Misplaced Pages

#23976

95-451: The SPL organises the men's and women's national football teams, and the second to ninth tiers of national football. The premier division Veikkausliiga is organized by a distinct organisation. The SPL is based in the Finnish capital city of Helsinki . The SPL has more than 1,000 member clubs and approximately 140,000 registered players. The Finnish Gallup survey has indicated that football

190-562: 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

285-562: A gymnast who was competing in his fifth consecutive Olympic games, swore the Olympic oath on behalf of the athletes. There were 4,925 athletes from 69 countries, with the Soviet Union making its Olympic debut and Germany participating for the first time since World War II . A total of 149 events were held in 17 different sports. The most-medalling athletes of the Games were Viktor Chukarin of

380-466: 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

475-567: A mass battle after being dissatisfied with the referee's work. Field hockey was included in the Helsinki Olympic Games in the range of sports on the condition that a maximum of 12 teams register for the Games. In the end, 16 teams applied for the competition, from which the International Field Hockey Federation selected 12 countries to participate in the competition venue. Eventually, four countries dropped out of

570-527: 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. The Football Association of Finland was founded in 1907 and became a member of FIFA the next year. At

665-429: A personal competition for foil in the program. There were 250 men and 37 women from 32 countries. Italy, Hungary and France were, as usual, the best fencing countries and took all the gold medals. A total of six countries reached medals. The Mangiarot brothers Edoardo and Dario took a double victory over the film. Hungarian swordsmen won a triple victory over the preserve. The Modern pentathlon Olympic competitions

760-455: 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 . The successful qualifying campaign

855-564: A second Olympic village was established in Espoo , Otaniemi . Joseph Stalin allowed Soviet athletes to enter the 1952 Summer Olympics because he was sure that they would win the most medals. However, American athletes secured more gold and total medals and Stalin afforded more resources for the advancement of elite athletes in the Soviet Union in the build-up to the 1956 Summer Olympics . The 1952 Games were also threatened with cancellation due to

950-491: A second. As a result, the company received the prestigious Croix du Mérite Olympique award for their efforts. In 1950 cable television was tried for the first time in Finland, in the 1952 Olympics people could watch TV sending from the stadium through coaxial cable to Stockmann department store window. Helsinki paved tens of kilometers of roads, and a myriad of houses were painted. The city's first traffic lights were installed at

1045-609: A successor to the German Olympic Committee , which had been dissolved during World War II, had not yet been established, but all these countries already participated in the Helsinki Games, as did Saarland . The Cold War affected the participation of both the United States and the Soviet Union in the Games. The participation of the United States in the Games was decided only after the country had received an assessment of

SECTION 10

#1733084609024

1140-462: A total of 159 participants in eight men's and women's only races, coming from 21 countries. Canoeing was a celebration in Finland, as four of the nine sports went to the host country. In addition, the Finns took one silver and a bronze. The double gold medalists were Kurt Wires and Yrjö Hietanen who won the kayak duo's 1,000 and 10,000 meters. In the only women's sport, the 500-meter kayak unit, gold

1235-804: Is a popular pastime with around 500,000 Finns interested in the sport. The SPL is Finland's largest amateur sports federation. The association was also the governing body of bandy in Finland until Finland's Bandy Association was founded in 1972. In 1928, it also arranged the first Finland ice hockey championship, before the 1929 establishment of the Finnish Ice Hockey Association . The association publishes several magazines, including now-defunct monthly magazine Futari . Finland national football team The Finland national football team ( Finnish : Suomen jalkapallomaajoukkue , Swedish : Finlands fotbollslandslag ) represents Finland in men's international football competitions and

1330-528: 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 . After decades of average results and campaigns, the nation made progress in the 2000s, achieving notable results against established European teams and reaching

1425-473: 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. There is also a conflict of interest of Finnish FA president Ari Lahti , who happens to be also the owner of KuPS. Finland finished the Nations League campaign at

1520-629: Is still amongst the most famous matches. On the political level, the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin and the Yugoslav leader Josip Tito split in 1948 , which resulted in Yugoslavia being excluded from the Communist Information Bureau . The origin of the conflict was Tito's refusal to submit to Stalin's interpretations and visions of politics and in process becoming a Soviet satellite state . Before

