Popular Sports to Play in Finland

Published on May 1, 2026 and written by Cyril Jarnias

With its hundreds of thousands of lakes, endless forests, and interminable winters, Finland is a vast open-air playground. In this country where sport is considered a true national pastime, the disciplines are not limited to just cross-country skiing or soccer. An impressive range of activities are practiced, from ice hockey and motorsports to open-water swimming, pesäpallo, and disc golf.

This article offers an overview of the most popular sports to play in Finland, drawing on survey data, participation statistics, and on-the-ground examples. The goal is not just to list the disciplines, but to show how they are rooted in Finnish geography, climate, and culture.

A Country Shaped by Water, Ice, and Forest

The first key to understanding Finnish sports is the setting. The country has nearly 190,000 lakes, a vast archipelago, and a long, indented coastline. The center of the country, around Lake Saimaa, forms a labyrinth of waterways and islands, while Lapland, in the north, lives under snow for up to seven months a year.

This landscape naturally gives rise to two major sporting worlds:

To this are added team ball sports – soccer, floorball, pesäpallo – and an impressive enthusiasm for motorsports.

Swim, Paddle, Glide: Finland’s Watery Side

Water is everywhere in Finland, especially in summer. Going to the sauna and then jumping into a lake, paddling among the islets, fishing at dusk: these actions are at the heart of life for many residents.

Swimming and Safety: A Land of Lakes Relearning How to Swim

Swimming is extremely popular, but Finns have realized that this skill can no longer be taken for granted. A large-scale study conducted in 2022 with the Finnish Swimming Teaching and Life Saving Federation (FSL) revealed surprising figures: about 4% of surveyed adults reported not knowing how to swim at all, and 44% were only able to swim short distances, up to 50 meters.

Nordic countries have, however, adopted an ambitious definition of “swimming ability”: being able to swim 200 meters without stopping, including at least 50 meters on one’s back. Yet, in Finland, only 55% of sixth-grade pupils reached this level in 2022, down from 76% in 2016. A historic drop that worries professionals, in a country where swimming is nevertheless associated with basic civic competence.

Authorities also warn of the very real risks: a single month of July saw 28 drowning deaths, compared to 16 the previous year in the same period, several involving children.

Finns, however, have access to a remarkable network of infrastructure: about 300 official public beaches, most on lakeshores, with free entry always and water quality rated good or excellent at nearly all sites according to European criteria. In 2019, 92% of these beaches were rated “good” or “excellent”; 96% of lake beaches and about 80% of sea beaches met the strictest standards.

This contrast – abundance of water, good quality, but declining skills – explains the proliferation of initiatives to reteach swimming to children and adults alike.

Where and How to Swim in Finland

Swimming takes place in very diverse contexts: lake beaches, rivers, the Baltic Sea, indoor pools, but also holes in the ice in winter for fans of “avanto,” winter swimming.

Major cities also maintain a network of indoor pools (“swimming halls”), like in Mikkeli or Savonlinna, while Helsinki provides an online service to check the water temperature in real time at several popular beaches. The citizen-driven site Järviwiki adds a layer of public information, with temperature readings and reports of blue-green algae by users. A Finnish company has even developed a kit to test one’s own swimming water quality.

To visualize some benchmarks, we can summarize certain aspects of swimming in Finland as follows:

Learning to Swim: An Educational Priority… Under Pressure

Swimming instruction is part of the free basic education in Finland. In principle, most children learn to swim at school before their 10th birthday, or through private swimming schools. But the reality is more nuanced. Big cities do offer classes for beginner adults, yet these groups of 7 to 8 people fill up immediately. Many adults – often immigrants, but not exclusively – experience a mix of fear of water and social shame at the idea of admitting they cannot swim.

This discomfort is particularly strong among some men, for whom acknowledging this shortcoming is almost a taboo. Stories circulate, like that of a man hiding his inability to swim from his partner for years, even though the couple owned a lakeside cottage.

Testimony on a male taboo

For immigrants from Africa, South Asia, or the Middle East, the problem often stems from lack of access to water in their home country, an absence of swimming tradition, or cultural norms complicating access to mixed-gender pools. Some women, for example, hesitate to frequent pools primarily used by a white or mixed population.

Organizations like Monaliiku, a Helsinki-based well-being organization focused on multicultural women, have developed women-only swimming courses under the SwimPower project. Over 120 participants take these courses every six months; each session costs 4 euros, but there is still a waiting list. Major cities, with the FSL and the company FitPit Oy, have also tested free “pop-up swimming schools” in several municipalities in the capital region, offering over 4,000 spots, although cool early summer weather dampened participation.

