Finland women's national football team

Finland

Nickname	Helmarit (the Boreal Owls) [1]
Association	Football Association of Finland (Suomen Palloliitto)
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Marko Saloranta
Captain	Tinja-Riikka Korpela
Most caps	Linda Sällström (157) [2]
Top scorer	Linda Sällström (64)
FIFA code	FIN
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	22 4 (7 August 2025) [3]
Highest	14 (September 2005)
Lowest	32 (March 2019)
First international
Finland 0–0 Sweden   (Mariehamn, Finland; 25 August 1973)
Biggest win
Bulgaria 0–8 Finland   (Lovech, Bulgaria; 21 August 2014)   Finland 8–0 Hungary   (Larnaca, Cyprus; 19 February 2023)
Biggest defeat
Denmark 9–0 Finland   (Vejen, Denmark; 26 July 1975)
European Championship
Appearances	5 (first in 2005 )
Best result	Semi-finals (2005)

The Finland women's national football team (Finnish : Suomen naisten jalkapallomaajoukkue, Swedish : Finlands damlandslag i fotboll), also known as nickname The Boreal Owls (Finnish : Helmarit), ^[1] represents Finland in international women's football. The team, controlled by the Football Association of Finland (SPL/FBF), reached the semi-finals of the 2005 European Championship, surprising the female football world having drawn with Sweden and beaten Denmark before losing to Germany in the semifinals. ^[4] Finland hosted the 2009 European Championship. ^[5]

The Finnish team has had a few players that are considered to be among the best in women's football, such as Laura Österberg Kalmari, Sanna Valkonen and Anne Mäkinen.

As of December 2023, the team is ranked 27th in the FIFA world ranking. ^[6]

History

The beginning

The Finland women's national football team played its first international match in 1973 against Sweden. ^[7] The game was played in Mariehamn, Åland.

Team image

Nicknames

The Finland women's national football team has been known or nicknamed as the "Helmarit (the Boreal Owls)". ^[1]

Results and fixtures

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

Finland   v   Scotland

3 December Euro 2025 qualifying play-offs	Finland	2–0 (2–0 agg.)	Scotland	Helsinki
(UTC+03:00)	Kuikka 8' Lehtola 28'	Report		Stadium: Bolt Arena Attendance: 7,259

2025

Serbia   v   Finland

21 February 2025 Nations League	Serbia	1–0	Finland	Stara Pazova
18:00	Damnjanović 43' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Serbian FA Sports Center Attendance: 280 Referee: Michaela Pachtova (Czech Republic)

Hungary   v   Finland

25 February 2025 Nations League	Hungary	0–1	Finland	Budapest
		Report	Nyström 7' (pen.)	Stadium: Hidegkuti Nándor Stadion Referee: Hristiyana Guteva (Bulgaria)

Finland   v   Belarus

4 April 2025 Nations League	Finland	0–0	Belarus	Novara, Italy
		Report		Stadium: Stadio Silvio Piola [note 1] Attendance: 0 [note 1] Referee: Emanuela Rusta (Albania)

Finland   v   Hungary

8 April 2025 Nations League	Finland	3–0	Hungary	Tampere
	Koivisto 18' Sällström 39' Franssi 88'	Report		Stadium: Tammelan Stadion Attendance: 4,135 Referee: Angelika Söder (Germany)

Belarus   v   Finland

30 May 2025 Nations League	Belarus	0–3	Finland	Szeged
			Franssi 8' Sällström 66', 73'	Stadium: Szent Gellért Fórum Attendance: 0 Referee: Merima Čelik Bosnia and Herzegovina

Finland   v   Serbia

3 June 2025 Nations League	Finland	1–1	Serbia	Helsinki
20:00	Lehtola 71'		Roth 84' (o.g.)	Stadium: Helsinki Olympic Stadium Attendance: 8,970 Referee: Sandra Bastos (Portugal)

