Nordic Clash: Iceland and Finland set the tone ahead of the 2025 EURO opener

Iceland and Finland travel to Arena Thun for a 17:00 kick off in their opening game of the 2025 Women’s Euro tournament and their first competitive meeting since 1983.

Despite the game on paper being the opening game of the tournament, the official opening ceremony will take place at Switzerland’s opening game against Norway later the same day.

Last time at the UEFA Women’s EURO tournament:

FINLAND

Despite successfully qualifying as the winner of Group E, Finland failed to exit the group stage of the tournament.

Placed in a difficult group alongside Spain, Germany and Denmark, Finland’s exit looked inevitable.

Finland’s opening match was against Spain, who managed to secure a 4-1 win.

However, their unsuccessful run didn’t end there, as during their games against Denmark and Germany, Finland failed to secure any points.

Finland exited the group alongside Denmark after placing bottom of the group.

ICELAND

After successfully qualifying for the 2022 tournament, as runner up of Group F, Iceland looked a strong contender amongst Group D.

Group D saw host to Iceland, Italy, Belgium and France.

Iceland’s opening match against Belgium saw Iceland gain one point following a 1-1 draw.

Iceland then went on to hold back both France and Italy to further 1-1 draws, however Belgium and France’s success in the group stage forced Iceland to bow out, after placing third.

Iceland exited the group alongside Italy, who only gained one point.

This provides a stark contrast between both sides, despite both bowing out during the group stage.

Previous Meetings:

Despite playing alongside each other in many tournaments, the two sides have not met competitively since 1984.

The match for the 1984 Euro qualification, saw Finland beat Iceland 3-0 at home and then 2-0 away in Iceland.

Their only other encounter since then was in 2023, a friendly in Reykjavik where the Finns won 2-1.

Where to Watch:

The match is set to be played at the Arena Thun at 17:00 BST (18:00 CET) on Wednesday, July 2nd, and can be streamed in the UK on ITV.

What’s next for the two teams?:

Finland’s following game is set to be played against Norway at Stade de Tourbillon on Sunday July 6th, at 17:00 BST.

Iceland are then set to face Switzerland, on the same day, at Stadion Wankdorf in Bern for a  20:00 BST kick-off.