The group stage draw for the FIFA Interactive World Cup has been completed ahead of Monday's matches, with the final rounds to be played Tuesday.
The path to virtual glory just became a little clearer, and the excitement and tactical scheming are now being kicked into high gear.
The draw for the 2016 FIFA Interactive World Cup was held at Row Hotel in mid-town Manhattan on Sunday evening, and the 32 gamers from all across the globe who qualified for the tournament learned their group stage fates.
Just like in a real World Cup draw, the participants were split up into eight groups of four via pots and colored balls. Groups A-D were comprised of PlayStation 4 gamers and Groups E-H were made up of Xbox One players, and New York City FC midfielder Frank Lampard was there to greet and pose for a photo with each one of them as their names were called.
The eight seeded contestants filled out the top spots in each group, but the drama and tension were not really felt until the rest of the field began to come into focus.
"The group stage is always nerve-racking because you want to get a good group,” UK player Ty Walton told Goal. "My group consists of one player I know who’s good. The other two players, I’m not sure who they are, but I think if I play my best then I can get through."
Walton was one of several players who were openly seen analysing and discussing their respective groups. He and a bevy of the participants were seen preparing for Monday’s slate of matches by playing or observing games on one of the many installed consoles in the hotel lobby.
Monday’s schedule will see the entire group stage and quarter-final round played before the semifinals and a two-legged final is played on Tuesday. The finalist from each console will meet in that championship series, which will consist of one game on the PlayStation 4 and another on the Xbox One. The overall aggregate score will determine the winner.
Needless to say, the intensity is ramping up.
“It's super exciting, really,” Adrian Roelli, the senior manager strategic development and FIFA Interactive World Cup, told Goal. “We’ve been working for this moment for months and months, and we believe we’ll put quite a nice show now. I think the tournament is going to be exciting.”
Let the games begin.
Here are the complete groups (Groups A-D are PlayStation 4 and Groups E-H are Xbox One): 
- Goal