1615-598: The 1968 event , but had to wait for its first win until 1978. 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 . In 1996, Euro 1992 -winning coach Richard Møller Nielsen

1710-679: The Games of the XV Olympiad ( Finnish : XV olympiadin kisat ) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952 , were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1952 in Helsinki , Finland. After Japan declared in 1938 that it would be unable to host the 1940 Olympics in Tokyo due to the ongoing Second Sino-Japanese War , Helsinki had been selected to host the 1940 Summer Olympics , which were then cancelled due to World War II . Tokyo eventually hosted

1805-399: The 1952 Olympic Games a complete success. The Olympic flame was lit by running heroes Paavo Nurmi (to the stadium) and Hannes Kolehmainen (to the stadium tower). When Paavo Nurmi was announced to arrive at the stadium, athletes from the participating countries deviated from the formation to see the legend better. Only the lines of the Soviet Union and Finland remained in the line. After

1900-646: The City of Helsinki founded the Stadion Foundation in 1927 to get the stadium to Helsinki. In the same year, Ernst Edvard Krogius , who represented Finland on the International Olympic Committee (IOC), announced Finland's willingness to host the competition. In 1930, preparations for the 1936 Games, which was accelerated by the launch of a design project for the Olympic Stadium . However, Helsinki

1995-724: 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. 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. Finland also took part in European Championship qualifying since

SECTION 20

#1733084609024

2090-614: The Finnish side in Tornio . On the Finnish-Swedish border bridge, the torch was received by Ville Pörhölä , who brought it to Tornio sports ground  [ fi ] . The Olympic torch from Tornio, Greece, was connected to Pallastunturi on 6 July 1952 where it ignited the “midnight sun fire”. In reality, the Pallastunturi fire was lit with liquefied petroleum gas , because the night in July

2185-566: 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. 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

2280-588: 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

2375-469: The Games, so anyone was able to take part in the Olympic tournament. The tournament started with two rounds before the Games opened, and the final match was held on July 24. India and Netherlands met in the Velodrome final with India winning its fifth consecutive gold under captaincy of Kunwar Digvijay Singh with a score of 6–1. Canoeing competitions were held Taivallahti 27–28 July. There were

2470-720: 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

2565-982: The Nursing College in Meilahti. The athletes of the Soviet-led Eastern Bloc stayed in the Teekkarikylä in Otaniemi. The Finnish team lived on the premises of the Santahamina Army School (later the Cadet School, now the National Defence University ). The City of Helsinki prepared for the Olympics by building a new airport in Seutula (now Helsinki-Vantaan lentoasema ), 11-story Hotelli Palace, and

2660-662: The Olympic Games at which the most world records were broken until they were surpassed by the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing . The Soviet Union , the People's Republic of China , Hong Kong , Indonesia , Israel , Thailand , and Saarland made their Olympic debuts at the 1952 Games. The United States won the most gold and overall medals at these Olympics. Inspired by the success of the Swedish 1912 Olympics , Finnish sports fans began to arouse

2755-478: The Olympic Games, Finland held a Memorial Competitions for Fallen Athletes  [ fi ] who died in the Winter War against Russia, at the opening of which actor Eino Kaipainen recited the poem Silent Winners written by Yrjö Jylhä  [ fi ] . The memorial competitions were held on the initiative of the sports journalist Sulo Kolkka  [ fi ] . At the end of World War II, London

2850-456: The Olympic Games. In basketball, the gold medal was won by the United States , who defeated Soviet Union in the final 36–25. The final match was relatively slow-paced, as the Soviet Union tried to keep up with the United States by freezing the game. The United States had already clearly beat the Soviet Union 86–58 earlier in the tournament. The bronze was won by Uruguay , who also organized

2945-626: The Olympic Pier in South Harbor . A large electric scoreboard was procured. It attracted international attention because it represented the top of its time in the scoreboard field both in terms of its system and its technology. OMEGA debuted the OMEGA Time Recorder in Helsinki. This all-new quartz clock not only timed the events but also printed out the results. This breakthrough technology allowed official Olympic times to be accurate to 1/100 of

