Finland hosts Lithuania in decisive World Cup qualifier at Helsinki

Finland will host Lithuania at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium on Thursday in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match that the home side must win to keep realistic hopes of advancing. Finland sits third in Group G and is three points behind Netherlands and Poland; a victory at home would preserve its bid for a top-two finish or a playoff place ahead of a difficult trip to the Netherlands later this week. Lithuania arrives with three points from the group and still seeking its first Group G win.

Danish coach Jacob Friis, appointed after Finland ended 2024 with six consecutive defeats, has steadied the team over the past nine months. The campaign began with a 1-0 victory over Malta and four points from the subsequent three matches, but momentum stalled with a friendly loss to Norway and a 3-1 defeat in Poland last month. Finland have lost 11 matches since the start of last year and have dropped to 71st in the FIFA rankings, underscoring the urgency of Thursday’s fixture.

Lithuania’s campaign has been more modest. The Baltic side drew 2-2 with Finland in Kaunas in March and pushed Netherlands to a 3-2 win in their most recent match, coming from two goals down before conceding a late...