The Finland national football team, known as Huuhkajat (the Eagle-Owls), represents Finland in international association football and is governed by the Football Association of Finland (Suomen Palloliitto), founded in 1907. For much of the twentieth century, Finland was considered a minor force in European football, competing in UEFA qualifying campaigns without advancing to major tournaments. The team built its identity on collective effort and resilience rather than individual flair, drawing on a domestic league structure that gradually professionalized from the late twentieth century onward.
The defining moment in Finnish football history came in June 2019, when Finland qualified for their first-ever major international tournament — UEFA Euro 2020 (held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic). The qualification, secured under head coach Markku Kanerva, marked a watershed for the entire Finnish football community. At the tournament itself, Finland claimed their first-ever victory at a major finals, defeating Denmark 1–0 in a match remembered as much for human drama — Danish player Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest during the game — as for the sporting result.
Teemu Pukki, the striker who plied his club trade with Norwich City and later other European clubs, emerged as the talisman of this golden generation, becoming Finland's all-time leading scorer. The Euro 2020 campaign announced Finland as a genuine competitor on the continental stage. Finland did not qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but the national team has continued to build on its newfound identity as a compact, disciplined side capable of competing with established European nations.