Football Association of Finland - Misplaced Pages Continue

3040-528: The Olympic flame was lit, the Archbishop Ilmari Salomies was due to say a prayer, but German Barbara Rotbraut-Pleyer, nicknamed “White Angel of the Games”, had jumped from the auditorium onto the track and ran straight to the speaker's seat. Organizers quickly removed Pleyer, who had time to say just a few words into the microphone. Pleyer's purpose was to proclaim a message of peace. Heikki Savolainen ,

3135-567: The Soviet Union, billions of rubles were spent on coaching athletes in just one year. The Soviet Union planned to fly its athletes every day between Leningrad and Helsinki. Another option was for Soviet athletes to stay in the Soviet Porkkalanniemi garrison. However, Finland required that all competitors stay in the Olympic village . As a compromise solution for the Eastern Bloc athletes,

3230-539: The Soviet Union, who won four gymnastics Olympic gold medals, and Czechoslovakia 's Emil Zátopek , who won three track golds. The United States won the most gold and total medals, with 40 and 76. The host country, Finland , had 6 gold, 3 silver and 13 bronze medals. Shooting was competed in seven events, six of which (rifle sports) were conducted at the Malmi Shooting Range in moderately difficult wind conditions. Tough results were still fired in Helsinki, as

3325-468: The USSR squad, was forced to withdraw from the league by Joseph Stalin and later disbanded. Furthermore, Boris Arkadiev , who coached both USSR and CDKA, was stripped of his Merited Master of Sports of the USSR title. 23 teams entered basketball, ten of which made it directly to the actual tournament. The remaining 13 countries took the final six places in the Olympic tournament before the official opening of

3420-564: 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. 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

3515-543: The central lawn, and the chairman of the organizing committee, Erik von Frenckell, spoke in Finnish, Swedish, French and English. President of the Republic J. K. Paasikivi gave the opening speech, which was the shortest in Olympic history and contained a mistake: it was not the "Fifteenth Olympic Games", but the XV Olympic Games and the 12th World Olympics, due to the 1916, 1940 and 1944 races had been canceled. The speech

3610-596: The committee, and Lauri Miettinen  [ fi ] , Arno Tuurna  [ fi ] and Yrjö Valkama were elected to replace them. In the spring of 1952, Ente was replaced by Arvi E. Heiskanen  [ fi ] and as completely new members by Mauno Pekkala and Aaro Tynell . Erik von Frenckell was the chairman of the organizing committee and the other members were Armas-Eino Martola (competition director), Yrjö Valkama (sports director), Olavi Suvanto (maintenance director), Akseli Kaskela, Aarne K. Leskinen and Niilo Koskinen  [ fi ] . In addition,

3705-436: The committee, who at the time also chaired Finnish Football Association . Akseli Kaskela  [ fi ] , Olavi Suvanto  [ fi ] and Armas-Eino Martola were elected Vice-Chairs. Among them, Kaskela and Suvanto were elected on political grounds as representatives of the bourgeois Finnish Sports Federation  [ fi ] (SVUL) and the leftist Finnish Workers' Sports Federation (TUL), Martola, on

3800-526: The competition. The voters had identified the composing style of Uuno Klami and Aarre Merikanto , among others. The only Finnish composer who congratulated Linjamaa was Jean Sibelius , who did not take part in the anthem. The Olympic torch was transported by land from Olympia to Athens from where fire's journey continued in a miner's lamp donated by the Saar Olympic Committee on a SAS plane to Aalborg , Denmark . The glass cover surrounding

3895-412: The competitions of the international labour movement. 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. In 1937, Finland participated

Football Association of Finland - Misplaced Pages Continue

3990-399: The deteriorating world situation. The Korean War had begun in 1950, which also caused concern in the organizing committee. At Von Frenckell's suggestion, the organizing committee decided to take out Lloyd's of London war insurance. Most of the venues for the competitions were completed prior to the 1940s in anticipation of successful bid attempts, but some expansion and refurbishment work

