Defeat when outnumbered
World Cup dream shattered: Finland embarrasses itself against Malta
November 14, 2025 – 9:23 p.mReading time: 1 min.
With a win, Finland could have kept their hopes for the World Cup playoffs alive. But things turned out completely differently against Malta.
Surprise in World Cup qualification: Finland lost its home game against Malta 0-1. The Scandinavians delivered a disappointing performance at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki early on Friday evening and conceded the decisive goal in the final phase from Jake Grech in the 82nd minute.
For Finland, ranked 72nd in the FIFA world rankings, it was a bitter disappointment against the 166th in the world (behind Afghanistan and Vanuatu), and not just because of the result. The defeat also meant that the dream of qualifying for the World Cup was finally dashed. For Finland it was the last game in Group G, the gap to second place, which qualifies for the playoffs, is three points.
This means that the nation around Hanover striker Benjamin Källman remains without participation in a men’s World Cup.