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Finland have done it.
The team that arrived at EuroVolley 2026 as one of the tournamentās most intriguing outsiders is leaving Milan with the first European Championship medal in the history of Finnish menās volleyball.
And fittingly, it came with another statement performance.
Finland defeated Slovenia 3-0 (25:23, 25:20, 29:27) in the bronze-medal match at the Unipol Forum in Assago, completing a tournament that has transformed the perception of this young team.
After eliminating reigning world champions Italy in one of the most dramatic quarter-finals of the championship and then pushing Olympic champions France in the semi-finals, Finland found one final reserve of energy when the medal was at stake.
The third set provided the ending this story deserved.
Slovenia refused to disappear and had opportunities to extend the match, but Finland remained composed through the pressure of the closing rallies.
After missing two match points, the Finns finally converted the third at 29-27, triggering celebrations that had been unimaginable before the tournament began.
šø| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH
For Finland, this is not simply another medal.
It is the first EuroVolley podium finish in the countryās history.
Their previous best result had been fourth place in 2007, when Finland reached the semi-finals for the first time. Nineteen years later, the team has gone one step further ā and in the process has created the biggest Finnish story of the 2026 international season.
The foundations of this achievement, however, were laid long before Milan.
Finland arrived at EuroVolley having won the European League in both 2025 and 2026. Olli Kunnariās team completed this yearās campaign unbeaten, winning all ten of its matches and defeating the Netherlands twice in the final. Those results also secured Finlandās place in the 2027 Volleyball Nations League, a crucial step for a generation that had previously lacked regular exposure to the worldās strongest teams.
EuroVolley then accelerated everything.
Playing their pool matches at home in Tampere, Finland defeated Denmark, Belgium, Serbia and the Netherlands before suffering a five-set defeat to Estonia. They moved into the knockout phase and survived an extraordinary round-of-16 battle against Greece, coming back from 2-1 down to win 3-2.
Then came Italy.
In front of more than 8,000 spectators in Turin, Finland recovered from losing the opening set, took a 2-1 lead and eventually found themselves 11-8 behind in the deciding set. Italy were the reigning world champions and were playing in front of their home crowd. Finland nevertheless refused to change their approach.
France eventually stopped the run in the semi-finals, winning 3-1. But even that defeat could not change what Finland had already achieved. A team that had begun the tournament outside the European elite was now playing for a medal.
And against Slovenia, there was no sign of an emotional hangover.
Finland started the bronze-medal match with the same composure that had carried them through the knockout phase. Slovenia tried to impose their physical game and repeatedly threatened to reopen the contest, but the Finns remained efficient when the rallies became decisive.
Nooa Marttila was particularly influential. The younger of the two Marttila brothers finished with 19 points to his name including four blocks and 54% in attack. Luka added 17, while Veikka Lindqvist, starting from the bench, contributed with 12.
For Slovenia, Rok MožiÄ finished with 15 points and Nik MujanoviÄ with 11.
The difference at the net was also significant. Finland produced 11 blocks against Sloveniaās eight, with Nooa Marttila responsible for four of those winning blocks.
But the numbers only tell part of the story.
What made Finland so impressive throughout this tournament was the way the team reacted to difficult moments. They did it against Greece, they did it against Italy, and they did it again when Slovenia pushed them to the limit in the third set.
That resilience has become one of the defining characteristics of Olli Kunnariās team.
There is also something particularly interesting about the faces behind the breakthrough.
Luka Marttila is 23 and Nooa is 21, and the brothers have been developing together since their youth.
They are now established members of the senior national team, alongside Joonas Jokela, Fedor Ivanov, Miika Haapaniemi, Severi Savonsalmi and the rest of a generation that has grown together through Finlandās recent rise.
Finnish media have followed the Marttila brothersā development closely, with both having moved abroad at just 19 to continue their careers in stronger European leagues.
Their progress is no longer merely a promising story about young players.
It is producing results.
Finlandās European League titles gave them confidence.
Their place in the VNL gives them an opportunity to compete regularly against the worldās best. EuroVolley has now added something even more tangible: a European Championship medal and qualification for the 2027 World Championship in Poland. Finland secured that World Championship ticket by reaching the EuroVolley semi-finals, alongside France and Slovenia, while Poland were already qualified as hosts.
The world ranking has also reflected the transformation. Finland entered EuroVolley as world No. 16 and climbed to No. 12 after their victory over Italy, gaining more than 24 ranking points during the championship up to that stage.
The bronze medal will now add another valuable result to that climb.
But perhaps the most important change cannot be measured in ranking points.
Finland no longer look like a team hoping to surprise someone.
They look like a team expecting to compete.
That distinction is crucial.
The victory over Italy was the moment when the volleyball world began to pay attention. The bronze medal is the moment when Finland can legitimately say that this was not a one-night sensation.
The European League titles were not a coincidence.
The VNL qualification was not a gift. The victory over Italy was not a lucky escape. And the bronze medal was not simply the reward for a favourable draw.
It is the result of a progression that has been building for several seasons and has now reached a completely different level.
For Finnish volleyball, Milan therefore represents both an arrival and a beginning.
The first EuroVolley medal is finally in the cabinet. The 2027 World Championship awaits. The VNL will bring regular meetings with the worldās elite. And behind the established names, a young generation is continuing to develop.
Finland came to EuroVolley looking to prove that they belonged.
They leave Milan having already proved something much bigger: that they belong among Europeās best.
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š| CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 | FINALS
Saturday Semptember 26, 2026
šUnipol Forum Assago
šš¼š„| BRONZE MEDAL MATCH | 17.00 (Local Time) | Finland ā Slovenia 3-0 (25:23, 25:20, 29:27)
šø| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH
šUnipol Forum Assago
š„| GOLD MEDAL MATCH | 21.00 (Local Time) | France ā Poland
šø| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH
š| AWARDS CEREMONY
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