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Finland national football team

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Finland women's national football team.

Finland
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Huuhkajat
(The Eagle-owls)[1]
AssociationFootball Association of Finland
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
CaptainLukas Hradecky
Most capsJari Litmanen (137)
Top scorerTeemu Pukki (42)
Home stadiumHelsinki Olympic Stadium
FIFA codeFIN
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 69 Steady (19 December 2024)[2]
Highest33 (March 2007)
Lowest110 (July–August 2017)
First international
Finland 2–5 Sweden 
(Helsinki, Finland; 22 October 1911)
as Finland
 Sweden 1–0 Finland 
(Stockholm, Sweden; 29 May 1919)
Biggest win
 Finland 10–2 Estonia 
(Helsinki, Finland; 11 August 1922)
 Finland 8–0 San Marino 
(Helsinki, Finland; 17 November 2010)
Biggest defeat
 Germany 13–0 Finland 
(Leipzig, Germany; 1 September 1940)
European Championship
Appearances1 (first in 2020)
Best resultGroup stage (2020)
Olympic Games
Appearances4 (first in 1912)
Best resultFourth place (1912)
Baltic Cup
Appearances2 (first in 2012)
Best resultRunners-up (2012)

The Finland national football team (Finnish: Suomen jalkapallomaajoukkue, Swedish: Finlands fotbollslandslag) represents Finland in men's international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Association of Finland, the governing body for football in Finland, which was founded in 1907. The team has been a member of FIFA since 1908 and a UEFA member since 1957.

Finland had never qualified for a major tournament until securing a spot at UEFA Euro 2020.[5] After decades of average results and campaigns, the nation made progress in the 2000s, achieving notable results against established European teams and reaching a peak of 33rd in the FIFA World Rankings in 2007. Afterward, their performances and results declined, drawing them to their all-time low of 110th in the FIFA Rankings in 2017. Seven years after their all-time low in the FIFA Rankings, as of July 2024, they sit at 63rd place in the overall ranking.[6]

History

[edit]
Finland team playing a Moscow XI in Moscow 1912

Early history

[edit]

The Football Association of Finland was founded in 1907 and became a member of FIFA the next year. At the time, Finland was an autonomous grand duchy ruled by the Russian Emperors. Finland played its first international on 22 October 1911, as Sweden beat the Finns at the Eläintarha Stadium in Helsinki. Finland participated the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, beating Italy and the Russian Empire, but losing the bronze medal match against the Netherlands.

Period of dispersion

[edit]
The Finnish national team against Denmark in 1933

After the 1918 Civil War, the Finnish sports movement was divided into the right-wing Finnish Gymnastics and Sports Federation (SVUL) and the leftist Finnish Workers' Sports Federation (TUL), Finnish Football Association was a member of the SVUL.[7] Both sides had their own championship series, and between 1919 and 1939 the Finland national team was selected of the Football Association players only. The Finnish Workers' Sports Federation football team in turn, participated in the competitions of the international labour movement.[8]

However, since the late 1920s several top footballers defected from TUL and joined the Football Association to be eligible for the national team. During the 1930s, these ″defectors″ formed the spine of the national team. For example, the Finland squad at the 1936 Summer Olympics was composed of eight former TUL players.[8] In 1937, Finland participated the FIFA World Cup qualification for the first time, losing all three matches against Sweden, Germany and Estonia.

Since 1939, TUL players were selected for the national team and finally, in 1956, the TUL and Football Association series were merged.[8]

Post-war years

[edit]

The 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki saw the Finnish hosts lose to Austria in the first round. Finland did, however, win the unofficial Nordic championship in 1964 and 1966.[9]

Finland also took part in European Championship qualifying since the 1968 event, but had to wait for its first win until 1978.

Late 20th century

[edit]
Finnish team after the victory over Yugoslavia in 1950
Finland against the Netherlands from 1975

Finland missed out on qualification for Euro 1980 by just a point and for the 1986 World Cup by two points. Finland was invited to take part in the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow after many Western countries announced they would boycott the games, but failed to progress from its group.

By the mid-1990s Finland started to have more players in high-profile European leagues, led by Ajax superstar Jari Litmanen.[10] In 1996, Euro 1992-winning coach Richard Møller Nielsen was hired to take Finland to the 1998 World Cup. The team enjoyed mixed fortunes in the campaign, the high points of which were a draw and a win away to Norway and Switzerland respectively. Going into the last match, Finland would have needed a win at home to Hungary to earn a place in the play-offs. They led the game 1–0 going into injury time, but scored an own goal, and their qualification campaign was over. Møller Nielsen also tried to lead Finland to Euro 2000. In this campaign, the Finns recorded a sensational win away to Turkey, but couldn't compete with Germany and Turkey in the long run.

Jari Litmanen is widely regarded as Finland's greatest footballer of all time.

Antti Muurinen succeeded Møller Nielsen as coach in 2000. He had arguably the most talented group of Finnish players ever at his disposal, including players such as Antti Niemi, Sami Hyypiä, Teemu Tainio and Mikael Forssell in addition to the legendary Litmanen. The team also performed quite well under him in qualification for the 2002 World Cup despite a difficult draw, earning two draws against Germany and a home draw with England as well as beating Greece 5–1 in Helsinki. In the end, however, England and Germany proved too strong, and the Finns finished third in the group, but were the only team in that group not to lose at home. Hopes were high going into qualification for Euro 2004 after the promising last campaign and friendly wins over the likes of Norway, Belgium and Portugal (which seen the Finns jump from 40th to 30th in the Elo ranking[4]). However, Finland started the campaign by losing to Wales and Yugoslavia (later Serbia and Montenegro, now two separate nations). These losses were followed by two defeats by Italy, and a 3–0 home win over Serbia and Montenegro was little consolation, as the Finns finished fourth in the group. In qualification for the 2006 World Cup Finland failed to score a single point in six matches against the top three teams in their group, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Romania. Muurinen was sacked in June 2005, and he was replaced by caretaker Jyrki Heliskoski, but results didn't improve.

