, including but not limited to tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Competition, or acting in violation of these Official Rules or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner and reserves the right to void all associated entries.  Disqualification of a Player may result in the disqualification of the Player’s entire Team from a Competition event or the entire Competition.  EA’s failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.

Players who attempt to play using an alternate identity before the period of their suspension is complete may be permanently suspended from EA events.

7. PRIZES

7.1 PRIZING

See Appendix X for distribution of prizes for the Competition.  

7.1.1 FUT Champions Cup Prizing

The following prizing structure will be used for the Team of the Year Cup and Team of the Season Cup in 2v2 play. FUT Champions Cup Prizing will be split evenly between the two players on the roster of the winning team unless otherwise requested via email by both players to eafifaleagueops@ea.com.

7.1.2 Online Qualifiers Prizing

Europe West, Europe East, LatAm South

LatAm North, Middle East, North America

Africa, Asia North, Asia South, Oceania

7.1.3 Global Series Playoff Prizing

7.2 Global Series Points

Players will be awarded the following Global Series Points based on their finish in the elimination phase of the tournament.

See the Event Rules for distribution of prizes for that Event.

See the Event Rules for distribution of prizes for that Event.

7.3 PRIZE TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Prizes are not transferable. No substitution of prizes for other goods and services is permitted, except that EA reserves the right to provide a substitute prize of approximately equal or greater value if the advertised prize is unavailable or not allowed by local law. For winning Players with a place of residence in Uruguay, prizes will be awarded in the form of a gift card(s) instead of cash.  All federal, state, provincial and local taxes, and international tariffs, are the sole responsibility of the individual winner.

Potential winners will be required to complete and sign a Prize Winner Declaration and Release to claim a prize within 90 days of completion of the Live Event in order to claim the prize. If a potential winner fails to sign and/or return the Prize Winner Declaration and Release, refuses the prize, is ineligible to accept the prize, or the prize is returned as undeliverable, the potential winner forfeits the prize. 

Failure to communicate banking information or delivery method to prize distribution vendor in a timely manner may result in forfeiture of the prize. If a potential winner is considered a minor in his or her territory of residence, winner’s parent or legal guardian (as required by law) will be required to sign all necessary documents upon verification of identification. Receiving a prize is contingent upon compliance with these Official Rules.  All prizes claimed in accordance with these Official Rules will be awarded. In the event a potential winner is disqualified, or the prize is forfeited for any reason, EA retains the discretion to donate the applicable prize to a charity of EA’s choosing. Potential winners may be required to provide a valid shipping address to claim prize.  Allow up to three (3) months for delivery of prizes.

In the event EA cancels or suspends the Competition pursuant to Section 2.4 above, prizes will be awarded for all events prior to such cancellation or suspension.

8 GENERAL TERMS

Nothing in these Official Rules shall be deemed to exclude or restrict any Player’s statutory rights as a consumer. 

8.1 PERSONAL INFORMATION

By participating in the Competition, Players acknowledge that EA will process their personal information (including name, address, date of birth, EA Account Name, email address, Platform Username, country of residence) in accordance with the Privacy and Cookie Policy for the purposes listed therein.If Personal information has been collected from Players by an organizing or local processing entity, Players agree to such entity transferring the relevant information to EA.

Personal information will be used and processed as described in the Privacy and Cookie Policy, including for the purposes of:

• Organizing, running, and monitoring the Competition and prize fulfillment, including for Players that win a prize, publishing Player names and countries of residence online or in any other media in connection with the Competition, as described further below; and
• Any additional processing activities to which Players consent and/or acknowledge as applicable, such as sharing information with designated Competition operators and/or administrators, including for booking travel and soliciting feedback on the Competition, or gameplay and features of EA game titles.

Personal information will be processed in the United States or any other country in which EA, its subsidiaries, or third-party agents operate.  By entering the Competition, Players consent that their personal information may be transferred to recipients in the United States and other countries that may not offer the same level of privacy protection as the laws in their country of residence or citizenship, as further explained in the Privacy and Cookie Policy. 

Players have the right to access, withdraw, and correct their personal information. Competitors may request such action by visiting our Privacy Portal, https://www.ea.com/privacy-portal.

Please note that we may request background investigations for Players that we invite to Live Events.  We may request Player consent and provide details about such investigations if applicable and necessary.

The organizing or local processing entity for the Competition, if applicable, may be considered a data controller for the Personal information submitted by Players.  If such entity is a data controller, their privacy policy will be provided to Players in accordance with applicable law. Please refer to such privacy policy for details regarding how Player personal information data is processed and Player rights with respect to it. 

Applicability of User Agreement and Privacy and Cookie Policy:  Player’s participation in the Competition is also governed by the User Agreement. If there is any conflict between these Official Rules and the Privacy and Cookie Policy and User Agreement, then the Privacy and Cookie Policy or User Agreement, as applicable, will control.

