Play World Cup Mania for Free

Some of the symbols in World Cup Mania are rather surprising. Indeed, the reels are packed with icons which you would not normally associate with the monastic life of a dedicated footballer. Symbols include pies, hamburgers, pizza, fries and hotdogs. Perhaps these treats are supposed to refer to the proclivities of the fans in the stadium? I digress…

Other icons include ticket stubs, footballs, whistles, foghorns, football boots and a golden trophy. The graphics are bright and colourful, with a cartoonish feel. The reel grid itself appears against the backdrop of the verdant football pitch. All wins pay left to right, starting from the leftmost reel, except in the case of the scatter symbol.

In World Cup Mania, players are entitled to bet up to five coins per payline, and they can also choose how much those coins are worth, from 0.01 to 1.00. Naturally, you can play for free if you don’t wish to wager anything or if you just want to get a feel for the game and work your way into it.

When the referee blows his whistle – or when you find three whistles on the grid – you’ll be rewarded with 10 free spins. Not only that, but all spins during the bonus will come with a 10x multiplier attached to wins! Thanks to the inclusion of this scatter, there are plenty of wins to be had – especially considering the scatter is linked with pay-outs in its own regard. Indeed, it can pay 400 for five, 50 for four, four for three and two for two.

As well as a whistle scatter, the game also features a wild symbol, which can appear on all five reels. The wild is able to substitute – how appropriate – for other symbols in the game, so when this one comes off the bench, it can help you line up some matching icons. However, the wild cannot replace the other two star players – the scatter and the Free Kick bonus. The wild is important: it is linked with the biggest prizes in the game, including the 7,500 jackpot for five in a line. It also pays 2,000 for four, 200 for three and five for two.

That’s not all. If you manage to line up three or more of the golden trophy symbols on an active payline, you’ll get to go one-on-one with the goalkeeper in attempt to win a prize. This is known as the Free Kick bonus. The screen will show the stopper standing in his goal, and a dozen crosshair type icons will surround him. Simply select where you want to put the ball and hope that you send the big keeper the wrong way. How many attempts at goal you receive depends on how many trophies you uncovered in the first place. You’ll either get three, four or five shots. Each time you successfully hit the back of the net, you’ll win a prize, and considering prizes can add up to as much as 2,500 coins, the prospect is there of making some seriously good dough.

World Cup Mania is a wonderful football-themed slot from Microgaming. It might be ten years old this year, but the slot hasn’t aged a whole lot. It’s also extremely easy to play, visually pleasing and packed with bonus features, including the excellent Free Kick bonus, which replicates the pressure of the penalty shoot-out. Try this one out and see if you can hold your nerve to win the cup.