Recent history

[edit]
Markku Kanerva managed to lead his Finnish national team to first time qualification to a UEFA European Tournament.

In August 2005, it was announced that Englishman Roy Hodgson would become the new Finland coach in 2006, and he started the job in January of that year. Hodgson stepped down as manager after they failed to qualify for Euro 2008.[11]

Hodgson's replacement was a Scotsman, Stuart Baxter, who signed a contract until the end of the 2012 European Championship qualification campaign.[12] In the Euro 2008 qualifying Finland needed to win their last qualifying game away to Portugal to qualify for their first major football tournament. However, the match ended 0–0 meaning the team missed out on qualification to the tournament, with Finland ending the group stage with 24 points and Portugal with 27 points. However, the performance in qualifying led to the Finns gaining their best-ever FIFA world ranking to date at 33rd.

The 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign under new head coach Stuart Baxter saw Finland again finish third in their group with five wins, three draws and two defeats. They were the only team in qualifying not to lose to eventual 3rd-place finishers Germany; in both the home and away matches Finland had led Germany only to concede late equalizers.

Mixu Paatelainen era (2011–2015)

[edit]

During the Euro 2012 qualifying, head coach Baxter was sacked, and on 31 March 2011 he was replaced by former national team player Mixu Paatelainen. Paatelainen started his tenure with a win against San Marino, only to be followed by a 5–0 loss against Sweden. Finland eventually finished fourth in its group with only three wins, two of them against San Marino.

Paatelainen's deal with the Finnish FA extended until 2016, covering the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifiers, and also the next 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification and the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifiers. As Finland was already eliminated from UEFA Euro 2012, his main task was to renew the national team with a generation switch, and try to qualify for one or more of the tournaments during his projected tenure as Finland's head coach. This included ultimately leaving out Jari Litmanen, team's long-served captain and "The King of Finnish Football".[13]

In the 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign, Finland's best result was a 1–1 draw at reigning world champions Spain. They finished third in the five-team Group I, behind Spain and France. On 14 June 2015, Paatelainen was sacked following his fourth defeat in a row during the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign. Finland eventually finished fourth in Euro 2016 qualifying under guidance of a caretaker manager Markku Kanerva. They achieved a somewhat noteworthy result; Joel Pohjanpalo's goal gave the Finns a 1–0 win at former European champions Greece, who had reached the second round of the 2014 World Cup and were the top seeds of their qualifying group.

Paatelainen had stucked with his preferred formation of 4–3–2–1, which he had named joulukuusi – a Christmas tree – due to its shape. With the bad results while insistently using the same formation, and his defensive statements to media, he gained a negative reputation among the supporters and the media, and his time as the national team head coach is still remembered mainly for joulukuusi.[14]

Hans Backe (2016)

[edit]

On 12 August 2015, Swedish Hans Backe was named the new manager, starting on 1 January 2016.[15] His first official match with the team was held on 10 January 2016, and ended in a 3–0 defeat by Sweden.[16] On 12 December 2016, Backe was fired during the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign, and a former assistant and caretaker Markku Kanerva was named the new head coach.[17] Finland did not win a single game during Backe's time as head coach. His record during 2016 was nine defeats and two draws.

Markku Kanerva era (2016–2024)

[edit]

Finland's peak of 33rd in the FIFA ranking in 2007, had demoted to 110th as of 2017. As UEFA created a new competition, UEFA Nations League, to largely replace international friendlies, Finland were placed in the League C in the first 2018–19 edition due to a low ranking place. Kanerva had renewed the roster, as veterans including Perparim Hetemaj, Niklas Moisander and Alexander Ring, had announced their retirement from international duty. Roman Eremenko was also not available for national team anymore due to a competition ban. With a help of goalscoring by Teemu Pukki and saves by captain goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky, Finland won their League C Group 2, on top of Hungary, Greece and Estonia, and won a promotion to League B for the next edition of UEFA Nations League.

Kanerva continued to get outstanding results with the team in the UEFA Euro 2020 qualification, and on 15 November 2019, Finland qualified to the country's first ever major tournament, UEFA Euro 2020, after defeating Liechtenstein 3–0, and finishing as the Group J runner-up behind Italy.[18][5] The successful qualifying campaign was aided by a distinctive performance of Teemu Pukki, who scored ten goals in ten qualifying matches.[19] However, the final tournament was postponed to the summer 2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Later in the Autumn 2020, the second edition of UEFA Nations League started, and Finland was drawn in the Group 4 with Wales, Ireland and Bulgaria. They defeated both Ireland and Bulgaria home and away, but lost both games against Wales and finished 2nd in the group and missed the promotion to next season's League A.