Netherlands   v   Finland

26 June Friendly	Netherlands	2–1	Finland	Leeuwarden
20:00	Miedema 11', 30'		Siren 90+3'	Stadium: Kooi Stadion

Iceland   v   Finland

2 July Euro 2025 Group stage	Iceland	0–1	Finland	Thun, Switzerland
18:00			Kosola 70'	Stadium: Stockhorn Arena Attendance: 7,683 Referee: Katalin Kulcsar

Norway   v   Finland

6 July Euro 2025 GS	Norway	2–1	Finland	Sion, Switzerland
18:00  UTC+2	Nyström 3' (o.g.) Graham Hansen 84'	Report	Sevenius 32'	Stadium: Stade de Tourbillon Attendance: 7,376 Referee: Silvia Gasperotti (Italy)

Finland   v   Switzerland

10 July Euro 2025 GS	Finland	1–1	Switzerland	Geneva, Switzerland
21:00	Kuikka 79' (pen.)	Report	Xhemaili 90+2'	Stadium: Stade de Genève Attendance: 26,388 Referee: Stéphanie Frappart (France)

Finland   v   Denmark

24 October 2025 Nations League Play-offs	Finland	1–6	Denmark	Tampere
19:00  UTC+3	Lindström 90'	Report	Snerle 10' Svava 39' Harder 45+2', 68' S. Holmgaard 86', 90+4'	Stadium: Tammelan Stadion Attendance: 6,474 Referee: Désirée Grundbacher (Switzerland)

Denmark   v   Finland

28 October 2025 Nations League Play-offs	Denmark	2–0	Finland	Copenhagen
18:00  UTC+2	Kühl 73' Harder 85' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Parken Stadium Attendance: 14,475 Referee: Marta Huerta de Aza (Spain)

Finland   v   Austria

27 November Friendly	Finland	1–1	Austria	Arcos de la Frontera, Spain
19:00				Stadium: Estadio Antonio Gallardo

Finland   v   Belgium

1 December Friendly	Finland	1–1	Belgium	Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain
19:00	Sevenius 34'		Janssens 12'	Stadium: Estadio El Pamar

2026

Portugal   v   Finland

3 March 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification

Portugal

v

Finland

Finland   v   Latvia

7 March 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification

Finland

v

Latvia

Finland   v   Slovakia

14 April 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification

Finland

v

Slovakia

Latvia   v   Finland

18 April 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification

Latvia

v

Finland

Slovakia   v   Finland

5 June 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification

Slovakia

v

Finland

Finland   v   Portugal

9 June 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification

Finland

v

Portugal

Coaching staff

Current coaching staff

As of October 2024 ^{[9] [10]}

• Head coach: Marko Saloranta
• Assistant coaches: Jari Väisänen, Liisa-Maija Rautio
• Goalkeeping coach: Tommy Nordenswan
• Fitness coach: Eero Savolainen
• Psychological coach: Vacant
• Doctor: Pippa Laukka
• Physiotherapists: Markus Rosenblad, Sannakaisa Vastamäki
• Kit managers: Piia Karonen, Alban Saliko
• Video Analyst: Jouko Kylmäoja
• Team managers: Outi Saarinen, Sanna Pirhonen
• Press officers: Eveliina Parikka, Jyri Sulander
• Media officer: Taru Nyholm

Manager history

See also: Category:Finland women's national football team managers

As of 2 December 2025

Tenure	Coach	Record
G	W	D	L	Win %
1973–77	Juhani Nirkkonen	12	1	1	10	008.33
1978	Simo Syrjävaara	3	1	1	1	033.33
1979–89	Kaj Österberg	44	13	12	19	029.55
1989–92	Jyrki Nieminen	24	3	4	17	012.50
1993–96	Nils Suomalainen	24	4	5	15	016.67
1996–00	Reima Kokko	46	11	3	32	023.91
2001–09	Michael Käld	107	35	22	50	032.71
2010–16	Andrée Jeglertz	76	27	13	36	035.53
2017	Marko Saloranta	6	2	0	4	033.33
2017–2022	Anna Signeul	47	19	11	17	040.43
2022–	Marko Saloranta	43	21	11	11	048.84

