Finland national football team

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

Finland

Nickname(s)	Huuhkajat (The Eagle-owls) [1]
Association	Football Association of Finland
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Markku Kanerva
Captain	Lukas Hradecky
Most caps	Jari Litmanen (137)
Top scorer	Teemu Pukki (40)
Home stadium	Helsinki Olympic Stadium
FIFA code	FIN
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	61 1 (4 April 2024) [2]
Highest	33 (March 2007)
Lowest	110 (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
Appearances	1 (first in 2020 )
Best result	Group stage (2020)
Olympic Games
Appearances	4 (first in 1912 )
Best result	Fourth place (1912)

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. ^[3] 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 April 2024, they sit at 61st place in the overall ranking. ^[4]

History

Finland team playing a Moscow XI in Moscow 1912

Early history

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

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. ^[5] 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. ^[6]

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. ^[6] 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. ^[6]

Post-war years

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. ^[7]

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

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. ^[8] 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 ^[9] ). 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.

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. ^[10] His replacement was a Scotsman, Stuart Baxter, who signed a contract until the end of the 2012 European Championship qualification campaign. ^[11]

Recent history

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

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. Finland finished a disappointing fourth in Euro 2012 qualifying, with only three wins, two of them against minnows San Marino.

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. Finland finished fourth in Euro 2016 qualifying but achieved another 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.

The 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign saw Finland finish a disappointing fifth in their group with only two wins, although one of them was over Iceland, who finished top of the qualifying group.

On 15 November 2019, Finland managed to qualify to the first major tournament, UEFA Euro 2020, in their history after defeating Liechtenstein 3–0. ^{[12] [3]} The successful qualifying campaign in Group J, was aided by a distinctive performance of Teemu Pukki, who scored ten goals in the qualifications. ^[13]

On 12 June 2021 in the Euro 2020 Finland had their first victory on their debut in a major tournament finals, Joel Pohjanpalo scored the only goal, a header in a 1–0 win over Denmark to grant his country their first goal and win in a major competition. ^[14] Unfortunately, having lost the next two games from both Russia and Belgium to finish third, Finland was eliminated from the group stage alongside fellow debutants North Macedonia as a result of their poor performance after being edged out by fourth placed team Ukraine among third place teams due to goal difference.

Home stadiums

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.

Today, some qualifying matches against lower profile opponents and some friendlies are 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 in 2016–20, Tampere Stadium served as the main stadium for qualifying games.

Kits and crest

Finland's home kit worn at UEFA Euro 2020

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

Kit supplier	Period
Adidas	1979–2013
Nike	2014–present

Results and fixtures

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

2023

Finland   v   Slovenia

16 June 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying	Finland	2–0	Slovenia	Helsinki, Finland
21:45 UTC+3	Pohjanpalo 13' Antman 64'	Report		Stadium: Helsinki Olympic Stadium Attendance: 32,560 Referee: Guillermo Cuadra Fernández (Spain)

Finland   v   San Marino

19 June 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying	Finland	6–0	San Marino	Helsinki, Finland
21:45 UTC+3	Kamara 16' Källman 39' Håkans 65', 72', 74' Pukki 76'	Report		Stadium: Helsinki Olympic Stadium Attendance: 32,812 Referee: Genc Nuza (Kosovo)

Kazakhstan   v   Finland

7 September 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying	Kazakhstan	0–1	Finland	Astana, Kazakhstan
20:00 UTC+6		Report	Antman 78'	Stadium: Astana Arena Attendance: 30,019 Referee: Radu Petrescu (Romania)

Finland   v   Denmark

10 September 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying	Finland	0–1	Denmark	Helsinki, Finland
19:00 UTC+3		Report	Højbjerg 86'	Stadium: Helsinki Olympic Stadium Attendance: 32,571 Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

Slovenia   v   Finland

14 October 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying	Slovenia	3–0	Finland	Ljubljana, Slovenia
18:00 UTC+2	Šeško 16' (pen.), 28' Janža 90+3'	Report		Stadium: Stožice Stadium Attendance: 15,823 Referee: Daniele Orsato (Italy)

Finland   v   Kazakhstan

17 October 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying	Finland	1–2	Kazakhstan	Helsinki, Finland
19:00 UTC+3	Taylor 28'	Report	Zaynutdinov 77' (pen.), 89'	Stadium: Helsinki Olympic Stadium Attendance: 30,375 Referee: Irfan Peljto (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Finland   v   Northern Ireland

