The Finland national football team (, ) represents Finland in men's international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Association of Finland, the governing body for football in Finland, which was founded in 1907. The team has been a member of FIFA since 1908 and a UEFA member since 1957. Finland had never qualified for a major tournament until securing a spot at UEFA Euro 2020, which was postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After many decades of average results and campaigns, the nation made progression in the 2000s, achieving notable results against established European teams and reaching a peak of 33rd in the FIFA World Rankings in 2007. But, after that, they saw a decline of performances and results, drawing them to their all-time low of 110th in the FIFA Rankings in 2017. However, after five years of their all-time low in the FIFA Rankings, as of April 2022, they sit at the 57th place in the overall ranking, and at the 29th place between the European FIFA members. Finland is one of the few countries in Europe where football is not the most popular sport. As a result, their level in football is not as high as in ice hockey, which is much more popular in Finland. History Early history The Football Association of Finland was founded in 1907 and became a member of FIFA in 1908. At the time, Finland was an autonomous grand duchy of the Russian Empire. Finland played its first international on 22 October 1911, as Sweden beat the Finns at the Eläintarha Stadium in Helsinki. Finland participated the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, beating Italy and the Russian Empire, but losing the bronze medal match against the Netherlands. Period of dispersion After the 1918 Civil War, the Finnish sports movement was divided into the right-wing Finnish Gymnastics and Sports Federation (SVUL) and the leftist Finnish Workers' Sports Federation (TUL), Finnish Football Association was a member of the SVUL. Both sides had their own championship series, and between 1919 and 1939 the Finland national team was selected of the Football Association players only. The Finnish Workers' Sports Federation football team in turn, participated the competitions of the international labour movement. However, since the late 1920s several top footballers defected from TUL and joined the Football Association to be eligible for the national team. During the 1930s, these ″defectors″ formed the spine