Finland’s Underdogs Face Under-21 European Championship Challenge Without Walta

The challenge now confronting Finland at the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship has intensified with the announcement that Leo Walta will be sidelined due to illness.

Walta received six caps with the senior Finland team in 2024, contributing an assist in the UEFA Nations League match against England, prior to rejoining the U21 squad in March to prepare for the European tournament.

However, the Finnish Football Association has now confirmed that Walta will not participate, citing an unspecified illness.

As a central midfielder, Walta has made a significant impact for Sirius, netting five goals in 12 Allsvenskan appearances in 2025, proving to be one of the club’s most reliable players during a challenging season. In his absence, Doni Arifi from KuPS has been called up to the squad.

The Little Eagle-Owls will compete in the U21 Euros for only the second time, following a disappointing outing in 2009 when they lost all three of their group stage matches.

This time around, they will kick off their Group D campaign against the Netherlands on Thursday, followed by a clash with Ukraine on the 15th and a match against Denmark on the 18th. All three encounters will take place at the Kosicka futbalova arena in Kosice.

Finland U21 Squad

The squad representing Finland in the UEFA Under-21 Euro 2025 (players highlighted in bold have been capped at senior level):

Goalkeepers: 1 Lucas Bergstrom, 12 Elmo Henriksson, 23 Roope Paunio

Defenders: 2 Rony Jansson, 3 Tomas Galvez, 5 Samuli Miettinen, 14 Kalle Wallius, 16 Dario Naamo, 21 Ville Koski, 22 Miska Ylitolva

Midfielders: 4 Matti Peltola, 6 Santeri Vaananen, 7 Naatan Skytta, 8 Adam Markhiev, 13 Niklas Pyyhtia, 15 Luka Hyrylainen, 20 Otso Liimatta

Forwards: 9 Teemu Hytonen, 10 Doni Arifi, 11 Casper Terho, 17 Juho Talvitie, 18 Topi Keskinen, 19 Oiva Jukkola