Football’s governing body claim their "Road to the FIFA eWorld Cup" has been built around the new EA SPORTS FIFA 18 Global Series.

The series will be the official qualification tournament for the Grand Final, due to take place in August 2018.

It is claimed the format will allow millions of players with the chance to compete in the esports event, offering them a chance to qualify.

The qualification process will officially begin on November 3, with FIFA and presenting partner EA SPORTS revealing the visual identity prior to its launch.

"We are thrilled to partner with EA in creating the EA SPORTS FIFA 18 Global Series, as the Road to the FIFA eWorld Cup 2018 will increase the ways in which millions of fans consume football," Philippe Le Floc’h, chief commercial officer of FIFA, said. 

"In line with the FIFA 2.0 vision, we are excited to expand FIFA’s engagement in esport and competitive gaming.

"This new tournament will engage even more football fans throughout the world and inspire dreams, passion and performance."

FIFA state the competitors can qualify based on their FIFA Ultimate Team champions weekend league online performance, as well as through live qualifying events.

The events are scheduled to take place from November 2017 to July 2018.

FIFA and EA Sports will then identify the top 128 competitors, which will be split among PlayStation4 and Xbox One users.

They will then participate in the global series playoffs, which will determine the final qualifiers for the Grand Final.

"Together with FIFA, we are accelerating the growth of competitive gaming through the EA SPORTS FIFA 18 Global Series and the Road to the FIFA eWorld Cup, producing more competition, attracting more players and connecting with more fans than ever before," Todd Sitrin, EA Sports vice-president and general manager of the competitive gaming division, said. 

FIFA claim they are determined to use its experience and expertise with world-class events on the pitch for the development of the series and eWorld Cup 2018.