Thursday 28 March 2019, 10:23

First national team squads announced ahead of FIFA eNations Cup

  • National Championships played around the world, national teams announced

  • Rankings leaders, former Grand Finalists and world champions set to feature

  • Overview of national team players already confirmed for the FIFA eNations Cup

Twenty countries and 40 players will be taking part in the first ever FIFA eNations Cup 2019. Over the past two weeks, some of the participating countries have confirmed who the two players in their eFootball national teams will be. Here is an overview of the national teams as well as a look back at the National Championships that have been held – and of course the names of the winners.

Overview of National Championships already held:

South Africa

'YvngSavage0402' and 'Task Azi'

"That was by far and away the toughest qualification I've ever played since so much was at stake," said Thabo 'YvngSavage0402' Moloi after his tournament victory over 'KingCJO_'. He will now be representing South Africa at the first FIFA eNations Cup together with Xbox player Ryan 'Task Azi' Bastos.

New Zealand

'HoneyBadger' and 'Airbrn'

Over 100 New Zealand players tried their luck in online qualifying, with only the top four allowed through to the National Championships in Auckland. 'HoneyBadger', a Grand Finalist from 2018, is currently playing in London for Hashtag United and had to fly almost 40,000 kilometres for the deciding matches. 'Airbrn' meanwhile had far less to travel and secured his spot in the New Zealand team in the third and final match of the Xbox final.

Brazil

'EbinhoB' and 'Pauloneto999'

A high-quality tournament saw a number of former FIFA eWorld Cup™ and FIFA eClub World Cup™ players involved, with 'EbinhoB' and 'Pauloneto999' finally securing their spots in the national eFootball team to represent Brazil on 13 and 14 April in London.

The Netherlands

'DaniHagebeuk' and 'AjaxBob'

This national team could also take part in the FIFA eClub World Cup, as the winners of the National Championships in the Netherlands both play for Ajax Amsterdam. Dani Hagebeuk went into the tournament as one of the favourites and lived up to his reputation, while 'AjaxBob' proved to be the surprise package and joined his club team-mate to form a dynamic duo for the FIFA eNations Cup.

Finland

'Sn1pguy' and 'MakezCR'

"It is an honour to represent Finland and an ideal source of motivation to play as well as possible at the FIFA eNations Cup 2019," said Eemeli Simpanen ('Sn1pguy') after his tournament victory. He and 'MakezCR' will make up the Finnish national team at the event in April after the two of them saw off the competition at the National Championships.

England

'F2Tekkz' and 'FutWizTom'

England were the first country to host their National Championships in mid-March. Once again, 'F2Tekkz' proved to be way ahead of the competition, while consistent performances from 'FutWizTom' saw him through qualifying, with the two of them now set to represent the eLions at the FIFA eNations Cup 2019.

Other countries who have announced their national teams:

Denmark

'Marcuzo' and 'FIFAUstun'

"A dream come true," said Marcus Jorgensen on Twitter after the Danish national eFootball team was announced. Last year’s Grand Finalist will be flying the flag for his country alongside 2018 FIFA eClub World Cup champion 'FIFAUstun'. And with former FIFA world champion August Rosenmeier on the bench, it is clear that the Danes will be one of the teams to beat at the event in London.

France

'MaestroSquad' and 'DaXe'

The French national team was already set in stone after a domestic tournament that was held at the start of the year. 'MaestroSquad' and 'DaXe' are also currently the top two French players in the FIFA 19 Global Series Rankings, so it was only logical that they should be the ones to be picked for the FIFA eNations Cup.