Quiroga and Cordera confirm seats in Madrid

Online Season 1 of the FIFA Interactive World Cup 2013 proved to be exceptional, with the average player winning a total of 6.2 games and scoring an average of 29 goals. From the field of competitors, two players shone brightest. We are delighted to officially announce the first two Grand Finalists to join defending champion Alfonso Ramos in qualifying for the FIWC13 Grand Final in Madrid: 32-year-old Edizon Quiroga from Columbia and 17-year-old Dani Cordera from Spain! FIFA.com caught up with the two Grand Finalists for an exclusive interview. FIFA.com: Congratulations to you both on qualifying for the FIWC13 Grand Final. For you Edizon, this won’t be the first time that someone in your family has made it to the Grand Final. You’re actually following in your little brother’s footsteps, Wbeimar, who attended the last two Grand Finals. Edizon Quiroga: Thank you. I am really excited about competing in my first Grand Final. It's a dream come true for me. I will definitely be taking my little brother with me to Madrid. Unfortunately, this year he was unable to find the time to compete, so I decided to continue our family’s FIWC tradition. My brother gave me a lot of support and advice throughout the season and it will be great to have him with me during the Grand Final. I want to make him proud! Dani, this is actually your first time participating in the FIWC and this will be your first Grand Final. How do you feel about securing your seat so quickly? Dani Cordera: Naturally I am very happy. It is one of those things that most of the time you can only dream about. But the fact that it is now a reality is just overwhelming. After all, it is a unique opportunity to be able to take part in the Grand Final. It’s been an impressive year for Spanish football, both on the pitch and on the PlayStation. How do you feel about the Grand Final being held in Madrid? Edizon: For me personally, I think the location of the Grand Final is amazing. My favourite team is Real Madrid, so I am hoping that I will get the chance to see maybe meet some of the players! Dani: I agree! I am delighted that the Grand Final will be held in Madrid. Spain is my home country and to be given the opportunity to compete on home turf will be amazing! We’re just getting started for FIWC13 and there are still several qualifiers to go before the main event in Madrid. Having qualified so early, how do you plan to prepare for the Grand Final? Edizon: I will continue training for the Grand Final daily against my friends. It won’t be anywhere near as intense as the first online season, but I want to make sure that I keep up my game. I will probably train for about two hours a day with friends and then I will also compete in other tournaments around Bogota. This way I will always remain top of my game. Dani: I, however, will not be training as hard as Edizon. I will opt for a more spiritual approach and I believe that by remaining optimistic I too will be at the top of my game! FIWC12 finalists, Alfonso Ramos and Bruce Grannec, both admitted to having certain lucky rituals that they perform in the hopes of improving their chances of winning. Do either of you have any habits or rituals for FIFA 13? Edizon: Before a game I close my eyes for a second and think about the victory, I just think about winning. I also have another routine in which I follow: I have no food intake two hours before playing, only liquids, as this guarantees my brain will be at 100 per cent focus. Dani: Unlike Edizon or Ramos and Grannec, I do not believe in any lucky charms or in having any specific rituals before a tournament. Instead I have one belief and that is: I believe in myself. Earning a seat at the Grand Final is just one of the amazing ways you can win with the FIFA Interactive World Cup. For each online qualification season of FIWC13 we have an amazing prize on offer to all our gamers. For Online Season 2, you could win a VIP trip to the home of Manchester City. Find out about our FIWC13 Season Challenge contests now! From FIFA