8.2 RELEASE AND PUBLICATION OF PLAYER INFORMATION 

WINNER’S LIST: EA will post a winner’s list online after all winners are confirmed two (2) weeks after the end of each Live Event at futchampions.com.  This list will remain posted for three (3) months after the end of the Competition. 

8.1.1 Player grants to EA the right to publish and otherwise use Player’s statistics and rankings in connection with the Competition for any purpose, including for marketing and promotional purposes, without consent or compensation to Player.

8.1.2 By accepting a prize, Player grants to EA the right to use their personal information and any other information provided by Player, without further consent or compensation to Player, for the administration, marketing, and promotion of the Competition, EA, and/or the Game, unless otherwise noted below:

• Background info: Full name, country of residency, age, Supported Platform Username (e.g., PSN ID, EA Account ID)
• Social Media info: Twitter handle, YouTube channel, Twitch account, Instagram username
• Photos: Any photos provided by Player to EA or photos of Player taken onsite at a Live Event 
• Other Information for tournament administration only: Shirt size, dietary restrictions, mobile phone number
• Any other biographical information provided by Player (e.g., favorite professional sports teams players)

8.1.3 Players acknowledge and agree that EA may provide Player’s EA Account Information (name, Online ID, age, country, game play stats and scores, and email address) to FIFA, and FIFA may use the account information for the purposes of administering the Competition and related events, including without limitation that FIFA may contact Player by email and/or other means.

8.2 GOVERNING LAW; RELEASE OF LIABILITY

8.1.1 EA’s decisions will be final and binding on all matters related to the Competition. 

8.1.2 To the extent permissible by local law, the Competition is governed by the laws of the State of California and all claims must be resolved in the United States.

8.1.3 To the extent permissible by law, Player agrees to release and hold harmless EA and its agents from any and all liability or any injury, loss, damage, right, claim or action of any kind arising from or in connection with this Competition or any Competition-related activity, or the receipt, acceptance, possession, use or misuse of EA-provided travel or any prize won.

8.1.4 FOR RESIDENTS OF AUSTRIA, GERMANY, AND POLAND

Notwithstanding any other provision herein, nothing in these Official Rules shall have the effect to deprive a Player of the consumer protection rights granted by the laws of your residence that cannot be derogated from by agreement. With respect to the Prize and any other products or services given by EA and its affiliates free of charge, EA shall only be liable for intent and gross negligence.

In case of slight negligence, however, EA is only liable for the breach of essential contractual obligations, such as delay or impossibility of performance, which EA can be made responsible for. The liability in the event of breach of such an essential contractual obligation is limited to the typical contractual damage, whose occurrence could be expected by the EA upon conclusion of the contract on account of the circumstances known at that time. “Essential contractual obligations” are those obligations whose fulfillment is essential to enable the proper implementation of the contract and the achievement of its purpose and whose observation you as an end consumer may rely upon. The foregoing limitations of liability shall not apply in the case of explicit guarantees by the EA, in cases of malice and injuries to life, body or health as well as in the case of mandatory statutory regulations.

8.1.5 FOR RESIDENTS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM AND FRANCE

Notwithstanding any other provision herein, to the extent allowable under applicable law, each Player agrees to release and hold harmless EA and its agents from any and all liability or any injury, loss, damage, right, claim or action of any kind arising from or in connection with this Competition or any Competition-related activity or the receipt, possession, use or misuse of any prize won, except with respect to claims resulting from death or personal injury arising from EA’s negligence, and for residents of the United Kingdom, with respect to claims resulting from the tort of deceit or any other liabilities that may not be excluded by law.

8.1.6 FOR RESIDENTS OF AUSTRALIA

Notwithstanding any other provision herein, to the extent allowable under applicable law and subject to and without excluding, restricting or modifying any rights or remedies to which the Player may be entitled as a consumer under the consumer guarantee provisions of the Australian Consumer Law, each Player agrees to release and hold harmless EA and its agents from any and all liability or any injury, loss, damage, right, claim or action of any kind arising from or in connection with this Competition or any Competition-related activity or the receipt, possession, use or misuse of any prize won.

9. COMMERCIAL RIGHTS

All commercial rights (including, without limitation, all marketing, and media rights) relating to the Competition are reserved for EA.

Players shall not associate themselves with the Competition and/or EA in any commercial manner, nor use any intellectual property rights of EA, nor shall they permit any third parties to do so, without the prior written consent of EA, which may be granted or withheld at EA’s sole discretion.

Any Player or a Player’s sponsor wishing to engage in any promotional or marketing activities with respect to the Competition, including at any Competition tournament venue, will need prior written consent from EA, which may be granted or withheld at EA’s sole discretion. 

The recording and dissemination of images or footage of the Competition for commercial purposes by or on behalf of any Player is strictly prohibited, except when explicitly authorized by EA. 