17 November 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying	Finland	4–0	Northern Ireland	Helsinki, Finland
19:00 UTC+2	Pohjanpalo 42' (pen.) Håkans 48' Pukki 73' Lod 88'	Report		Stadium: Helsinki Olympic Stadium Attendance: 28,711 Referee: Aliyar Aghayev (Azerbaijan)

San Marino   v   Finland

20 November 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying	San Marino	1–2	Finland	Serravalle, San Marino
20:45 UTC+1	Berardi 90+7' (pen.)	Report	Soiri 50', 58'	Stadium: Stadio Olimpico de Serravalle Attendance: 1,427 Referee: Manfredas Lukjančukas (Lithuania)

2024

Wales   v   Finland

21 March 2024 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying play-offs	Wales	4–1	Finland	Cardiff, Wales
20:45	Brooks 3' Williams 38' Johnson 47' D. James 86'	Report	Pukki 45'	Stadium: Cardiff City Stadium Attendance: 32,162 Referee: István Kovács (Romania)

Finland   v   Estonia

26 March 2024 Friendly	Finland	2–1	Estonia	Helsinki, Finland
17:00	F. Jensen 30' Hein 38' (o.g.)	Report	Tamm 62'	Stadium: Helsinki Olympic Stadium Referee: Mads Kristoffersen (Denmark)

Portugal   v   Finland

4 June 2024 Friendly	Portugal	v	Finland	Lisbon, Portugal
19:45 UTC+1				Stadium: Estádio José Alvalade

Scotland   v   Finland

7 June 2024 Friendly	Scotland	v	Finland	Glasgow, Scotland
19:45 UTC+1				Stadium: Hampden Park

Greece   v   Finland

7 September 2024 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B Group 2	Greece	v	Finland	Athens, Greece
				Stadium: Agia Sophia Stadium

England   v   Finland

10 September 2024 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B Group 2	England	v	Finland	London, England
				Stadium: Wembley Stadium

Finland   v   Republic of Ireland

10 October 2024 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B Group 2	Finland	v	Republic of Ireland	Helsinki, Finland
				Stadium: Helsinki Olympic Stadium

Finland   v   England

13 October 2024 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B Group 2	Finland	v	England	Helsinki, Finland
				Stadium: Helsinki Olympic Stadium

Republic of Ireland   v   Finland

14 November 2024 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B Group 2	Republic of Ireland	v	Finland	Dublin, Ireland
				Stadium: Aviva Stadium

Finland   v   Greece

17 November 2024 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B Group 2	Finland	v	Greece	Helsinki, Finland
				Stadium: Helsinki Olympic Stadium

Coaching staff

^{[15] [16] [17]}

Position	Name
Head coach	Markku Kanerva
Assistant coach	Mika Nurmela
Goalkeeping coach	Antti Niemi
Fitness coach	Jari-Pekka Keurulainen
	Joni Ruuskanen
Physiotherapists	Jari-Pekka Keurulainen
	Paavo Leiramo
Video analyst	Henri Lehto
	Sixten Boström
Doctor	Heikki Kinnunen
Osteopath	Hannu Kanerva
Kit Manager	Jari Parikka
Team Manager	Lennart Wangel
Technical director	Aki Hyryläinen

Coaching history

As of 7 September 2023.

Tenure	Nat	Coach	Record
G	W	D	L	Win %
1911–21		None	17	6	2	9	035.29
1922		Jarl Öhman	4	1	0	3	025.00
1923–35		None	77	22	12	43	028.57
1936–37		Ferdinand Fabra	8	1	1	6	012.50
1937–38		None	9	3	0	6	033.33
1939		Gábor Obitz	6	1	0	5	016.67
1939–43		None	7	0	1	6	000.00
1945		Axel Mårtensson	2	0	0	2	000.00
1946		Niilo Tammisalo	3	0	0	3	000.00
1947–55		Aatos Lehtonen	51	7	9	35	013.73
1955–58		Kurt Weinreich	23	3	1	19	013.04
1959–61		Aatos Lehtonen	19	3	0	16	015.79
1962–74		Olavi Laaksonen	91	16	21	54	017.58
1975		Martti Kosma	2	0	1	1	000.00
1975–78		Aulis Rytkönen	30	8	4	18	026.67
1979–81		Esko Malm	27	4	6	17	014.81
1982–87		Martti Kuusela	53	9	11	33	016.98
1988–92		Jukka Vakkila	48	7	21	20	014.58
1993–94		Tommy Lindholm	25	5	7	13	020.00
1994–96		Jukka Ikäläinen	21	7	4	10	033.33
1996–99		Richard Møller Nielsen	34	9	12	13	026.47
2000–05		Antti Muurinen	72	34	12	26	047.22
2005		Jyrki Heliskoski (caretaker)	6	2	2	2	033.33
2006–07		Roy Hodgson	22	6	11	5	027.27
2008–10		Stuart Baxter	31	8	6	17	025.81
2010–2011		Olli Huttunen (caretaker)	1	1	0	0	100.00
2011		Markku Kanerva (caretaker)	2	0	1	1	000.00
2011–2015		Mixu Paatelainen	45	17	11	17	037.78
2015		Markku Kanerva (caretaker)	4	2	2	0	050.00
2016		Hasse Backe	11	0	2	9	000.00
2016–		Markku Kanerva	62	29	9	24	046.77
Total			783	196	163	424	025.03

