2024/25 IFAF U19 EC: France plays host to Finland in crucial group round game

France and Finland will clash Sunday, November 10 for the right to join Sweden and Austria in the final stages of the 2024/25 IFAF U19 European Championships.

Both nations have beaten Italy in Group A, so the victor in the Lille suburb of Villeneuve d’Ascq will advance as group winners (kickoff 2pm CET).

The Finns enjoyed an emphatic victory in Vantaa over Italy as quarterback Elias Haapamäki threw four touchdowns with two reeled in by Artturi Tähkäpää and one each by Oskari Suoniemi and Rene Rautiainen in a 36-16 win. A stunning 99-yard kickoff return by Timothé Labarriere paved the way for a 32-21 France victory over Italy.

“The win against Italy gave us a solid foundation to prepare for the game against France: plenty of successes and successful performances, along with many areas we can clearly still improve,” said Finland offensive coordinator Tuomas Mankki. “We’ve had some unfortunate injuries between games, but we’re heading into this one with almost the same starting lineup as we had against Italy.”

France head coach Emmanuel Maguet said:

“The teams are close in level, and it’s going to be a tight match, likely decided by just a few points. It’s a qualification match, so there’s a lot at stake and plenty of passion. It’s up to us to handle that.”

Sweden secured top spot in Group B and a place in the final group stages in September with a dramatic 23-22 win over Germany, who almost staged an improbable comeback from being 20-6 down going into the fourth quarter.

Austria will join the round-robin tournament ranked #1, while the #2 team will be Sweden, last year’s silver medalists being the highest ranked nation from 2023 that qualifies as a group winner. Either Finland or France, ranked third and seventh respectively in 2023, will be the #3 team ranked nation.

Group A
Finland 1-0
France 1-0
Italy 0-2

May 11                               Italy 21 France 32
September 21                  Finland 36 Italy 16
November 10                   France vs Finland         Villeneuve d’Ascq., Lille            2pm CET

Group B
Sweden                2-0
Germany             1-1
Denmark            0-2

March 30/31                    Sweden 38 Denmark 7
May 11                               Denmark 6 Germany 48
September 21                  Germany 22 Sweden 23

2025 Schedule (Dates and venues TBC)

France/Finland vs Austria
Sweden vs France/Finland
Austria vs Sweden

The four teams that occupy the second and third places in groups A and B will meet to determine the final fourth through seventh placings.

Game 1: The team ranked #2 in Group A (France or Finland) will host Denmark
Game 2: Germany will host Italy
Game 3: Winners of Game 1 vs winners of Game 2
Game 4: Runner-up of Game 1 vs runner-up of Game 2