APPENDIX A: CODE OF CONDUCT

This Code of Conduct applies to all Players at all levels of the Competition, unless otherwise specified. EA reserves the right to levy penalties, sanction, or disqualify any Player for violations of this Code of Conduct in its sole discretion.

A.1 PLAYER BEHAVIOR GENERALLY

Players are some of the best and highest profile players in the world and are therefore ambassadors of the Competition are held to a high standard by EA, the public and the media. Players must conduct themselves in a reasonable manner, maintaining an appropriate and respectful demeanor to spectators, members of the press, tournament administrators, and to other Players. 

Players are required to conduct themselves in accordance with commonly accepted standards of decency, social conventions, and morals, and to not commit any act or become involved in any situation or make any statement which brings disrepute, contempt, scandal, ridicule, or disdain to the Player, EA, the Competition, or to its Players and sponsors.

These requirements apply to live, offline, and online interactions, in and out of the Competition, including with respect to social media conduct and activity on live streams, past conduct and during Live Events. All Players are expected to adhere to these standards of sportsmanship and the EA Rules of Conduct, available at https://terms.ea.com, at all times, including when not participating in EA sanctioned events.

Prohibited conduct includes, but is not limited to:

• Violating any law, rule or regulation, as determined by EA in its sole discretion;
• Using any software or program that damages, interferes with or disrupts the Competition or another's computer or property;
• Using any external software designed to give the competitor an unfair advantage;
• Interfering with or disrupting another player's participation in the Competition;
• Harassing, threatening, bullying, engaging in hate speech, repeatedly sending unwanted messages, including making personal attacks or statements about race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, heritage, etc.;
• Using vulgar or offensive language;
• Abusive behavior, including harassment and verbal threats;
• Publishing, posting, uploading or distributing content, or organizing/participating in any activity, group or guild that EA (acting reasonably and objectively) determines is inappropriate, abusive, hateful, harassing, profane, defamatory, threatening, obscene, sexually explicit, infringing, privacy-invasive, vulgar, offensive, indecent or unlawful;
• Using exploits, cheats, undocumented features, design errors or bugs in the Competition;
• Selling, buying, trading or otherwise transferring or offering to transfer an EA account, any personal access to EA services, or any EA content associated with an EA account, including EA virtual currency and other entitlements, either within an EA service or on a third-party website, or in connection with any out-of-game transaction, unless expressly authorized by EA;
• Playing on behalf of another Player, or allowing someone else to play on Player’s behalf, in any competitive game mode;
• Gambling, including betting on the outcome of Competition matches;
• Disclosing any confidential information provided by EA or any of its affiliates;
• Accepting or giving gifts, bribes, rewards, or compensation for services that are rendered in connection with competing in the Competition (with an exception for Players with sponsors who pay them based on their performance);
• Causing or contributing to scandal, reputational harm or risk to the integrity and reputation of the Competition or EA;
• Engaging in any other activity that disturbs the professional, fair, and respectful gaming environment of the Competition; 
• Playing on behalf of another Player, or allowing someone else to play on Player’s one’s behalf, in any competitive game mode; and
• Promoting, encouraging or taking part in any prohibited activity described above.
• Repeated behaviour that goes against the spirit of FGS competition and program

A.2 LIVE EVENT CONDUCT

Players must maintain an appropriate level of respect, in EA’s sole judgment, towards other Players, referees, officials, event staff, and tournament administrators. Threatening or inappropriate behavior towards the referees and the other Players will not be tolerated. Incidents and punishment will be identified at the sole discretion of Competition officials or EA. Players must follow the instructions of Competition officials or EA at all times. 

Examples of prohibited conduct includes, but is not limited to:

• Using vulgar or offensive language;
• Abusive behavior, including harassment and verbal threats;
• Physical abuse, fighting, or any other threatening action directed at any Player, spectator, official or any other person;
• Damage and/or abuse to game devices, hardware, peripherals, tournament equipment, or the facility/venue/lodging;
• Interfering with or interrupting the broadcast or broadcast production;
• Interfering with gameplay, including purposely breaking a game station, interrupting a power supply, leaving a station before the conclusion of a match, refusing to play, and abuse of in-game pausing;
• Failure to cooperate with safety and security requirements, such as metal detectors and bag searches;
• Failure to follow instructions given by tournament sponsors, referees, and security personnel;
• Playing any game other than the copy of the Game provided for use in the tournament; and
• Failing to be available for any post-tournament awards ceremonies, interviews, and the entirety of the Live Event or Online Tournament, as well as any promotional activities reasonably requested by EA or other sponsors.

A.3 LIVE EVENT DRUG & ALCOHOL POLICY

Player use of alcohol or drugs is prohibited on any Live Event premises, and Players may not be under the influence of drugs or alcohol while participating.