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying play-off match against Wales and friendly against Estonia on 21 and 26 March 2024, respectively. ^[18]

Caps and goals as of 26 March 2024, after the match against   Estonia .

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1 GK	Lukas Hradecky (captain)	(1989-11-24) 24 November 1989 (age 34)	91	0	Bayer Leverkusen
12	1 GK	Jesse Joronen	(1993-03-21) 21 March 1993 (age 31)	18	0	Venezia
23	1 GK	Viljami Sinisalo	(2001-10-11) 11 October 2001 (age 22)	2	0	Exeter City
2	2 DF	Matti Peltola	(2002-07-03) 3 July 2002 (age 21)	7	0	D.C. United
3	2 DF	Richard Jensen	(1996-03-17) 17 March 1996 (age 28)	13	0	Aberdeen
4	2 DF	Robert Ivanov	(1994-09-19) 19 September 1994 (age 29)	28	0	Eintracht Braunschweig
5	2 DF	Arttu Hoskonen	(1997-04-16) 16 April 1997 (age 27)	11	0	Cracovia
13	2 DF	Pyry Soiri	(1994-09-22) 22 September 1994 (age 29)	44	7	Universitatea Craiova
15	2 DF	Miro Tenho	(1995-04-02) 2 April 1995 (age 29)	4	0	Djurgården
17	2 DF	Nikolai Alho	(1993-03-12) 12 March 1993 (age 31)	36	0	Volos
18	2 DF	Jere Uronen	(1994-07-13) 13 July 1994 (age 29)	67	1	Charlotte FC
6	3 MF	Glen Kamara	(1995-10-28) 28 October 1995 (age 28)	59	2	Leeds United
7	3 MF	Anssi Suhonen	(2001-01-14) 14 January 2001 (age 23)	7	0	Hamburger SV
8	3 MF	Robin Lod	(1993-04-17) 17 April 1993 (age 31)	66	6	Minnesota United
9	3 MF	Fredrik Jensen	(1997-09-09) 9 September 1997 (age 26)	30	8	FC Augsburg
11	3 MF	Rasmus Schüller (vice-captain)	(1991-06-18) 18 June 1991 (age 32)	75	0	Djurgården
14	3 MF	Kaan Kairinen	(1998-12-22) 22 December 1998 (age 25)	17	0	Sparta Prague
16	3 MF	Oliver Antman	(2001-08-15) 15 August 2001 (age 22)	10	5	Nordsjælland
21	3 MF	Daniel Håkans	(2000-10-26) 26 October 2000 (age 23)	8	4	Vålerenga
22	3 MF	Ilmari Niskanen	(1997-10-12) 12 October 1997 (age 26)	18	1	Exeter City
10	4 FW	Teemu Pukki (vice-captain)	(1990-03-29) 29 March 1990 (age 34)	120	40	Minnesota United
19	4 FW	Benjamin Källman	(1998-06-17) 17 June 1998 (age 25)	19	6	Cracovia
20	4 FW	Joel Pohjanpalo	(1994-09-13) 13 September 1994 (age 29)	71	15	Venezia