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the Friendly matches against Austria and Belgium on 27 November and 1 December 2025, respectively.  ^[11]

Caps and goals correct as of 28 October 2025, after the match against Denmark.  ^[12]

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1 GK	Anna Koivunen	(1999-11-28) 28 November 1999 (age 26)	10	0	Djurgården
12	1 GK	Milla-Maj Majasaari	(1999-10-15) 15 October 1999 (age 26)	2	0	Crystal Palace
23	1 GK	Katriina Talaslahti	(2000-09-21) 21 September 2000 (age 25)	2	0	Dijon
2	2 DF	Maaria Roth	(1997-06-13) 13 June 1997 (age 28)	5	0	HJK
3	2 DF	Eva Nyström (captain)	(1999-11-29) 29 November 1999 (age 26)	34	2	West Ham United
5	2 DF	Emma Koivisto	(1994-09-25) 25 September 1994 (age 31)	113	7	AC Milan
10	2 DF	Emmi Siren	(2001-02-23) 23 February 2001 (age 24)	9	0	Dijon
15	2 DF	Nanne Ruuskanen	(2001-11-19) 19 November 2001 (age 24)	2	0	Djurgården
16	2 DF	Nea Lehtola	(1998-10-24) 24 October 1998 (age 27)	19	3	Brann
	2 DF	Jasmin Mansaray	(2004-12-27) 27 December 2004 (age 20)	0	0	LSK Kvinner
4	3 MF	Ria Öling	(1994-09-15) 15 September 1994 (age 31)	98	11	Braga
7	3 MF	Adelina Engman	(1994-10-11) 11 October 1994 (age 31)	95	12	Como
8	3 MF	Olga Ahtinen	(1997-08-15) 15 August 1997 (age 28)	78	4	Tottenham Hotspur
9	3 MF	Katariina Kosola	(2001-02-24) 24 February 2001 (age 24)	27	4	Malmö FF
11	3 MF	Vilma Koivisto	(2002-11-21) 21 November 2002 (age 23)	11	1	Linköping
13	3 MF	Oona Siren	(2001-02-23) 23 February 2001 (age 24)	29	1	West Ham United
14	3 MF	Julia Tunturi	(1996-04-25) 25 April 1996 (age 29)	28	0	Vittsjö
20	3 MF	Milja Kiviranta	(2006-05-15) 15 May 2006 (age 19)	2	0	HJK
	3 MF	Eveliina Summanen	(1998-05-29) 29 May 1998 (age 27)	79	14	Tottenham Hotspur
17	4 FW	Sanni Franssi	(1995-03-19) 19 March 1995 (age 30)	95	7	London City Lionesses
19	4 FW	Lotta Lindström	(2004-09-10) 10 September 2004 (age 21)	6	1	London City Lionesses
21	4 FW	Oona Sevenius	(2004-04-28) 28 April 2004 (age 21)	30	6	Newcastle United
	4 FW	Dana Leskinen	(2001-09-22) 22 September 2001 (age 24)	2	0	IFK Norrköping
	4 FW	Paulina Nyström	(2000-08-17) 17 August 2000 (age 25)	0	0	Häcken