4085-535: The fairly completed venues built for the 1940 Games. After confirmation that Helsinki would host the Games, the "XV Olympia Helsinki 1952" was established as the organizing committee of the Games on 8 September 1947. Its members were the Finnish Olympic Committee, the Finnish State, the City of Helsinki and 26 various sports organizations. The mayor of Helsinki Erik von Frenckell was elected chairman of

4180-482: 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

4275-566: The games in 1964. Helsinki is the northernmost city at which a summer Olympic Games have been held. With London hosting the 1948 Olympics, 1952 is the most recent time when two consecutive summer Olympic Games were held entirely in Europe. The 1952 Summer Olympics was the last of the two consecutive Olympics to be held in Northern Europe, following the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, Norway. They were also

4370-660: The games. After the Winter War, the Organizing Committee decided to abandon the Games on 20 March 1940 due to the hostilities across Europe, the suspension of preparations caused by the Winter War, and the deplorable economic situation. At the meeting of the Finnish Olympic Committee on 20 April 1940, the Olympic Games in Finland were officially canceled. In the meantime, World War II had already expanded, with Germany occupying Denmark and fighting in Norway . Instead of

4465-400: The great call of concord and peace among the nations of the world. I am particularly pleased to be sending you this advance greeting because, as a young man, I was myself an enthusiastic gymnast and athlete. And I have retained throughout my life a deep interest in athletics and sports of all kinds. I am convinced that the Finnish people, loving sport as they do, will spare no effort to make

4560-510: 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. The game was interrupted by a tragic heart attack suffered by Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen , which he luckily survived. Unfortunately, having lost

4655-421: 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. After a run of mediocre results and

4750-555: The head of the central office Kallio Kotkas  [ fi ] and the head of information Eero Petäjäniemi  [ fi ] were involved in the competition organization. The international political atmosphere was tense when the Helsinki Olympics were held. When the IOC held its meeting in Vienna in 1951, many difficult topics were on the agenda. The Cold War was under way, and

4845-489: The idea of their own Olympic Games: for example, Erik von Frenckell publicly presented his dreams of the Finnish Olympic Games at the opening of the 1915 Töölön Pallokenttä . As the Olympic success continued in the 1920s, enthusiasm for one's own Olympics grew, and after the 1920 Antwerp Olympics , Finnish sports leaders began planning to build a stadium in Helsinki in 1920. Finland's main sports organizations and

SECTION 50

#1733084609024

4940-545: The intersection of Aleksanterinkatu and Mikonkatu in October 1951. The Palace Hotel and Vaakuna Hotel  [ fi ] among others, were completed for the needs of the guests. However, due to the relatively low number of hotels in the city, tent villages were built for tourists in Lauttasaari and Seurasaari , among others. However, the preparations for accommodation turned out to be considerably oversized; at its best,

5035-532: 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

5130-454: The lamp was designed by the artist Sakari Tohka  [ fi ] . The Olympic torch itself was designed by the artist Aukusti Tuhka  [ fi ] . From Denmark, the torchlight continued by running, cycling, riding, rowing and paddling to Copenhagen , from where the fire was transported by ferry to Sweden to Malmö . The journey of the torch across Sweden was carried to Haparanda by 700 messengers, from where it continued to

5225-476: 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

5320-440: 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

5415-400: The match against [REDACTED]   Greece . The following players have been called up for the team within the last twelve months and are still available for selection. This list is Finland national team complete records, both friendlies and competitive matches. 1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics ( Finnish : Kesäolympialaiset 1952 ), officially known as

5510-458: 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

5605-418: The match, both Tito and Stalin sent telegrams to their national teams, which showed just how important it was for the two head of states. Yugoslavia led 5–1, but a Soviet comeback in the last 15 minutes resulted in a 5–5 draw. The match was replayed, Yugoslavia winning 3–1. The defeat to the archrivals hit Soviet football hard, and after just three games played in the season, CSKA Moscow , who had made up most of

