Finland eliminated co-hosts and reigning world champions Italy from EuroVolley 2026 with a 3-2 quarter-final victory in Turin on 23 September, recovering from a deficit in the deciding set to win 21-25, 28-26, 25-16, 20-25, 15-13.
The result sent Finland into the European Championship semi-finals for the second time, after their fourth-place finish in 2007, and confirmed their qualification for the 2027 FIVB Men’s World Cup. They will meet France in Milan on 25 September.
Italy had been playing at home before 8,260 spectators at PalaVela and entered the match as the world champions and the team ranked second in the FIVB World Ranking, according to Volleyball World. Yet Finland overturned an 11-8 deficit in the tie-break before edging the final points of a match which repeatedly changed momentum.
Joonas Jokela led Finland with 28 points and Luka Marttila added 22. Yuri Romanò scored 20 for Italy, while Sanguinetti contributed 14 and Bottolo 13, according to the Italian Volleyball Federation’s match report.
Finland recover after Italy’s strong start
Italy established an early advantage by taking the opening set 25-21, but Finland came through a tight second set 28-26 and then moved decisively ahead with a 25-16 third-set win. Italy restored parity with a 25-20 fourth set, setting up a tie-break in which the hosts initially appeared in control.
The Italian federation reported that Italy led 12-10 late in the decider. Volleyball.it’s account of coach Ferdinando De Giorgi’s reaction placed Italy 11-8 ahead before Finland’s comeback. De Giorgi said his side had needed greater balance in side-out at that point, having conceded an ace and another damaging passage which allowed Finland back into contention.
De Giorgi said Italy had created an opportunity to reach Milan but had not taken it. He also credited Finland’s level, saying the visitors had served effectively and found attacking quality through two players who resolved difficult situations.
Italy captain Simone Giannelli similarly said Finland had played an excellent match, but judged Italy to have fallen short in an occasion of that importance. He identified the management of Finland’s service runs as a central problem, including against float serves, and said Italy had allowed too many breaks rather than ending those rotations quickly.
Giannelli said the third set had particularly slipped away because of errors in reception and attack after Finland’s float serving put Italy under pressure. His assessment was that Finland had executed an approach Italy had anticipated, rather than producing an unexpected tactical surprise.
A place in Milan and World Cup qualification
For Finland, the immediate reward is a semi-final against France at the Unipol Forum in Assago, on the outskirts of Milan. The Finnish side had already reached the knockout rounds in Turin after progressing from a home pool in Tampere, and then overcame Greece in five sets in the round of 16.
The victory also carries a significant qualification consequence. Volleyball World said Finland, France and Slovenia secured the three continental World Cup places by reaching the last four, while Poland had already qualified as 2027 hosts.
Finland, France, Slovenia and defending European champions Poland now remain in contention for the European title. Poland face Slovenia in the other semi-final. The eventual European champions will secure Europe’s berth at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, according to Volleyball World.
Italy’s campaign ends short of the Milan finals despite a response in the fourth set and a lead in the decider. Romanò said Italy had opportunities to win but acknowledged that Finland had taken theirs, with the outcome ultimately decided in a level closing stretch.
Finland have instead earned the chance to extend a tournament already defined by their resilience in five-set matches. Their task against France is now to turn a landmark quarter-final result into a place on the European podium.