Bola

Monday 5th July 2010: England may have been dumped out of the World Cup - but the country's Facebook fans can prove they're better than their national team by winning the World Battle on Bola, a new global football tournament where skill, talent, team management and endeavour determine the results - not poor officiating or legitimate goals being discounted.

Bola is already the largest football community on Facebook. Its winning combination of football simulation, real-time matches, team management and stadium building has won it a massive army of fans - and now each can compete on behalf of their country in the world's biggest football competition.

World Battle is now available to every Bola player. Players select their country and then compete on that nation's behalf, taking on players in other countries, completing special challenges and buying special World Battle items using the in-game currency.

Each tournament lasts a set number of days, with the overall winner judged by the number of matches won, the number of challenges completed and the number of items bought. And, of course, the game uses the latest technology - so there's never any doubt whether a ball crosses the line.

"This is the real thing: millions of players, each representing their country in the largest world football tournament ever," says Mariano Suarez Battan, Executive Producer of Playdom's Three Melons Studio. "Rivalries can be settled: can the Germans lose on penalties, will the French public play better than the French national team - most importantly can the English cope with the pressure? All of these questions will be answered by Bola World Battle. The game is free-to-play, so there's no excuse: pull on your boots, wear your team colours with pride, and help make your country the best footballing nation in the world."

Bola is the largest football game on Facebook, according to aggregator Appdata.com. Players can build up their squads through friendly and competitive single-player tournaments, before challenging friends over Facebook to arcade-style games. In-game currency can be earned by winning tournaments, with income bolstered by real-world brands which sponsor the user's team. Players can hire a coach, train their players and build their stadium - and those looking for an extra competitive advantage can purchase additional in-game currency to acquire limited edition items and other virtual goods.

Bola is available to play on Facebook now - just go to http://www.playbola.com or search for Bola within Facebook. The game is free to play, though some features and premium items can be bought in-game.