Finland celebrated their first-ever European Championship medal after defeating Slovenia 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 29-27) in the bronze medal match of the 2026 CEV Men’s EuroVolley at the Unipol Forum in Milan, capping a campaign that also saw them climb seven places in the FIVB World Ranking and secure qualification for two major international competitions in 2027.
The historic result came after 20 previous appearances without a medal and marked another achievement for the Finnish national team, whose recent success has been supported by a $180,000 investment through FIVB Volleyball Empowerment.
Of that amount, $168,000 was allocated to coaching support for head coach Olli Kunnari from 2024 to 2026, while a further $12,000 supported knowledge transfer initiatives through 2025. During Kunnari’s tenure, the Finns have won back-to-back European Golden League titles in 2025 and 2026, building towards their breakthrough at EuroVolley.
Finland carried that momentum into the European Championship, playing their preliminary matches in front of home supporters in Tampere before overcoming Greece in a five-set round of 16 encounter. They recovered from a 2-1 deficit to advance to the quarterfinals, where they produced one of the tournament’s biggest upsets by eliminating reigning world champions Italy in another five-set match.
The victory sent Finland into the semifinals for the first time since 2007, when Kunnari was part of the national team that finished fourth after losing the bronze medal match to Serbia. Nineteen years later, he returned to the final four as head coach, with the opportunity to secure the medal that had eluded him as a player.
Although Olympic champions France ended their hopes of reaching the final, the Finns recovered to sweep Slovenia in the bronze medal match, holding their nerve to take a closely contested third set 29-27 and secure their place on the European Championship podium.
Their performances in Milan also lifted Finland from 17th to 10th in the FIVB World Ranking, reflecting the team’s progress against some of Europe’s leading opponents.
The bronze medal finish secured Finland’s qualification for the 2027 World Cup, while their improved international standing and recent results have also earned them a spot in the 2027 VNL. The two competitions will offer the Finns further opportunities to compete against the world’s leading teams as they build on their European success.
Finland’s results mark an important milestone for FIVB Volleyball Empowerment, demonstrating how targeted investment in coaching and knowledge transfer can support the development of national teams.