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the squad within the past 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Tinja-Riikka Korpela RET	(1986-05-05) 5 May 1986 (age 39)	128	0	Servette	2025 UEFA Women's Euro
GK	Anna Tamminen	(1994-10-30) 30 October 1994 (age 31)	16	0	Hammarby	2025 UEFA Women's Euro
DF	Joanna Tynnilä	(2001-09-01) 1 September 2001 (age 24)	26	0	Brann	v.   Denmark, 28 October 2025
DF	Natalia Kuikka	(1995-12-01) 1 December 1995 (age 30)	102	5	Chicago Red Stars	2025 UEFA Women's Euro
DF	Nora Heroum	(1994-07-20) 20 July 1994 (age 31)	93	2	HJK	2025 UEFA Women's Euro
DF	Elli Pikkujämsä	(1999-10-24) 24 October 1999 (age 26)	35	1	Racing Louisville	v.   Hungary, 8 April 2025
DF	Helmi Raijas	(2005-05-11) 11 May 2005 (age 20)	1	0	Växjö	v.   Hungary, 8 April 2025
MF	Anni Hartikainen	(2003-08-19) 19 August 2003 (age 22)	14	1	Rosengård	2025 UEFA Women's Euro
MF	Emma Peuhkurinen ALT	(1999-11-30) 30 November 1999 (age 26)	12	0	LSK Kvinner	2025 UEFA Women's Euro
MF	Tao Stark	(2004-08-01) 1 August 2004 (age 21)	0	0	KuPS	v.   Hungary, 25 February 2025
MF	Emmi Alanen RET	(1991-04-30) 30 April 1991 (age 34)	109	22	Kristianstads DFF	v.   Scotland, 3 December 2024
FW	Linda Sällström RET	(1988-07-13) 13 July 1988 (age 37)	157	64	Vittsjö GIK	v.   Denmark, 28 October 2025
FW	Jutta Rantala	(1999-11-11) 11 November 1999 (age 26)	36	10	Leicester City	v.   Denmark, 28 October 2025
FW	Heidi Kollanen	(1997-06-06) 6 June 1997 (age 28)	40	3	Vittsjö GIK	2025 UEFA Women's Euro
FW	Lilli Halttunen ALT	(2005-07-01) 1 July 2005 (age 20)	5	1	Linköping	2025 UEFA Women's Euro
FW	Aino Kröger ALT	(1998-08-28) 28 August 1998 (age 27)	4	0	KuPS	2025 UEFA Women's Euro
Notes ALT = Alternate INJ = Withdrew due to injury RET = Retired from the national team

Records

See also: Category:Finland women's international footballers

*Active players in bold, statistics correct as of 9 July 2022

Most capped players

Linda Sällström currently holds the records for both the most appearances and the most goals for the Finland women's national football team.

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Years
1	Linda Sällström	157	64	2007–2025
2	Anna Westerlund	147	4	2008–2022
3	Laura Österberg Kalmari	130	41	1996–2011
4	Tinja-Riikka Korpela (GK)	128	0	2007–
5	Tuija Hyyrynen	121	3	2007–2022
6	Sanna Valkonen	120	7	1995–2009
7	Anne Mäkinen	118	16	1991–2009
	Jessica Julin		4	1997–2009
9	Emmi Alanen	109	22	2010–2025
10	Emma Koivisto	108	7	2012–
11	Anna-Kaisa Rantanen	105	8	1996–2011
12	Sanna Talonen	103	36	2004–2014
13	Katri Mattsson	100	2	1999–2015

Source: ^[13]

Top goalscorers

Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Years	Avg
1	Linda Sällström	64	157	2007–2025	0,407
2	Laura Österberg Kalmari	41	130	1996–2011	0,315
3	Sanna Talonen	36	103	2004–2014	0,350
4	Emmi Alanen	22	109	2010–2025	0,202
5	Annica Sjölund	17	69	2006–2014	0,246
6	Anne Mäkinen	16	118	1991–2009	0,136
7	Eveliina Summanen	14	73	2017–	0,192
8	Heidi Kackur	12	48	1999–2005	0,250
	Adelina Engman	12	93	2012–	0,129
10	Maija Saari	11	94	2007–2016	0,117
	Ria Öling	11	91	2015–	0,121
12	Jutta Rantala	10	31	2020–	0,323

Source: ^[13]

