Analysis: Finland’s EUSA Games team is ready for surprises

This year, Finland is sending a smaller and less experienced team than usual to the European Championships in Salerno. Only the men’s football team has played at previous European Championships. The other Finnish participants are all first timers.

The first Finnish event will be table tennis. The competitors in this event are extremely skilled, and the team from the University of Jyväskylä will need to put their best foot forward in both the team and singles events. The last time Finland had a table tennis team was at the 2022 Games in Łódź, where they came last. This year’s team, who will aim to change this sad state of affairs, will include Matias Ojala, one of Finland’s top table tennis players.

Padel is still a complete mystery as this is only the second time the event has been included on this level. This means we can expect some surprises, and the opening group stage will reveal what the level of the tournament will be. This means a surprise medal may be on the cards. Unfortunately, Finland’s top pair from the University of Tampere have suffered injuries and had to cancel their trip to Salerno. Fortunately, we still have a healthy pair from Aalto University, Alitalo and Eräkangas. They are an interesting pair who may surprise the experts.

The third racket sport badminton will open the second half of the Games for the Finnish athletes. Two years ago, a team from the University of Turku had varying degrees of success, and they nearly made the final rounds in men’s singles and mixed doubles. We can expect similar things from the team from Aalto University, which consists of players who have done well on the national level. We are eager to see how well they will do in these major games.

In football, Liikunnan Riemu from the University of Jyväskylä have made it past the preliminary stages several times, and this year that’s their minimum goal. Everything is possible in the knockout stages. The most stylish team of these Games may struggle in the heat of Southern Italy, and the conditions may become one of the main challenges. We expect an interesting tournament.

Only one Finnish beach volleyball team is taking part in the Games. This is unusual compared to previous years. It also puts a lot of pressure on the only pair. The best ever result by a Finnish team has been reaching the quarterfinals, and if Hautala and Aalto from the University of Jyväskylä get that far, they can certainly be pleased. Like for the footballers, the heat will be significant, which requires a great level of endurance as the tournament progresses.

The expectations are moderate. Instead of aiming for medals, we are hoping for the best performances of the season, and that is how we will determine the success of the team. We can, however, expect interesting Games and the potential for surprises. Even just gaining points would be a significant achievement in these Games.

You can watch the Games from 16.7 onwards on the Finnish Student Sports Federation’s channels and on the official EUSA Games Youtube channel @eug2026.