# Finland national bandy team

The Finnish national bandy team (Finnish: Suomen jääpallomaajoukkue, Swedish: Finlands herrlandslag i bandy) has taken part in all the Bandy World Championships for men since the competition was launched for the first time in 1957. Finland won the championship title in 2004. They have always finished in the top four, and have won 28 medals in 36 championships.
The team is controlled by Finland's Bandy Association.

## History

Finland was represented by the club Polyteknikkojen Urheiluseura (PUS) in the winter games in Helsinki in 1907, but the team was beaten by a team from Sweden.
The first international bandy game after Finland became independent was held during the 1919 Finnish Winter Games in Helsinki, which were the first international sporting event organized by the recently independent nation. The national team's roster was dominated by players from Viipurin Sudet and included only three players representing other domestic clubs, Harald Nyström from HIFK, Lars Schybergson from Kiffen, and Niilo Tammisalo from HJK. The national team's match against the Swedish club IFK Uppsala was held on 23 February at Töölön Pallokenttä before a crowd of 5,000 spectators, including State Regent of Finland C.G.E. Mannerheim. The Finns won the match 4–1 in a victory that was described in the press as “one of the most amazing achievements of Finnish athletes.”
In the 1920s and 1930s, Finland regularly played friendly games against Sweden and against Estonia.
Finland, Norway, and Sweden played bandy at the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo. After having seen them there, the Soviet Union invited these three countries to a four nation bandy tournament in 1954. This was the first time a Soviet national bandy team met other national bandy teams. The four countries used somewhat different rules prior to this tournament, but the rules were adjusted to be the same for the future.
The first ever World Championships of bandy were organised in 1957 in association with the 50th anniversary of the Ball Association of Finland, which at the time was the governing body of bandy in Finland. It was played at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium.
Finland's Bandy Association was founded in 1972.

## Tournament records
### Olympics

| Games | Finish |
| Norway 1952, Oslo | Bronze |

### Unofficial tournament

| Games | Finish |
| Soviet Union 1954, Moscow | Bronze |
| Finland 2020, Porvoo / Lappeenranta | Gold |
| Sweden 2024, Karlstad | Silver |

### World Championship record

| Games | Finish |
| Finland 1957, Helsinki | Silver |
| Norway 1961, N/A | Bronze |
| Sweden 1963, N/A | Silver |
| Soviet Union 1965, N/A | 4th place |
| Finland 1967, N/A | Silver |
| Sweden 1969, N/A | Bronze |
| Sweden 1971, N/A | Bronze |
| Soviet Union 1973, Moscow / N/A | Bronze |
| Finland 1975, N/A | Bronze |
| Norway 1977, N/A | Bronze |
| Sweden 1979, N/A | Bronze |
| Soviet Union 1981, Habarovsk | Bronze |
| Finland 1983, Helsinki / Porvoo | Bronze |
| Norway 1985, Oslo / N/A | Bronze |
| Sweden 1987, Stockholm / N/A | Silver |
| Soviet Union 1989, Moscow | Silver |
| Finland 1991, Helsinki / Porvoo | Bronze |
| Norway 1993, Hamar | 4th place |
| United States 1995, Roseville, Minnesota | Bronze |
| Sweden 1997, Västerås / N/A | Bronze |
| Russia 1999, Arkhangelsk | Silver |
| Finland and Sweden 2001, Oulu / Haparanda | Bronze |
| Russia 2003, Arkhangelsk | 4th place |
| Sweden and Hungary 2004, Västerås / Budapest | Gold |
| Russia 2005, Kazan | 4th place |
| Sweden 2006, Stockholm / N/A | Bronze |
| Russia 2007, Kemerovo | Bronze |
| Russia 2008, Moscow | Bronze |
| Sweden 2009, Västerås / N/A | Bronze |
| Russia 2010, Moscow | Bronze |
| Russia 2011, Kazan | Silver |
| Kazakhstan 2012, Almaty | 4th place |
| Sweden and Norway 2013, Vänersborg / N/A | 4th place |
| Russia 2014, Irkutsk / Shelekhov | 4th place |
| Russia 2015, Khabarovsk | 4th place |
| Russia 2016, Ulyanovsk | Silver |
| Sweden 2017, Sandviken | Bronze |
| Russia and China 2018, Khabarovsk / Harbin | Bronze |
| Sweden 2019, Vänersborg | Bronze |
| Russia 2020, Irkutsk | COVID-19 pandemic. |
| Russia 2022, Syktyvkar | Russian invasion of Ukraine |
| Sweden 2023, Växjö | Silver |
| Sweden 2025, Lidköping | |

### Russian Government Cup

| Games | Finish |
| Rossiya Tournament 1972, Ulyanovsk | Bronze |
| Rossiya Tournament 1974, Arkhangelsk | Bronze |
| Rossiya Tournament 1976, Khabarovsk | Bronze |
| Rossiya Tournament 1978, Kemerovo | Silver |
| Rossiya Tournament 1980, Syktyvkar | Bronze |
| Rossiya Tournament 1982, Syktyvkar | Bronze |
| Rossiya Tournament 1984, Kemerovo | 4th place |
| Rossiya Tournament 1986, Irkutsk | Bronze |
| Rossiya Tournament 1988, Abakan | Bronze |
| Rossiya Tournament 1990, Novosibirsk | Silver |
| Russian Government Cup 1992, Krasnojarsk | 4th place |
| Russian Government Cup 1994, Novosibirsk | 4th place |
| Russian Government Cup 1996, Arkhangelsk \ Moscow | 4th place |
| Russian Government Cup 1998, Nizhny Novgorod | Bronze |
| Russian Government Cup 2000, Kazan | 4th place |
| Russian Government Cup 2002, Arkhangelsk | Bronze |
| Russian Government Cup 2003, Krasnogorsk | 5th place |
| Russian Government Cup 2006, Krasnogorsk | 5th place |
| Russian Government Cup 2008, Novosibirsk | 4th place |
| Russian Government Cup 2010, Kirov | 5th place |
| Russian Government Cup 2012, Abakan | Silver |

## Youth World Championship

* Champions
* Y15 Class
* 1996, 2004
* Y17 Class
* 1979, 2013, 2024

## Current squad

Finnish squad at the 2014 World Championship in Irkutsk, Russia, January 26 – February 2, 2014.
| Pos. | Age | Name | Club |
| GK | 37 | Timo Oksanen | Bollnäs GIF |
| GK | 30 | Kimmo Kyllönen | IK Sirius |
| DF | 28 | Ilari Moisala | Brobergs IF |
| DF | 35 | Pekka Hiltunen | HT-Bandy |
| DF | 31 | Antti Ekman | HT-Bandy |
| MF | 22 | Samuli Helavuori | Bollnäs GIF |
| MF | 39 | Kimmo Huotelin | Kampparit |
| MF | 28 | Ville-Veikko Angeria | Akilles |
| MF | 34 | Ville Aaltonen | Bollnäs GIF |
| MF | 29 | Juho Liukkonen | Bollnäs GIF |
| MF | 27 | Tomi Hauska | Vetlanda BK |
| MF | 26 | Anssi Hänninen | JPS Jyväskylä |
| MF | 26 | Samuli Koivuniemi | OLS Oulu |
| FW | 31 | Mikko Rytkönen | JPS Jyväskylä |
| FW | 31 | Tomi Tukiainen | Akilles |
| FW | 27 | Mikko Lukkarila | IFK Kungälv |
| FW | 26 | Markus Kumpuoja | Hammarby IF |
| FW | 39 | Sami Laakkonen | Dynamo Kazan |