Joystiq

EA Sports is launching two tournaments to go alongside the currently running fifth Madden Challenge: the third FIFA Interactive World Cup and the first ever NBA Live Challenge. Gamers can compete in football/American football, soccer/football, and basketball, known outside of the United States as "boring."

The FIFA Interactive World Cup begins November 18 with a series of international qualifying matches across Europe, in addition to Sao Paolo, Brazil, and Johannesburg, South Africa. More qualifying contests in the U.S., U.K., Russia, and other locations will be announced. For this and the other tournaments, gamers can register in advance or onsite. Gamers without a host city nearby can qualify on Xbox Live; more information and registration options should be available on November 1.

While the FIFA champion will score $20,000, the NBA Live winner will net $50,000. (We take that to mean that FIFA is more popular and doesn't need as big a prize to attract soccer-mob-style enthusiasm. Who ever heard of a basketball mob?) Beginning this Friday, NBA Live competitors can play in eight American cities to qualify for the Las Vegas finals.

This year's in-progress Madden Challenge includes dates in Germany, China, the U.K., and Mexico, in addition to dozens of U.S. locations. Madden tackles the biggest pay-out for the winner, with a $100,000 final. That ruins our theory about needing to pay a bigger prize for a game with less exposure. Maybe the prize money increases with the degree of annoying commentary audio.

Read - FIFA Interactive World Cup
Read - NBA Live Challenge
Read - Madden Challenge