Two-time champion Finland aims to reclaim the IFAF Women’s European Championships in the Gold Medal Game of the 2025/26 tournament when they take on Germany this Saturday, August 22 (kickoff 6pm local time / 5pm CET).
The two nations meet again at the Myyrmäen Jalkapallostadion in Vantaa where the competition opened back in May of 2025 with a 21-7 Finland victory on the way to a 3-0 record and top spot in the final group standings.
Germany recovered to defeat both Spain and Great Britain, while holding them to a single touchdown, to earn a shot at revenge. Finland edged past Great Britain in overtime and won in Spain to remain unbeaten.
The game will be streamed live here.
“I expect this to be a closely contested matchup between two teams that are both very capable of executing their game plans at a high level,” said Finland head coach Samu Juppo. “Germany are an exceptionally well-coached team, and their execution on the field is outstanding. From our perspective, that means we also need to be extremely disciplined in our own performance.”
Finland’s proud record in the competition includes championships in 2015 and 2019 and a third-place win over Germany two years ago as Spain won a first title. Germany took home the bronze medal in 2015
The last time Finland and Germany met, quarterback Lea Kaszas threw two touchdown passes in the 21-7 win after team MVP Oona Saarinen’s interception had edged the hosts ahead on the first play of the second quarter. Saarinen picked off German quarterback Julia Schlatow’s pass on third down and raced 48 yards for the opening touchdown. Finland doubled the lead as Kaszas found Aino Joro with a five-yard scoring toss and on the final play of the first half Kaszas went over the middle with a pass to Suvi Partanen for a 23-yard touchdown that established a decisive 21-0 lead. Deborah Joachim’s screen pass to Stella Martin for a 17-yard touchdown put Germany on the board.
“We managed to beat Germany in the opening game, but a lot has changed from a football standpoint since then,” added Juppo. “The players still have part of their club seasons ahead of them, so there may be some changes to the roster before then. Fortunately, the level of talent in Finland is very strong across the board. During the European Championship campaign, we’ve had nearly 90 different players take part in games.”
The officiating crew for the title game will comprise of four female and three male officials from Sweden Finland and Germany. Jim Kaya (Sweden) will referee the contest with umpire Cornelia Angermeier (Germany), down judge Piia Vierikko (Finland), line judge Jessica Ringelstein (Germany), field judge; Tommi Lindroos (Finland), side judge Gudrun Hillebrand (Germany) and back judge Veikko Lamminsalo (Finland).
“Having four female officials on the crew sends a strong and visible message that women belong at every level of the game, especially for younger officials who are coming up and need to see that this path is possible,” said line judge Jessica Ringelstein. “It helps create confidence, builds momentum, and shows that selection is based on ability and performance. A mixed crew like this also highlights that officiating is about teamwork, professionalism, and competence, regardless of gender.”
Photo: Jari Turunen / SAJL
