Finland entered the FIFA eNations Cup™ 2019 with a relatively low profile, but left with the respect of many in the eFootball community.

Pitted with England, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and eventual winners France in Group A, it was always going to be difficult for Finnish pair 'MakezCR' and 'Sn1pguy' to finish in the top two and secure a place in the knockouts.

Nonetheless, they held their own in a group laden with titans and recorded valiant draws in the 1v1 games against Saudi Arabia, a team comprised of FIFA eWorld Cup™ champion ‘MsDossary7’ and top ten player ‘The Royal’.

Even the victorious French gave a nod to the Finns shortly after winning the inaugural title. "We finished second in the group thanks to Finland – they saved us in this tournament,” 'Maestro' told FIFA.com, referring to Finland’s round five stalemates which eliminated Saudi Arabia and saw the French secure their knockout round ticket.

After making waves in London, will we see more of Finland in the future?

"FIFA is definitely growing in Finland," 'Sn1pguy' told FIFA.com. "I would say that push came this year when the FA got involved and it got more exposure.

"Finland is more of an NHL country; ice hockey is very big, and the current NHL [eSport] champion is from Finland, so that has taken a lot of the limelight away from FIFA [in the past]."

A player with Norwegian outfit Tromso IL, 'Sn1pguy' first started playing EA SPORTS FIFA on the ’06 edition of the game. "I picked up real football at a young age and, like a lot of people, it was an easy avenue into the game."

It started a journey in which the young Finn has never looked back, going on to represent his Scandinavian club and then his national team.

"Just a few years ago it was like you were a solo player going around the world but now you have a club and you’re also representing the national team," he said. "It has these dimensions that used to be only for actual footballers and now they’re involved here, so it’s very nice.”

The first tournament in which 'Sn1pguy' represented Finland in an official capacity was the eNations Cup, which saw 20 countries from six confederations descend on London to see who would be crowned the best national team on EA SPORTS FIFA 19.

"I like the concept of national teams," said 'Sn1pguy'. "Of course, in every tournament there’s people from around the world but it’s cool to see the best of China, or smaller countries that have big players, seeing them working together and taking on other countries."

While currently embracing life as an eFootballer, citing worldwide travel as one the best things about the job, 'Sn1pguy' has ambitions to pursue another career in future.

"I’m applying to law school at the moment," he said. "Many want to do eSports as a long-term thing but I have about five years left before I want to move on to something else. I’d like to pursue law in Finland."

Before taking to the stand in his homeland, though, 'Sn1pguy' remains focused on the virtual football pitch, ready to build on Finland’s impressive showing at the eNations Cup.