Finland host Belarus in UEFA Nations League C group 1 match

Finland Enters Group 1 Fixture Following San Marino Rout

Andrea Tommasi notes in SportyTrader coverage that the match takes place at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium, where both teams eye the top spot in Group 1 alongside Albania and San Marino. Finland’s opening match saw a hat-trick from Joel Pohjanpalo and a brace from Leo Walta to dismantle San Marino 0-7. Diego Murcia reports that the lopsided scoreline helped restore confidence within the Finnish squad following a difficult stretch of results that included friendly defeats to Germany, Hungary, and Cape Verde, alongside a modest World Cup qualifying campaign where the team failed to secure a home win against Malta. Despite those prior struggles, the team sits roughly 20 positions above Belarus in the global rankings and holds a psychological edge from their last meeting in 2018, which ended in a 2-0 victory for the Nordic side.

Belarus Seeks Rebound After Albania Defeat

Belarus arrives in Helsinki looking to recover from a 2-0 defeat to Albania in their group opener. Murcia points out that while Albania possessed superior quality on opening day, the loss halted a productive run for the Belarusian squad, which had gone undefeated since November 2025. That sequence included draws against Denmark and Greece during World Cup qualifiers, plus friendly wins over Armenia and Cyprus. Tommasi highlights lingering concerns over the visiting side’s scoring efficiency, noting that across their last five qualifying and Nations League group campaigns, Belarus has consistently played more matches than goals scored. The squad relies heavily on domestic and lower-tier talent, with a starter against Albania featuring in the second tier of Polish club football.