5700-414: The national team head coach is still remembered mainly for joulukuusi. On 12 August 2015, Swedish Hans Backe was named the new manager, starting on 1 January 2016. His first official match with the team was held on 10 January 2016, and ended in a 3–0 defeat by Sweden. On 12 December 2016, Backe was fired during the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign , and a former assistant and caretaker Markku Kanerva

5795-412: 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". 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

SECTION 60

#1733084609024

5890-518: 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. Hodgson's replacement was a Scotsman, Stuart Baxter , who signed a contract until the end of the 2012 European Championship qualification campaign. 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,

5985-431: 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

6080-446: 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

6175-406: The occupancy rate of the 6,000-seat tent village in Lauttasaari had an occupancy of only 8 per cent. With the support of the Olympia 1952 committee, Finland's first mini golf courses were completed to entertain guests. The International Olympic Committee had declared in 1950 that it did not have an official Olympic anthem, but that the organizers could decide their own anthems. An anthem competition

6270-413: 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. 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

6365-444: The other hand, got a former officer to lead the organization of the practical arrangements. Other members of the Organizing Committee were Yrjö Enne  [ fi ] , Väinö A. M. Karikoski  [ fi ] , Urho Kekkonen , Ernst Krogius , William Lehtinen , Aarne K. Leskinen  [ fi ] , Eino Pekkala , Väinö Salovaara and Erik Åström . In 1948–1949, Karikoski, Kekkonen, Krogius and Lehtinen resigned from

6460-405: The political situation in Finland from its embassy in Helsinki. The Soviet Union was accepted as a member of the IOC in May 1951, and in December of the same year the country accepted the invitation to the competition, as the country's athletes were in medal condition. Although the Soviet leadership had previously considered the Games a bourgeois event, the Helsinki Games held propaganda value. In

6555-417: 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 ). 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

6650-596: 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 , 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. 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,

6745-414: 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

6840-451: 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

6935-750: The situation between Israel and Arab countries , divided Germany had to be addressed as a team, and the Chinese Civil War , with the Chinese Communist Party winning, forming the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China government exiled to Taiwan . Four years earlier, Japan was not invited to the London Olympics from the losing states of the Second World War. The Olympic Committee of Israel had not yet been recognized, and

7030-604: The stadium's full capacity. Finland's kit are currently supplied by American brand Nike . They replaced German company Adidas , who supplied Finland's kits between 1979 and 2013. 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 The following players were called up for UEFA Nations League matches against Republic of Ireland and Greece on 14 and 17 November 2024, respectively. Caps and goals as of 17 November 2024, after

7125-683: 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 . After the 1918 Civil War ,

7220-475: The top four deer shooting broke world records. World records for knee position were also broken in free and small rifles. Shotgun shooting took place at the Huopalahti shooting range. Ten countries took medals from the shooting. Norway was the only country to win two gold medals, with the Soviet Union winning the most medals. Boris Andreyev was the only Soviet shooter to win two multiple medals. A Finnish winner

7315-485: The tournament, but Saarland and Mexico dropped out before the Games. Hungary Golden Team won the gold when it knocked down the Yugoslavia in the final with a score of 2–0. Sweden won a bronze medal. In the final, the Olympic Stadium had 58 553 paid spectators, the largest number of spectators in Finland watching a football match. The first meeting between the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia in football

7410-512: Was aided by a distinctive performance of Teemu Pukki , who scored ten goals in ten qualifying matches. 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

7505-574: Was already celebrated in a miniature rifle when Vilho Ylönen had time to play on the radio Björneborgarnas marsch . However, in an hour-long countdown, the Norwegian Erling Asbjørn Kongshaug was declared the winner of the competition. The football tournament started even before the official opening, as the one-piece qualifiers took place on 15–16 July in Kotka, Lahti, Tampere, Turku and Helsinki. There were 27 countries registered for

7600-459: Was also a surprise. When the winner was announced on 17 March 1952, an unknown teacher Jaakko Linjama  [ fi ] was revealed behind the nickname, who had used Lyy's lyrics in his Olympic Hymn. The nicknames of the other contestants were not opened. This caused a stir, and Arijoutsi  [ fi ] , among others, doubted that the victory of the unknown would go to the honor of well-known composers. There were well-known members in