On 12 June 2021 in the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament, Finland had their first victory on their debut in a major tournament finals against Denmark. Joel Pohjanpalo scored the only goal, a header in a 1–0 win to grant his country their first goal and the first win in a major competition.[20] The game was interrupted by a tragic heart attack suffered by Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen, which he luckily survived.[21] Unfortunately, having lost the next two games against both Russia and Belgium, Finland finished third in the group and was knocked out at the group stage alongside fellow debutants North Macedonia.

Finland failed to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, even though Pukki continued with his scoring streak with 6 goals in the qualifiers. They were drawn in the Group D, with France, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kazakhstan, finished 3rd and missed the second round qualification play-offs. The long-served defenders Jukka Raitala, Paulus Arajuuri and Joona Toivio announced their retirement from international football after the qualifiers.

Having secured their spot in the Nations League B, Finland was drawn in the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League B Group 3 with Bosnia, Romania and Montenegro. They had a mediocre record of two wins, two draws and two losses, and defended their place in the League B again as the group's runners-up, falling behind the group winner Bosnia and Herzegovina.

After the successful qualifying to previous European tournament, the team and the country had high hopes when starting the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. Finland started expectedly with an away loss to Denmark, but won the next three games in a row against Northern Ireland away in March, and Slovenia and San Marino at home in June, with zero conceded goals in these three games. They continued with an away win against Kazakhstan in September, but lost the next three games against Denmark at home, Slovenia away and Kazakhstan at home. The loss to Kazakhstan occurred with two conceded goals late in the game after Finland was already leading 1–0 before. The defeat also took away the possibility for direct qualifying. Finland ended the qualifying campaign with two wins in the last two matches, including 4–0 victory over Northern Ireland at home in November, and finished third in the group. As having placed among the best runner-ups in the previous Nations League, and with a help of overlapping results in other games, Finland had secured their place in the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying play-offs. In March 2024, in the first decisive play-off match against Wales away, Finland were destroyed 4–1 and were definitely left out of the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament.[22]

After a run of mediocre results and the lack of reaching out the best potential out of the team, the speculations had started about the extension of Kanerva's contract as his previous deal was going to expire soon. However, during Kanerva's seven-year spell, Finland had ascended in FIFA rankings and as of Summer 2024, were sitting at the 63rd place. During the recent years, the national team roster had undergone a relatively large renovation by Kanerva. He had successfully called-up new younger generation players to the roster, including Kaan Kairinen, Benjamin Källman, Oliver Antman, Daniel Håkans and Matti Peltola.

On 17 June 2024, after some ambiguous comments by the Finnish FA president Ari Lahti,[23] it was announced by the FA that Markku Kanerva will continue as the manager of the team until the end of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification and for the possible final tournament.[24] The assistant coaches Mika Nurmela and Toni Korkeakunnas would be replaced by Jani Honkavaara, and by former long-time national team players Teemu Tainio and Tim Sparv. Kanerva, with his new staff, was first set to start preparing the team for the upcoming 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B, where Finland would face England, Ireland and Greece in the Group 2, starting in September. Finland lost both games against Greece and England away with apathetic performances, which signaled outside that Kanerva had a very little more to give for this team anymore.[25][26] According to Helsingin Sanomat, Kanerva is only a puppet leader of the national team until the 2024 Veikkausliiga season is finished and then a current assistant coach Jani Honkavaara, also a current manager of Veikkausliiga club KuPS, can be named a sole head coach of the national team who then later allegedly declined the job offer. There is also a conflict of interest of Finnish FA president Ari Lahti, who happens to be also the owner of KuPS.[27][28] Finland finished the Nations League campaign at the bottom of the group after six losses with a 2–13 goal difference, and were relegated straight to the League C. On 22 November, the board of the Finnish FA released head coach Kanerva from his contract.[29]

Home stadiums

[edit]
Helsinki Central Station lantern carriers dressed in national colours during the 2020 European Championships in 2021
Finnish national team supporters at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium in 2009

Most of Finland's home matches are played at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium in the capital, Helsinki. It has been Finland's principal home stadium ever since its construction was completed in 1938. Before that, Pallokenttä in Helsinki was mainly used.

During 2000s and 2010s, some qualifying matches against lower profile opponents and some friendlies were hosted at the Tampere Stadium in Tampere, and Veritas Stadion in Turku. Helsinki's Bolt Arena, which has artificial turf, is also used for some friendlies and qualifiers. During the reconstruction of Helsinki Olympic Stadium between 2016 and 2020, Tampere Stadium served as the main stadium for qualifying games.

The team returned permanently to Helsinki Olympic Stadium in 2020, after the delayed reconstruction and renovation was finished, but had to play some of the first games without an audience due to pandemic.

In the five home matches during the UEFA Euro 2024 qualification campaign, Huuhkajat had the record audience average of 31,406 (157,029 in total), which corresponds to around 97 per cent of the stadium's full capacity.[30]

Kits and crest

[edit]
Finland's home kit worn at UEFA Euro 2020
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Finland national football team kits.

Finland's kit are currently supplied by American brand Nike. They replaced German company Adidas, who supplied Finland's kits between 1979 and 2013.