Competitive record

FIFA Women's World Cup

FIFA Women's World Cup record										Qualification record
Year	Result	GP	W	D*	L	GF	GA	GD		Round	GP	W	D*	L	GF	GA	GD
1991	Did not qualify									UEFA Euro 1991
1995										UEFA Euro 1995
1999										Play-offs	8	3	1	4	8	9	−1
2003										Group 2	6	1	0	5	4	24	−20
2007										Group 3	8	5	1	2	16	5	+11
2011										Group 7	8	6	1	1	25	6	+19
2015										Group 7	10	7	0	3	27	9	+18
2019										Group 7	8	3	1	4	9	13	−4
2023										Group A	8	3	1	4	14	12	−10
2027	To be determined									To be determined
2031	To be determined									To be determined
2035	To be determined									To be determined
Total	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-		Round	56	28	5	23	103	78	+13

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Olympic Games

Summer Olympics record
Year	Result	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA
1996	Did not qualify
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024	Unable to qualify [a]
2028	To be determined
2032
Total	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

UEFA Women's Championship

Finland at the UEFA Women's Championship

UEFA Women's Championship record										Qualifying record
Year	Result	P	W	D*	L	GF	GA	GD		Round	P	W	D*	L	GF	GA	GD	P/R	Rnk
1984	Did not qualify									Group 1	6	2	0	4	5	17	−12	–
1987										Group 1	6	1	2	3	2	6	−4
1989										Group 1	6	1	2	3	9	11	−2
1991										Group 3	6	1	2	3	3	6	−3
1993										Group 2	4	0	2	2	3	12	−9
1995										Group 1	6	2	3	1	8	7	+1
1997										Play-offs	8	1	1	6	2	24	−22
2001										Play-offs	8	2	0	6	8	21	−13
2005	Semi-finals	4	1	1	2	5	8	−3		Play-offs	10	4	4	2	16	7	+9	–
2009	Quarter-finals	4	2	0	2	5	5	0		Qualified as host
2013	Group stage	3	0	2	1	1	6	−5		Group 5	8	6	1	1	22	4	+18	–
2017	Did not qualify									Group 2	8	4	1	3	17	12	+5
2022	Group stage	3	0	0	3	1	8	−7		Group E	8	7	1	0	24	2	+22
2025	Group stage	3	1	1	1	3	3	0		Play-offs	10	4	3	3	12	12	0	[b]	13th
2029	To be determined									To be determined
Total	5/14	17	4	4	9	15	30	−15		Total	94	35	22	37	131	141	−10	13th

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

UEFA Women's Nations League

UEFA Women's Nations League record
Season	Division	Group	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	P/R	Rnk
2023–24	B	2	1st	6	5	1	0	18	2		18th
2025	B	3	2nd	8	3	2	3	9	10	*	23rd
Total				14	8	1	3	27	12	18th and 23rd

	Promoted at end of season
	No movement at end of season
	Relegated at end of season
*	Participated in promotion/relegation play-offs

Pinatar Cup

Pinatar Cup record
Year	Result	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
2024	Champions	2	1	1	0	2	1	+1
Total		2	1	1	0	2	1	+1

Cyprus Women's Cup

Cyprus Women's Cup record
Year	Result	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
2012	7th place	4	1	1	2	6	7	−1
2013	7th place	4	1	1	2	5	6	−1
2014	12th place	4	0	1	3	1	8	−7
2015	9th place	4	1	1	2	3	7	−4
2016	8th place	4	0	1	3	3	8	−5
2018	11th place	4	1	1	2	4	7	−3
2019	9th place	4	1	1	2	3	6	−3
2020	Runners-up	3	1	1	1	7	6	+1
2023	Champions	3	3	0	0	16	1	+15
Total		34	9	8	17	48	56	−8