7695-521: Was awarded the 1948 Summer Olympics after the city was originally granted the 1944 Games, which were canceled due to the war. Helsinki continued its attempt to have the Games organized and registered as candidates for the 1952 Games. At the IOC Congress in Stockholm on 21 June 1947, Helsinki was chosen as the host city, leaving behind the bids of Amsterdam , Los Angeles , Minneapolis , Detroit , Chicago and Philadelphia . Helsinki's strengths included

7790-469: Was cloudy at that time and it was not possible to use the sun as a lighter. From Tornio, the torch traveled through Finland to Helsinki. It was transported by more than 1,200 people. Initially, the aim was to transport fire to Helsinki via the Soviet Union , but the matter was not settled through diplomacy by the deadline. The journey covered a total of 7,870 kilometres on the journey that began on 25 June and ended on 19 July 1952. The actual Olympic flame

7885-502: 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. According to Helsingin Sanomat , Kanerva

7980-532: Was followed by the raising of the Olympic flag and the Olympic fanfare  [ fi ] composed by Aarre Merikanto . The President's speech was as follows: It gives me great pleasure to address a message of greeting to the young people of the world as they prepare for the fifteenth Olympic Games which are, once again, to be celebrated in a spirit worthy of the ideals of Baron de Coubertin . This happy cooperation between young people of all countries will serve

8075-417: Was held at Ahvenisto Hämeenlinna . A total of 51 competitors from 19 countries entered the sport. For the first time in Olympic history, the sport also included a team competition. Sweden, Hungary and Finland shared the medals. Sweden's Lars Hall won the individual competition, and Hungary was the best in the team competition. Before Hall, all Olympic winners of the sport have been officers . However, Hall

8170-424: Was held in Finland. In the spring of 1951, a poetry competition was announced, which was surprisingly won by an unknown teacher candidate, Niilo Partanen. Second and third came the well-known poets Toivo Lyy  [ fi ] and Heikki Asunta . These winning poems were allowed to be used in the composition competition. The selection of the 51 compositions by a jury chaired by Jouko Tolonen  [ fi ]

8265-412: 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

8360-409: Was lit for the Olympic Stadium . Olympic torch relay: The opening ceremony of the Helsinki Olympics was held on 19 July. Although the weather was rainy and chilly and the Olympic Stadium had no roof but on top of the main auditorium, the stadium was full with 70,435 spectators. The inaugural march had a record 5,469 people from 67 countries. After the march, the countries organized themselves into

8455-503: Was little time left to prepare for the Games. World War II broke out on 1 September 1939, with the German – Soviet invasion of Poland , which also drew Britain and France to war. Despite the aggression, the Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games continued to be optimistic about the preparations for the Games. However, the Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, halted planning for

8550-562: 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

8645-516: Was named the new head coach. Finland did not win a single game during Backe's time as head coach. His record during 2016 was nine defeats and two draws. 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

8740-499: Was needed, including the construction of additional stands at the Olympic and Swimming Stadium. A residential area, Kisakylä (Olympic Village) was built south of Käpylä 's Koskelantie to accommodate competitors. The area, which was built close to the 1940 Olympics, was already the residence of the people of Helsinki at that time. Just below the opening, the competition area was completed for the use of visitors Kumpula Outdoor Swimming Pool . Female athletes got their own race village from

8835-482: Was not a candidate in the first round in 1931, and Berlin won the competition, but Helsinki immediately registered as a candidate for the 1940 Games. Those games were awarded to Tokyo in 1936, and two years later with the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War Japan announced they were giving up the 1940 games, and four days later the IOC offered the Games to Helsinki, which agreed to take over, although there

8930-453: 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. 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

9025-483: Was taken by Sylvi Saimo , who was the first Finnish female gold medalist in the summer competitions. The second most successful country in kayaking was Sweden, which won one gold and three silver. Helsinki Olympics fencing competitions were held on the Espoo side of the Westend Tennis Hall . The men competed with Épée , sabre and foil in both personal competition and team competition. The women had only

#23976