Kit sponsorship

[edit]
Kit supplier Period
Germany Adidas 1979–2013
United States Nike 2014–present

Results and fixtures

[edit]
Main article: Finland national football team results (2020-present)

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2024

[edit]
21 March 2024 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying play-offs Wales  4–1  Finland Cardiff, Wales
20:45
Report
Stadium: Cardiff City Stadium
Attendance: 32,162
Referee: István Kovács (Romania)
26 March 2024 Friendly Finland  2–1  Estonia Helsinki, Finland
17:00
Report
Stadium: Helsinki Olympic Stadium
Attendance: 12,559
Referee: Mads Kristoffersen (Denmark)
4 June 2024 Friendly Portugal  4–2  Finland Lisbon, Portugal
19:45 UTC+1
Report
Stadium: Estádio José Alvalade
Attendance: 43,125
Referee: Christian-Petru Ciochirca (Austria)
7 June 2024 Friendly Scotland  2–2  Finland Glasgow, Scotland
19:45 UTC+1
Report
Stadium: Hampden Park
Attendance: 40,519
Referee: Łukasz Kuźma (Poland)
7 September 2024 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B Group 2 Greece  3–0  Finland Athens, Greece
20:45 UTC+3
Report Stadium: Agia Sophia Stadium
Attendance: 17,293
Referee: Urs Schnyder (Switzerland)
10 September 2024 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B Group 2 England  2–0  Finland London, England
19:45 UTC+1
Report Stadium: Wembley Stadium
Attendance: 70,221
Referee: Morten Krøgh (Denmark)
10 October 2024 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B Group 2 Finland  1–2  Republic of Ireland Helsinki, Finland
19:45 UTC+1
Report
Stadium: Helsinki Olympic Stadium
Attendance: 16,105
Referee: Aleksandar Stavrev (North Macedonia)
13 October 2024 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B Group 2 Finland  1–3  England Helsinki, Finland
19:00
Report
Stadium: Helsinki Olympic Stadium
Attendance: 32,411
Referee: Giorgi Kruashvili (Georgia)
14 November 2024 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B Group 2 Republic of Ireland  1–0  Finland Dublin, Ireland
19:45 UTC+0
Report Stadium: Aviva Stadium
Attendance: 39,163
Referee: Harm Osmers (Germany)
17 November 2024 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B Group 2 Finland  0–2  Greece Helsinki, Finland
19:00 Report
Stadium: Helsinki Olympic Stadium
Attendance: 17,661
Referee: Willy Delajod (France)

2025

[edit]
21 March 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Malta  v  Finland Malta
20:45 UTC+1 Report
24 March 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Lithuania  v  Finland Lithuania
21:45 UTC+2 Report
7 June 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Finland  v  Spain/ Netherlands Finland
21:45 UTC+3 Report
10 June 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Finland  v  Poland Finland
21:45 UTC+3 Report
7 September 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Poland  v  Finland Poland
20:45 UTC+2 Report
9 October 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Finland  v  Lithuania Finland
21:45UTC+3 Report
12 October 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Spain /Netherlands  v  Finland Spain/Netherlands
20:45 or 18:00 UTC+2 Report
14 November 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Finland  v  Malta Finland
19:00 UTC+2 Report

Coaching staff

[edit]

[31]

Position Name
Head coach
Assistant coach Finland Jani Honkavaara
Finland Tim Sparv
Finland Teemu Tainio
Goalkeeping coach Finland Antti Niemi
Fitness coach Finland Jari-Pekka Keurulainen
Finland Joni Ruuskanen
Doctor Finland Heikki Kinnunen
Kit manager Finland Sami Miettinen
Team manager Finland Joonas Vilkki
Press officer Finland Timo Walden

Coaching history

[edit]
As of 22 November 2024.

Players

[edit]

Current squad

[edit]

The following players were called up for UEFA Nations League matches against Republic of Ireland and Greece on 14 and 17 November 2024, respectively.[32][33]

Caps and goals as of 17 November 2024, after the match against  Greece.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Lukas Hradecky (captain) (1989-11-24) 24 November 1989 (age 35) 97 0 Germany Bayer Leverkusen
12 1GK Jesse Joronen (1993-03-21) 21 March 1993 (age 31) 20 0 Italy Venezia
23 1GK Carljohan Eriksson (1995-04-25) 25 April 1995 (age 29) 1 0 Norway Sarpsborg
2 2DF Daniel O'Shaughnessy (1994-09-14) 14 September 1994 (age 30) 23 1 Finland HJK
3 2DF Juhani Pikkarainen (1998-07-30) 30 July 1998 (age 26) 1 0 Finland Ilves
4 2DF Robert Ivanov (1994-09-19) 19 September 1994 (age 30) 35 0 Germany Eintracht Braunschweig
5 2DF Arttu Hoskonen (1997-04-16) 16 April 1997 (age 27) 17 1 Poland Cracovia
13 2DF Tuomas Ollila (2000-04-25) 25 April 2000 (age 24) 4 0 France Paris FC
15 2DF Miro Tenho (1995-04-02) 2 April 1995 (age 29) 4 0 Sweden Djurgården
17 2DF Nikolai Alho (1993-03-12) 12 March 1993 (age 31) 40 0 Greece Asteras Tripolis
18 2DF Jere Uronen (1994-07-13) 13 July 1994 (age 30) 70 1 United States Charlotte FC
22 2DF Ilmari Niskanen (1997-10-12) 12 October 1997 (age 27) 23 1 England Exeter City
6 3MF Glen Kamara (1995-10-28) 28 October 1995 (age 29) 65 2 France Rennes
11 3MF Onni Valakari (1999-08-18) 18 August 1999 (age 25) 11 1 Sweden AIK
14 3MF Kaan Kairinen (1998-12-22) 22 December 1998 (age 26) 19 0 Czech Republic Sparta Prague
16 3MF Urho Nissilä (1996-04-04) 4 April 1996 (age 28) 15 0 Hungary Puskás Akadémia
19 3MF Anssi Suhonen (2001-01-14) 14 January 2001 (age 23) 8 0 Germany Hamburger SV
7 4FW Oliver Antman (2001-08-15) 15 August 2001 (age 23) 18 6 Netherlands Go Ahead Eagles
8 4FW Robin Lod (1993-04-17) 17 April 1993 (age 31) 74 6 United States Minnesota United
9 4FW Benjamin Källman (1998-06-17) 17 June 1998 (age 26) 27 7 Poland Cracovia
10 4FW Teemu Pukki (vice-captain) (1990-03-29) 29 March 1990 (age 34) 127 42 United States Minnesota United
20 4FW Joel Pohjanpalo (1994-09-13) 13 September 1994 (age 30) 77 16 Italy Venezia
21 4FW Daniel Håkans (2000-10-26) 26 October 2000 (age 24) 10 4 Poland Lech Poznań

