Lithuania take on the visitors Finland in a World Cup 2026 qualification match. The match will be played on Monday, March 24th at Darius and Girėnas Stadium (Kaunas).
Lithuania fails to surprise. The Yellow-Greens are simply trying to avoid being complete outsiders. Their previous qualifying campaign was relatively successful by their standards, as they managed to finish ahead of Bulgaria in the battle to avoid last place. They then secured a playoff victory over Gibraltar, which allowed them to remain in Nations League C. However, at that level, they were clearly outmatched, losing all six of their matches against Romania, Kosovo, and Cyprus. Despite this disastrous performance, Edgaras Jankauskas retained his position as head coach. It's widely understood that the former Porto striker lacks a squad with any real competitive depth. The new cycle began with a trip to neighboring Poland, where Lithuania held firm for over 80 minutes before finally conceding to Robert Lewandowski and leaving empty-handed. Their defensive resilience was commendable, but their lack of attacking threat remains a major issue.
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Finland spent years under Markku Kanerva, who gradually improved the team’s performance. His efforts culminated in securing direct qualification to Euro 2020—their first-ever major tournament. They even started with a victory, though it came against a Denmark side shaken by Christian Eriksen’s on-field collapse. However, replicating that success has proven difficult. In the last qualifying campaign, Finland performed well and collected 18 points, but both Denmark and Slovenia finished four points ahead. Then came a disastrous 2024. First, Teemu Pukki and company suffered a crushing 1-4 defeat to Wales in the playoff match. After that, they lost every Nations League game in the autumn—not only against England but also to Greece and Ireland. They finally broke their losing streak with a narrow, but crucial, victory over Malta to start the new cycle. However, their attack still lacks consistency.
The only previous meeting between these teams came in the 2014 Baltic Cup, where Lithuania claimed a 1-0 victory. Pukki and company have the quality to build on their recent success. Betting on another away win for Finland looks like the best choice.
Prediction for the match: Finland to win.
