Finland stuns Olympic champions France in five-set thriller

Finland pulled off one of the biggest upsets so far in the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship 2025.

Behind a strong start that set the tempo and a steely resolve down the stretch, world No. 20 Finland toppled reigning Olympic gold medalist France in five sets, 25-19, 17-25, 29-27, 21-25, 15-9, keeping its Round of 16 hopes alive on Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

It marked Finland’s second consecutive five-set marathon, but this time, the Finns prevailed in style at the expense of world No. 4 France, bouncing back from their heartbreaking loss to Argentina.

Now tied at 1-1 in Pool C, Finland denied France an automatic berth in the Round of 16 and kept its flickering chances alive ahead of a must-win duel against winless Korea (0-2) at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday. The outcome will also hinge on France’s pivotal match against unbeaten Argentina (2-0) at 6 p.m., following Argentina’s 25-22, 23-25, 25-21, 25-18 victory over Korea, which put the South Americans in a strong position to advance.

Despite never having appeared on the Olympic stage and missing the 2022 World Championship, Finland didn’t flinch against the Olympic champions, led by 6-foot-6 opposite spiker Jokela. Jokela racked up 20 points on 17 hits and three aces, proving a formidable thorn against France’s experienced quartet of Jean Patry, Yacine Louati, Barthélemy Chinenyeze, and Paris MVP Earvin Ngapeth.

Luka Marttila and Petteri Tyynismaa contributed 15 and 13 points, respectively, while playmaker Fedor Ivanov set up 25 assists to help Finland avenge their tough loss to Argentina, in which they blew a 2-0 lead (25-19, 25-18, 22-25, 22-25, 11-15). Voitto Koykka added 14 digs and five receptions to stymie France’s usually potent offense, as Finland raced out to a 9-2 start in the final set and held on for the gutsy two-hour, two-minute victory after splitting the first four sets.

“Even though we lost against Argentina, it gave us a lot of confidence that we can compete against the top teams in our pool. We came with no fear, obviously with respect because we played against the Olympic gold medalists, and we showed that we know how to play volleyball. We played great today,” said Jokela.

“The source of that confidence and fire is knowing that if we lose, we go home. It was a must-win situation today or our World Championship ends. This gives us a chance to advance from the pool phase. We just need to execute against South Korea in a couple of days.”

For France, Patry had 23 points, Louati and Chinenyeze added 17 and 12, respectively, while Ngapeth contributed nine. However, France’s 39 unforced errors, particularly in the decisive fifth set, proved an insurmountable hurdle.