Recent call-ups

[edit]

The following players have been called up for the team within the last twelve months and are still available for selection.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Viljami Sinisalo (2001-10-11) 11 October 2001 (age 23) 3 0 Scotland Celtic v.  Republic of Ireland, 14 November 2024 ILL
DF Tomas Galvez (2005-01-28) 28 January 2005 (age 19) 5 0 Austria LASK v.  England, 13 October 2024
DF Adam Ståhl (1994-10-08) 8 October 1994 (age 30) 3 0 Sweden Djurgården v.  England, 13 October 2024
DF Leo Väisänen (1997-07-24) 24 July 1997 (age 27) 27 0 United States Austin FC v.  England, 10 September 2024
DF Richard Jensen (1996-03-17) 17 March 1996 (age 28) 14 0 Denmark Vejle v.  Scotland, 7 June 2024
DF Pyry Soiri (1994-09-22) 22 September 1994 (age 30) 45 7 Greece Athens Kallithea v.  Scotland, 7 June 2024
MF Matti Peltola (2002-07-03) 3 July 2002 (age 22) 14 0 United States D.C. United v.  Republic of Ireland, 14 November 2024 INJ
MF Rasmus Schüller (3rd captain) (1991-06-18) 18 June 1991 (age 33) 79 0 Sweden Djurgården v.  Republic of Ireland, 14 November 2024 ILL
MF Leo Walta (2003-06-24) 24 June 2003 (age 21) 6 0 Sweden Sirius v.  England, 13 October 2024
MF Niilo Mäenpää (1998-01-14) 14 January 1998 (age 26) 4 0 Sweden Halmstad v.  Scotland, 7 June 2024
MF Robert Taylor (1994-10-21) 21 October 1994 (age 30) 34 2 United States Inter Miami v.  Wales, 21 March 2024 WD
FW Fredrik Jensen (1997-09-09) 9 September 1997 (age 27) 33 8 Germany FC Augsburg v.  England, 13 October 2024
FW Topi Keskinen (2003-03-07) 7 March 2003 (age 21) 4 0 Scotland Aberdeen v.  England, 13 October 2024
FW Santeri Haarala (1999-12-17) 17 December 1999 (age 25) 0 0 Sweden Djurgården v.  England, 10 September 2024
FW Juho Talvitie (2005-03-25) 25 March 2005 (age 19) 2 0 Netherlands Heracles Almelo v.  Scotland, 7 June 2024
FW Casper Terho (2003-06-24) 24 June 2003 (age 21) 2 0 Belgium Union SG v.  Scotland, 7 June 2024
FW Marcus Forss (1999-06-18) 18 June 1999 (age 25) 21 2 England Middlesbrough v.  Wales, 21 March 2024 INJ
Notes
  • INJ = Withdrew due to an injury
  • ILL = Withdrew due to an illness
  • WD = Withdrew due to a non-injury issue
  • PRE = Preliminary squad / standby
  • RET = Retired from international duty

Player records

[edit]
As of 17 November 2024.[34]
  Players still active are highlighted in blue

Most appearances

[edit]
Jari Litmanen is Finland's most capped player with 137 appearances.
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Jari Litmanen 137 32 1989–2010
2 Teemu Pukki 127 42 2009–present
3 Jonatan Johansson 106 22 1996–2010
4 Sami Hyypiä 105 5 1992–2010
5 Ari Hjelm 100 20 1983–1996
6 Joonas Kolkka 98 11 1994–2010
7 Lukas Hradecky 97 0 2010–present
8 Mikael Forssell 87 29 1999–2014
9 Erkka Petäjä 84 0 1983–1994
Tim Sparv 84 1 2009–2021

Top goalscorers

[edit]
Teemu Pukki is Finland's top scorer with 42 goals.
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Teemu Pukki 42 127 0.33 2009–present
2 Jari Litmanen 32 137 0.23 1989–2010
3 Mikael Forssell 29 87 0.33 1999–2014
4 Jonatan Johansson 22 106 0.21 1996–2010
5 Ari Hjelm 20 100 0.2 1983–1996
6 Mixu Paatelainen 18 70 0.26 1986–2000
7 Verner Eklöf 17 32 0.53 1919–1927
8 Aulis Koponen 16 39 0.41 1924–1935
Gunnar Åström 16 44 0.36 1923–1937
Joel Pohjanpalo 16 77 0.21 2012–present

Competitive record

[edit]