Algarve Cup

Algarve Cup record
Year	Result	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
1994	6th place	3	0	0	3	0	9	−9
1995	6th place	4	1	0	3	3	6	−3
1996	8th place	4	0	0	4	1	15	−14
1997	6th place	4	1	0	3	3	8	−5
1998	8th place	4	0	0	4	2	6	−4
1999	8th place	4	0	1	3	1	7	−6
2000	7th place	4	1	0	3	5	8	−3
2001	7th place	4	1	0	3	4	15	−11
2002	7th place	4	1	0	3	4	8	−5
2003	6th place	4	0	2	2	0	6	−6
2004	9th place	4	1	0	3	6	10	−4
2005	10th place	4	0	0	4	3	10	−7
2006	7th place	4	1	1	2	5	12	−7
2007	6th place	4	1	0	3	2	6	−4
2008	8th place	4	0	0	4	1	10	−9
2009	7th place	4	1	0	3	1	5	−4
2010	8th place	4	0	1	3	2	11	−9
2011	10th place	4	0	0	4	2	13	−11
Total

Nordic Football Championship

Women's Nordic Football Championship record
Year	Result	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
1974	Third place	2	0	0	2	0	6	−6
1975	Third place	2	0	0	2	0	13	−13
1976	Third place	2	0	0	2	1	5	−4
1977	Third place	2	0	0	2	0	5	−5
1978	Third place	3	1	1	1	1	4	−3
1979	Third place	3	1	1	1	2	5	−3
1980	Fourth place	3	0	2	1	1	8	−7
1981	Runners-up	3	1	1	1	3	4	−1
1982	Fourth place	3	0	1	2	1	6	−5
Total	9/9	23	3	6	14	9	56	−47

See also

• Europe portal
• Finland portal
• Sports portal
• Association football portal
• Women's association football portal

• Sports in Finland
• Football in Finland
• Football Association of Finland (SPL)
• Finland women's national under-20 football team
• Finland women's national under-17 football team
• Finland national football team

Notes

1. Finland was unable to qualify since Finland was in the “League B” at the 2023–24 UEFA Women's Nations League.
2. From Euro 2025 onwards a new qualifying format was introduced, linked to the Women's Nations League where teams are divided into leagues with promotion/relegation between the leagues at the end of each cycle.

References

1. "Helmarit nimetty MM-karsinta-avaukseen Serbiaa vastaan" (in Finnish). Football Association of Finland. Archived from the original on 23 June 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
2. "Linda Sällström". palloliitto.fi (in Finnish). Football Association of Finland . Retrieved 15 June 2025.
3. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Women's World Ranking". FIFA. 7 August 2025. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
4. UEFA.com. "Season 2005 Matches | UEFA Women's EURO". UEFA . Retrieved 29 March 2024.
5. "Women's Euro 2009 in Finland". Embassy of Finland. 2009. Archived from the original on 29 December 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
6. "Finland". FIFA. Archived from the original on 19 February 2015. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
7. "Naisten jalkapallomaajoukkueen taival on puolivuosisatainen – jo alussa mentiin sisulla ja yhteispelillä". Hämeen Sanomat. 25 October 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
8. "Yle ei näytä Suomen maaotteluita Valko-Venäjää vastaan – Ottelut pyritään näyttämään Palloliiton Youtube-kanavalla" (in Finnish). Football Association of Finland. 27 February 2025. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
9. "Helmarit - Joukkue" (in Finnish). Finnish Football Federation. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
10. Helmareiden taustaryhmään muutoksia, Football Association of Finland, 30 January 2025
11. "Helmarit nimetty Itävalta- ja Belgia-otteluihin" [Helmarit named for Austria and Belgium matches] (in Finnish). Suomen Palloliitto / Finnish Football Association. 19 November 2025.
12. Finnish Squad
13. "Finland – Women International Player Records". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF).Published 8 October 2019, retrieved and Updated data 15 June 2021. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.

1. Due to the Belarusian involvement in the Russian invasion of Ukraine Finland will not host Belarus. The match is played at neutral venue behind closed doors. ^[8]

External links

• Official website
• FIFA profile