Estonia beats Finland to close out European volleyball championship group stage
Estonia's men's volleyball team defeated Finland 3:2 in the European Championship group C, securing a second win of the tournament and nearly guaranteeing a spot at the 2027 World Championship in Poland.
On Thursday, September 17, Estonia's men's volleyball team claimed its second victory at the European Championship, beating Finland 3:2 (22:25, 25:21, 25:22, 20:25, 15:11) in a group C match.
Coach Alar Rikberg's squad had already lost any chance of reaching the European Championship playoffs even before their previous win over the Netherlands (3:1). Still, motivation remained high, as every set won against Finland brought Estonia closer to a berth at the World Championship.
Match progress
Finland took the first set, while Estonia dominated the second. In the third set, Finland was mostly playing catch-up but managed to level the score at 20:20 before Estonia's players pulled ahead at the finish. Finland then controlled the fourth set, but Rikberg's team proved stronger in the decisive fifth set, securing a crucial win.
Qualification implications
The victory has practically guaranteed Estonia a place at the 2027 World Championship in Poland — only an unlikely turn of results at the South American championship could keep the Estonians out of the tournament.
At the European Championship, Estonia finished group C in fifth place with five points. Belgium (13 points), Finland (11), Serbia (7) and Denmark (7) advanced to the playoffs from the group, while the Netherlands (2 points) finished last.