FIFA World Cup

[edit]
FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Campaign Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 Did not enter Declined invitation
Italy 1934 Did not enter
France 1938 Did not qualify 1938 3 0 0 3 0 7
Brazil 1950 Withdrew during qualifying 1950 2 0 1 1 1 4
Switzerland 1954 Did not qualify 1954 4 0 2 2 7 13
Sweden 1958 1958 4 0 0 4 2 19
Chile 1962 1962 4 0 0 4 3 12
England 1966 1966 6 1 0 5 5 20
Mexico 1970 1970 6 1 0 5 6 28
West Germany 1974 1974 6 1 1 4 3 21
Argentina 1978 1978 6 2 0 4 11 16
Spain 1982 1982 8 1 0 7 4 27
Mexico 1986 1986 8 3 2 3 7 12
Italy 1990 1990 6 1 1 4 4 16
United States 1994 1994 10 2 1 7 9 18
France 1998 1998 8 3 2 3 11 12
South Korea Japan 2002 2002 8 3 3 2 12 7
Germany 2006 2006 12 5 1 6 21 19
South Africa 2010 2010 10 5 3 2 14 14
Brazil 2014 2014 8 2 3 3 5 9
Russia 2018 2018 10 2 3 5 9 13
Qatar 2022 2022 8 3 2 3 10 10
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined 2026 To be determined
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 Future event Future event
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total 0/22 137 35 25 77 144 297

UEFA European Championship

[edit]
Main article: Finland at the UEFA European Championship
UEFA European Championship record Qualifying record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Campaign Pld W D L GF GA
France 1960 Did not enter Did not enter
Spain 1964
Italy 1968 Did not qualify 1968 6 0 2 4 5 12
Belgium 1972 1972 6 0 1 5 1 16
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1976 1976 6 0 1 5 3 13
Italy 1980 1980 6 2 2 2 10 15
France 1984 1984 6 0 1 5 3 14
West Germany 1988 1988 6 1 1 4 4 10
Sweden 1992 1992 8 1 4 3 5 8
England 1996 1996 10 5 0 5 18 18
Belgium Netherlands 2000 2000 8 3 1 4 13 13
Portugal 2004 2004 8 3 1 4 9 10
Austria Switzerland 2008 2008 14 6 6 2 13 7
Poland Ukraine 2012 2012 10 3 1 6 16 16
France 2016 2016 10 3 3 4 9 10
Europe 2020 Group stage 17th 3 1 0 2 1 3 Squad 2020 10 6 0 4 16 10
Germany 2024 Did not qualify 2024 (PO) 11 6 0 5 19 14
United Kingdom Republic of Ireland 2028 To be determined To be determined
Italy Turkey 2032
Total Group stage 1/17 3 1 0 2 1 3 — — 125 39 24 62 144 186

UEFA Nations League

[edit]
UEFA Nations League record
Season Division Group Pos Pld W D L GF GA P/R RK
2018–19 C 2 1st 6 4 0 2 5 3 Rise 28th
2020–21 B 4 2nd 6 4 0 2 7 5 Same position 21st
2022–23 B 3 2nd 6 2 2 2 8 6 Same position 21st
2024–25 B 2 6th 6 0 0 6 2 13 Fall TBD
Total 24 10 2 12 22 27 21st

Olympic Games

[edit]
Olympic Games record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad
As Grand Duchy of Finland
Greece 1896 No football tournament was held
France 1900 Did not enter
United States 1904
United Kingdom 1908
Sweden 1912 Fourth place 4th 4 2 0 2 5 16 Squad
Since 1917, Declaration of Independence Finland
Belgium 1920 Did not enter
France 1924
Netherlands 1928
United States 1932 No football tournament was held
Nazi Germany 1936 Round of 16 14th 1 0 0 1 3 7 Squad
United Kingdom 1948 Did not enter
Finland 1952 Round of 16 9th 1 0 0 1 3 4 Squad
Australia 1956 Did not enter
Italy 1960 Did not qualify
Japan 1964
Mexico 1968
West Germany 1972
Canada 1976
Soviet Union 1980 Group stage 9th 3 1 1 1 3 2 Squad
United States 1984 Did not qualify
South Korea 1988
Since 1992 Olympic football has been an under-23 tournament
Total Fourth place 4/17 9 3 1 5 14 29 —

Nordic Football Championship

[edit]
Nordic Football Championship record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA
1929–32 Fourth place 4th 12 2 2 8 23 52
1933–36 12 3 1 8 18 36
1937–47 12 1 1 10 12 51
1948–51 12 1 3 8 11 28
1952–55 12 1 1 10 13 53
1956–59 12 0 1 11 8 44
1960–63 12 2 2 8 14 37
1964–67 Third place 3rd 12 5 2 5 14 17
1968–71 Fourth place 4th 12 0 4 8 10 31
1972–77 12 1 4 7 10 26
1978–80 6 1 4 7 10 26
1981–85 6 1 1 4 7 11
2000–01 Champions 1st 5 4 0 1 7 3
Total 1 Title 13/14 137 21 24 92 150 401

Baltic Cup

[edit]
Baltic Cup record
Year Result Pld W D L GF GA
2012 Runners-up 2 1 1 0 3 2
2014 Third place 2 1 0 1 2 1
Total 4 2 1 1 5 3

Head-to-head record

[edit]

This list is Finland national team complete records, both friendlies and competitive matches.[35]