Recent call-ups

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	Hugo Keto	(1998-02-09) 9 February 1998 (age 26)	0	0	Sandefjord	v.   San Marino , 20 November 2023
DF	Tomas Galvez	(2005-01-28) 28 January 2005 (age 19)	2	0	Manchester City	v.   San Marino , 20 November 2023
DF	Noah Pallas	(2001-02-09) 9 February 2001 (age 23)	3	0	HJK	v.   San Marino , 20 November 2023
DF	Tuomas Ollila	(2000-04-25) 25 April 2000 (age 24)	2	0	Paris FC	v.   Kazakhstan , 17 October 2023
DF	Diogo Tomas	(1997-07-31) 31 July 1997 (age 26)	4	0	HJK	v.   Kazakhstan , 17 October 2023
DF	Leo Väisänen	(1997-07-24) 24 July 1997 (age 26)	26	0	Austin FC	v.   Kazakhstan , 17 October 2023
DF	Kevin Kouassivi-Benissan	(1999-01-25) 25 January 1999 (age 25)	0	0	HJK	v.   Denmark , 10 September 2023
MF	Robert Taylor	(1994-10-21) 21 October 1994 (age 29)	34	2	Inter Miami	v.   Wales , 21 March 2024 WD
MF	Lucas Lingman	(1998-01-25) 25 January 1998 (age 26)	11	0	HJK	v.   San Marino , 20 November 2023
MF	Niilo Mäenpää	(1998-01-14) 14 January 1998 (age 26)	3	0	Warta Poznań	v.   Kazakhstan , 17 October 2023
FW	Marcus Forss	(1999-06-18) 18 June 1999 (age 24)	21	2	Middlesbrough	v.   Wales , 21 March 2024 INJ
Notes INJ = Withdrew due to an injury WD = Withdrew due to a non-injury issue PRE = Preliminary squad / standby RET = Retired from international duty

Player records

As of 21 March 2024. ^[19]

  Players still active are highlighted in blue

Most appearances

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	120	40	2009–present
3	Sami Hyypiä	106	5	1992–2010
	Jonatan Johansson	106	22	1996–2010
5	Ari Hjelm	100	20	1983–1996
6	Joonas Kolkka	98	11	1994–2010
7	Lukas Hradecky	91	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

Teemu Pukki is Finland's top scorer with 40 goals.

Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Teemu Pukki	40	120	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
10	Joel Pohjanpalo	15	71	0.21	2012–present

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record										Qualification record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA		Campaign	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930	Did not enter									Declined invitation
1934										Did not enter
1938	Did not qualify									1938	3	0	0	3	0	7
1950	Withdrew during qualifying									1950	2	0	1	1	1	4
1954	Did not qualify									1954	4	0	2	2	7	13
1958										1958	4	0	0	4	2	19
1962										1962	4	0	0	4	3	12
1966										1966	6	1	0	5	5	20
1970										1970	6	1	0	5	6	28
1974										1974	6	1	1	4	3	21
1978										1978	6	2	0	4	11	16
1982										1982	8	1	0	7	4	27
1986										1986	8	3	2	3	7	12
1990										1990	6	1	1	4	4	16
1994										1994	10	2	1	7	9	18
1998										1998	8	3	2	3	11	12
2002										2002	8	3	3	2	12	7
2006										2006	12	5	1	6	21	19
2010										2010	10	5	3	2	14	14
2014										2014	8	2	3	3	5	9
2018										2018	10	2	3	5	9	13
2022										2022	8	3	2	3	10	10
2026	To be determined									To be determined
2030
2034
Total		0/22									137	35	25	77	144	297

UEFA European Championship

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
1960	Did not enter										Did not enter
1964
1968	Did not qualify										1968	6	0	2	4	5	12
1972											1972	6	0	1	5	1	16
1976											1976	6	0	1	5	3	13
1980											1980	6	2	2	2	10	15
1984											1984	6	0	1	5	3	14
1988											1988	6	1	1	4	4	10
1992											1992	8	1	4	3	5	8
1996											1996	10	5	0	5	18	18
2000											2000	8	3	1	4	13	13
2004											2004	8	3	1	4	9	10
2008											2008	14	6	6	2	13	7
2012											2012	10	3	1	6	16	16
2016											2016	10	3	3	4	9	10
2020	Group stage	17th	3	1	0	2	1	3	Squad		2020	10	6	0	4	16	10
2024	Did not qualify										2024 (PO)	11	6	0	5	19	14
2028	To be determined										To be determined
2032
Total	Group stage	1/17	3	1	0	2	1	3	—		—	125	39	24	62	144	186