Smoking, including the use of e-Cigarettes and vaporizers, is prohibited at any Live Event except in designated areas.  Some venues may ban smoking entirely.

A.4 LIVE EVENT DRESS CODE

Players must wear attire appropriate to the circumstances (as determined by EA). Players shall not wear, carry, or bear any items of a political nature, or which in EA's opinion cause controversy or reflect unfavorably upon EA, its partners, or the Competition.

Players shall not carry out any promotional activity or marketing of brands and services in connection with the Competition unless otherwise approved in writing by EA.

A.5 COLLUSION AND MATCH-FIXING POLICY

Any action or agreement to disadvantage other Players, one’s own Team, or other Teams in the Competition, to predetermine the outcome of a match, to try to lose a match, to affect the fairness of the Competition, or to limit efforts to win a match is strictly prohibited. 

Any Players determined by EA to be violating this rule at any phase in the Competition may be removed from the Competition.  Such Players may be forced to forfeit or return any compensation and/or prizes and may have their EA and/or Game accounts suspended.

Examples of prohibited conduct include, but are not limited to:

• Intentionally losing a match for any reason at any time during the Competition;
• Playing on behalf of another Player, including using a secondary account, at any time during the Competition;
• Any form of match-fixing;
• “Soft play,” defined as a Player not giving their best effort or not taking reasonable and fair actions to gain advantage against their opponent(s) in a match;
• Agreeing to split prize money among two or more Players or Teams; and
• Allowing an opponent to score more or less goals than they normally would.

A.6 PENALTIES

Violation of these Official Rules and/or Code of Conduct may, at EA's discretion, result in penalties, disqualification, change in match results, loss of winner status, and/or forfeiture of prizes.  All decisions and rulings of EA relating to the Competition are final and binding. EA reserves the right to penalize any Player in the Competition at any level, at any time for any reason. Penalties may include, but are not limited to, any or all of the following:

• Warning
• Final Warning
• Forfeiture of single match
• Forfeiture of all matches
• Reduction in match score
• Loss of awards (including prize money and paid travel expenses);
• Suspension from the Competition; and/or
• Disqualification from the Competition and future competitions
• Loss of Competition Rankings Points
• Disqualification from any Competition Events

• Verbal warning
• A deduction of points scored during a group stage
• Automatic game loss

• Forfeiture of any registration fees to participate in an Event

• Loss of future prize money
• Temporary or permanent suspension from the Competition
• Suspension of one or multiple game accounts for the EA service(s) used by the Competitor

EA also has the right to publicly announce penalties that have been levied on Players, and such Players hereby waive any right of legal action against EA, and any of its affiliates.

A.7 PLAYER SPONSORSHIP

Players in the Competition may acquire and work with promotional sponsors.  Promotional sponsorship is limited, however, to exclude certain categories and industries. If the promotional sponsor falls under one of the below categories, the Player may not display or promote the sponsorship in conjunction with EA, its partners, or the Competition.  

Subject to these Official Rules and EA’s right in its sole discretion to prohibit, reject, remove, blur, or obscure any mark, logo or signage, Players in the Competition may include the display of promotional sponsors.  Players may not display or promote any products or services in conjunction with EA, its partners, or the Competition that offer or are associated with: 

• Gambling or gambling websites;
• Alcohol, tobacco, and/or prescription drugs;
• Firearms or any type of weapons;
• Pornographic or adult material;
• High fat, salt, or sugar foods and drinks;
• Energy drinks, powders, or similar products;
• Dietary supplements;
• Medical devices, services, or treatments;
• High fat or sugar foods;
• Products or services from direct competitors of EA, its partners, and its other subsidiary brands;
• Direct competitors of Competition official marketing partners; 
• Unauthorized game key selling websites or companies;
• FIFA 22 coin promoting or selling websites or companies.
• Political ads or content that is otherwise promoting a political agenda;
• Cryptocurrencies, digital currencies, and digital currency exchanges or trading platforms;

The list is illustrative and non-exhaustive. EA reserves the right to add or remove any product or service from the list at any time without notice. 

EA Licensed and EA sanctioned events may have additional restrictions to ensure there are no conflicts with event sponsors.

A.8 PLAYER NAMES

Players will be asked to select a unique name to identify themselves for the Live Event(s). This name can be the same as their PSN ID or XBL Gamertag, but is not required to be the same. The name must be unique from other Player names and must not be deemed vulgar by EA and its affiliates.  Names must not infringe on a third party’s intellectual property, privacy or publicity rights, or violate the law or EA’s User Agreement.

APPENDIX B: ELIGIBLE COUNTRIES/TERRITORIES 

To be eligible to participate in the Competition, Players must be a legal resident of one of the following countries. Countries are divided by Regional Online Qualifier regions and listed with the tournament they would be in for the Global Series Open