As of 17 November 2024.[36]
Opponent GP W D L GF GA GD Win %
All Nations 783 207 158 418 925 1,629 −704 026.44
Against Played Won Drawn Lost GF GA GD % Won
 Albania 7 4 1 2 8 6 +2 057.14
 Algeria 1 0 0 1 0 2 −2 000.00
 Andorra 2 1 1 0 3 0 +3 050.00
 Armenia 6 5 1 0 11 1 +10 083.33
 Austria 11 1 2 8 11 24 −13 009.09
 Azerbaijan 8 7 0 1 15 5 +10 087.50
 Bahrain 5 4 1 0 9 1 +8 080.00
 Barbados 1 0 1 0 0 0 +0 000.00
 Belarus 5 2 3 0 7 4 +3 040.00
 Belgium 12 4 4 4 19 22 −3 033.33
 Bermuda 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2 100.00
 Bolivia 2 0 1 1 2 5 −3 000.00
 Bosnia and Herzegovina 7 2 2 3 11 12 −1 028.57
 Brazil 3 0 0 3 3 9 −6 000.00
 Bulgaria 10 2 1 7 3 19 −16 020.00
 Cameroon 2 0 1 1 0 2 −2 000.00
 Canada 1 1 0 0 3 2 +1 100.00
 Chile 1 0 0 1 0 2 −2 000.00
 China 4 1 0 3 7 6 +1 025.00
 Colombia 1 0 0 1 1 3 −2 000.00
 Costa Rica 1 0 0 1 1 2 −1 000.00
 Croatia 2 0 1 1 1 2 −1 000.00
 Cyprus 4 2 1 1 7 4 +3 050.00
 Czech Republic 11 3 3 5 14 22 −8 027.27
 Denmark 62 12 10 40 62 155 −93 019.35
 East Germany 7 2 1 4 8 21 −13 028.57
 Ecuador 1 0 0 1 1 3 −2 000.00
 Egypt 2 0 0 2 2 4 −2 000.00
 England 15 0 2 13 8 49 −41 000.00
 Estonia 34 16 10 8 76 42 +34 047.06
 Faroe Islands 5 5 0 0 15 1 +14 100.00
 France 11 1 0 10 3 22 −19 009.09
 Georgia 2 1 1 0 2 1 +1 050.00
 Germany 23 1 6 16 19 82 −63 004.35
 Greece 20 6 3 11 22 34 −12 030.00
 Honduras 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1 100.00
 Hungary 17 3 3 11 15 48 −33 017.65
 Iceland 14 7 3 4 21 15 +6 050.00
 India 2 1 1 0 2 0 +2 050.00
 Indonesia 1 0 0 1 1 3 −2 000.00
 Iraq 2 2 0 0 3 0 +3 100.00
 Ireland 9 2 2 5 5 14 −9 022.22
 Israel 5 2 1 2 6 6 +0 040.00
 Italy 13 1 1 11 7 32 −25 007.69
 Japan 2 0 0 2 1 7 −6 000.00
 Jordan 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1 100.00
 Kazakhstan 7 5 1 1 9 3 +6 071.43
 Kosovo 2 1 1 0 2 1 +1 050.00
 Kuwait 7 3 2 2 6 5 +1 042.86
 Latvia 17 10 3 4 32 18 +14 058.82
 Liechtenstein 5 3 2 0 9 3 +6 060.00
 Lithuania 5 3 0 2 15 5 +10 060.00
 Luxembourg 5 4 0 1 12 4 +8 080.00
 Malaysia 1 0 0 1 1 2 −1 000.00
 Malta 7 4 2 1 9 5 +4 057.14
 Mexico 4 0 1 3 2 7 −5 000.00
 Moldova 4 2 1 1 7 5 +2 050.00
 Montenegro 2 2 0 0 4 0 +4 100.00
 Morocco 2 1 1 0 1 0 +1 050.00
 Netherlands 14 1 2 11 14 43 −29 007.14
 North Korea 1 1 0 0 3 0 +3 100.00
 North Macedonia 7 3 3 1 12 3 +9 042.86
 Northern Ireland 11 5 2 4 18 12 +6 045.45
 Norway 67 9 17 41 82 182 −100 013.43
 Oman 6 3 3 0 7 2 +5 050.00
 Peru 1 0 0 1 3 7 −4 000.00
 Poland 29 3 8 18 25 67 −42 010.34
 Portugal 11 1 4 6 8 18 −10 009.09
 Qatar 4 1 3 0 4 3 +1 025.00
 Romania 13 0 5 8 6 29 −23 000.00
 Russia 21 1 5 15 13 67 −54 004.76
 San Marino 6 6 0 0 23 1 +22 100.00
 Saudi Arabia 4 2 1 1 7 4 +3 050.00
 Scotland 9 0 3 6 7 20 −13 000.00
 Serbia 10 2 2 6 10 32 −22 020.00
 Slovakia 3 0 1 2 1 4 −3 000.00
 Slovenia 4 2 1 1 5 4 +1 050.00
 South Korea 3 0 0 3 0 5 −5 000.00
 Spain 8 1 2 5 5 16 −11 012.50
 Sweden 90 11 11 68 96 296 −200 012.22
  Switzerland 6 2 0 4 7 10 −3 033.33
 Thailand 5 1 1 3 6 12 −6 020.00
 Trinidad and Tobago 5 3 1 1 8 7 +1 060.00
 Tunisia 3 2 1 0 6 2 +4 066.67
 Turkey 15 6 4 5 22 24 −2 040.00
 United Arab Emirates 1 0 1 0 1 1 +0 000.00
 Ukraine 4 0 1 3 3 6 −3 000.00
 United States 2 0 0 2 1 3 −2 000.00
 Uruguay 2 0 0 2 1 8 −7 000.00
 Wales 14 4 5 5 13 21 −8 028.57
 Yemen 1 0 1 0 0 0 +0 000.00
Total 784 203 159 422 919 1,636 −717 025.89