UEFA Nations League

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		28th
2020–21	B	4	2nd	6	4	0	2	7	5		21st
2022–23	B	3	2nd	6	2	2	2	8	6		21st
2024–25	B	2	To be determined
Total				18	10	2	6	20	14	21st

Olympic Games

Olympic Games record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
As Grand Duchy of Finland
1896	No football tournament was held
1900	Did not enter
1904
1908
1912	Fourth place	4th	4	2	0	2	5	16	Squad
Since 1917, Declaration of Independence
1920	Did not enter
1924
1928
1932	No football tournament was held
1936	Round of 16	14th	1	0	0	1	3	7	Squad
1948	Did not enter
1952	Round of 16	9th	1	0	0	1	3	4	Squad
1956	Did not enter
1960	Did not qualify
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980	Group stage	9th	3	1	1	1	3	2	Squad
1984	Did not qualify
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

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

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

This list is Finland national team complete records, both friendlies and competitive matches. ^[20]

As of 17 October 2023. ^[21]

Opponent	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
All Nations	772	204	157	411	910	1,605	−695	026.42

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	11	4	4	3	19	20	−1	036.36
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	13	0	2	11	7	44	−37	000.00
Estonia	33	15	10	8	74	41	+33	045.45
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	18	6	3	9	22	29	−7	033.33
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	5	0	2	3	2	11	−9	000.00
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	10	4	2	4	14	12	+2	040.00
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	10	1	4	5	6	14	−8	010.00
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	5	5	0	0	21	0	+21	100.00
Saudi Arabia	4	2	1	1	7	4	+3	050.00
Scotland	8	0	2	6	5	18	−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	5	2	0	3	5	7	−2	040.00
Thailand	5	5	0	0	12	6	+6	100.00
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	13	4	5	4	12	17	−5	030.77
Yemen	1	0	1	0	0	0	+0	000.00
Total	772	204	157	411	910	1,605	−695	026.42

Honours

• 1912 Summer Olympics
  • Fourth place (1): 1912

Minor tournaments

• Baltic Cup
  • Runners-up (1): 2012
  • Third-place (1): 2014
• Nordic Football Championship
  • Winners (1): 2000–01
  • Third-place (1): 1964–67
• King's Cup
  • Runners-up (2): 2000, 2013
  • Fourth place (1): 1996

See also

• Association football portal
• Finland portal

• Finland men's national under-21 football team
• Finland men's national under-19 football team
• Finland men's national under-17 football team
• Finland women's national football team
• Finland women's national under-20 football team
• Finland women's national under-17 football team
• Football in Finland
• Åland official football team
• Sápmi football team

References

1. Archived 8 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine
2. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 4 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
3. "Finland qualifies for major soccer tournament for 1st time". ESPN.com. 15 November 2019. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
4. "FIFA Rankings". Archived from the original on 30 May 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. "Nordic Championships 1964–67". RSSSF . Archived from the original on 3 December 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
8. 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 ]}
9. "World Football Elo Ratings: Finland". World Football Elo Ratings. Archived from the original on 3 April 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
10. Hodgson to return for Inter role Archived 14 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine BBC Sport, 1 December 2007
11. "Suomen Palloliitto – Etusivu". Archived from the original on 25 May 2011.
12. "Finland 3–0 Liechtenstein". BBC. 15 November 2019. Archived from the original on 15 November 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
13. "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.
14. "Denmark 0–1 Finland". BBC Sport. 12 June 2021. Archived from the original on 24 November 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
15. "Markku Kanerva A-maajoukkueen päävalmentajaksi". Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
16. "Sivua ei löydy". www.palloliitto.fi. 11 May 2022. Archived from the original on 16 July 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
17. "Valmennus ja joukkueenjohto". www.palloliitto.fi.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
18. "Huuhkajat nimetty maaliskuun EM-jatkokarsintoihin". www.palloliitto.fi. 13 March 2024.
19. Mamrud, Roberto. "Finland – International Player Records". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
20. "FIFA Tournaments - Compare Teams". Archived from the original on 29 June 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
21. "Finland – Historical results". Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.

External links

• Official website (in Finnish)
• Finland at FIFA
• Finland at UEFA
• RSSSF archive of results 1911–
• RSSSF archive of most capped players and highest goalscorers
• RSSSF archive of coaches
• The Finnish National Team Supporters' Association
• Reports for all official matches
• Russian fan site about Finnish football and national team Archived 7 October 2022 at the Wayback Machine (in Russian)