Honours

[edit]

Regional

[edit]

Friendly

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ [1] Archived 8 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". FIFA. 19 December 2024. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  3. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 25 December 2024. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "World Football Elo Ratings: Finland". World Football Elo Ratings. Archived from the original on 3 April 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  5. ^ a b "Finland qualifies for major soccer tournament for 1st time". ESPN.com. 15 November 2019. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  6. ^ "FIFA Rankings". Archived from the original on 30 May 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  7. ^ Andersen, Svein S.; Ronglan, Lars Tore (2012). Nordic Elite Sports: Same Ambitions – Different Tracks. Copenhagen: Copenhagen Business School Press. pp. 85–88. ISBN 978-876-30024-5-5. Archived from the original on 9 February 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  8. ^ a b c Syrjäläinen, Antti (2008). Miksi siksi loikkariksi? Huippu-urheilijoiden loikkaukset TUL:sta SVUL:oon 1919–1939. Joensuu: University of Joensuu. pp. 45–47. ISBN 978-952-21913-7-3. Archived from the original on 12 August 2017. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
  9. ^ "Nordic Championships 1964–67". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 3 December 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  10. ^ Thomas Floyd (11 June 2021) [2021-06-09]. "Finland has had a cursed soccer past. Now, as a first-time Euro qualifier, it is ready to believe". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 1330888409. Archived from the original on 12 February 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2022.[please check these dates]
  11. ^ Hodgson to return for Inter role Archived 14 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine BBC Sport, 1 December 2007
  12. ^ "Suomen Palloliitto – Etusivu". Archived from the original on 25 May 2011.
  13. ^ Finnish News Bureau (31 March 2011). "Mixu Paatelainen: Maajoukkueen puolustuksessa tehty isoja virheitä". Helsingin Sanomat. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
  14. ^ Paatelaisen joulukuuselle naureskeltiin vuosia – tässä hyljityn järjestelmän lyhyt historia, Ilta-Sanomat, 13 June 2015
  15. ^ Hans Backe appointed head coach of Finland men's national team
  16. ^ "Backen debyytti Huuhkajissa päättyi murskatappioon". yle.fi (in Finnish). Yle Uutiset. 10 January 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  17. ^ "Markku Kanerva A-maajoukkueen päävalmentajaksi" (in Finnish). Suomen Palloliitto. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  18. ^ "Finland 3–0 Liechtenstein". BBC. 15 November 2019. Archived from the original on 15 November 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  19. ^ "Teemu Pukki: From failures in Europe to Finland great – the fall and rise of the Norwich striker". BBC. 12 October 2019. Archived from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  20. ^ "Denmark 0–1 Finland". BBC Sport. 12 June 2021. Archived from the original on 24 November 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  21. ^ Jukka Raitala ihmetteli, miksi Christian Eriksen näyttelee – sitten paljastui järkyttävä totuus: ”Näin hänen silmänsä”, Helsingin Sanomat, 29 June 2024
  22. ^ Wales murskasi Huuhkajien EM-unelman – Teemu Pukki paljasti pohdintansa maajoukkueuran jatkosta, Yle, 21 March 2024
  23. ^ Nyt puhuu Ari Lahti Huuhkajien päävalmentajakysymyksestä – ”Meillä on valmiuksia tehdä päätöksiä”, Ilta-Sanomat, 22 March 2024
  24. ^ Markku Kanerva jatkaa Huuhkajien päävalmentajana – Valmennusryhmässä iso uudistus, Finnish FA, 17 June 2024
  25. ^ Huuhkajien johdon toiminta kummastuttaa – näin pomo selittää, Ilta-Sanomat, 11 September 2024
  26. ^ Nämä suomalaiset saivat tyrmäävän arvion Englannissa – uskomaton fakta tiivistää Huuhkajien toivottomuuden, Ilta-Sanomat, 11 September 2024
  27. ^ Markku Kanerva on sivuroolissa Ari Lahden kirjoittamassa Huuhkajat-näytelmässä, Helsingin Sanomat, 10 September 2024
  28. ^ Huuhkajatuomio: Suomen floppipelaajaa nöyryytettiin Lontoon illassa, Ilta-Sanomat, 11 September 2024
  29. ^ Palloliitto päätti: Markku Kanerva sai potkut – HS seuraa, Helsingin Sanomat, 22 November 2024
  30. ^ 157 029 x KIITOS!, Huuhkajat
  31. ^ "Huuhkajat - Joukkue" (in Finnish). Finnish Football Association. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  32. ^ "Huuhkajat nimetty marraskuun UEFA Nations League -otteluihin". www.palloliitto.fi. 8 November 2024.
  33. ^ "Muutoksia Huuhkajien pelaajaryhmään". www.palloliitto.fi. 15 November 2024.
  34. ^ Mamrud, Roberto. "Finland – International Player Records". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  35. ^ "FIFA Tournaments - Compare Teams". Archived from the original on 29 June 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  36. ^ "Finland – Historical results". Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
[edit]
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