In terms of cost, the City of Helsinki charges around 46 euros for eight half-hour sessions in a small group, while private individual lessons can climb between 200 and 260 euros per term. Specialists are sounding the alarm: the lack of pools and a lesser family emphasis on swimming as a vital skill explain part of the observed decline. Hence calls to more firmly embed swimming in the core national school curriculum.

Open-Water Swimming and Safety

The Finnish summer is inseparable from open-water swimming. Lake beaches, sheltered coves of the Baltic, small bays of the archipelago, everything invites a dip. Many swimmers adopt more sporty open-water practices: long crossings, swimming with a safety buoy, participating in swimruns combining running sections and swimming legs between islets. Events of this type are multiplying on lakes and along the coast.

The other major summer danger is cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, which proliferate in warmed waters. They can cause allergies, nausea, and digestive issues. Authorities advise against not only swimming in them, but also using such water in the sauna or for washing.

Paddling, Sailing, and Fishing: The Realm of Aquatic Leisure

Beyond swimming, Finland is a paradise for all rowing and sailing sports. Kayaking and canoeing are almost on par with hiking: just a map and a lake are needed. Stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) is growing strongly, especially on urban lakes and in the Saimaa region. Sailing comes in all forms, from cruising sailboats to sporty dinghies, particularly in the southwestern archipelago and along the Baltic.

Fishing, itself, is a major cultural marker: nearly one-third of the population fishes regularly, whether with a rod in summer or through the ice in winter. In lake regions, people fish from boats, often as a family, while in winter, the angler drills a hole, sits on a small stool, and waits for a bite in an almost religious silence.

The range of water sports in Finland is surprisingly wide:

The rise of facilities like Wakepark Vuokatti, which features a 280-meter cable-wakeboard line, illustrates how more “international” sports are adapted to local conditions.

Finland’s Team Sports: Ice, Grass, Hardwood

While nature shapes many Finnish sports, team disciplines also hold a central place, in gyms, stadiums, and ice rinks.

Ice Hockey: A National Passion… Also Played Amateur

Ice hockey is the country’s most popular sport. In terms of media, the main professional league, Liiga, attracts an average of nearly 4,850 spectators per game, with clubs like HIFK in Helsinki regularly exceeding 7,000 spectators per match. The exploits of the national team – “Leijonat,” the Lions – crowned world champions several times and Olympic champion in 2022, sustain a genuine cult following.

But beyond the spectacle, hockey is widely played as a leisure activity: about 200,000 Finns play hockey more or less regularly. There are nearly 68,000 registered players, 430 clubs, 3,000 teams, and some 40,000 games played each season. In winter, outdoor rinks pop up in neighborhoods, and it’s not uncommon to see children playing on makeshift rinks.

The league structures are very comprehensive, with several men’s levels (Liiga, Mestis, Suomi-sarja, then regional divisions) and women’s levels. A recreational version, less physical and more focused on fun, allows adults to get started without aiming for a high level.

Soccer: Less Mediatized, But the Most Played Sport

Regarding the round ball, the situation is almost the reverse: soccer is not the number one TV audience or stadium attendance draw, far behind hockey, but it is by far the most played sport on a daily basis. There are about 115,000 registered players, more than hockey, and soccer is the most common sports activity among 3–18 year olds. In total, nearly 400,000 people include soccer in their leisure activities, and the annual growth in participants exceeds 10%.

Seasons are played in summer, adapted to the climate, on often artificial turf fields. HJK Helsinki, the country’s most titled club, is also the one that offers the most visibility to the sport, notably through its appearances in the Champions League and Europa League. For an amateur or expatriate, it is relatively easy to find a club, with the federation having about a thousand affiliated structures.

To compare the entrenchment of soccer and hockey in daily practice, we can summarize some key figures:

Floorball: The Rising Indoor Discipline

Floorball, an indoor sport played with a plastic ball and light sticks, has become one of the most visible sports in Finland. The country was among the founders of the international federation and regularly dominates world championships, with several men’s titles, including consecutive doubles.

Pesäpallo: “Finnish Baseball” to Experience from Within

Pesäpallo, nicknamed “pesis,” is often presented as the national sport. Invented in the 1920s by Lauri “Tahko” Pihkala, it reinvents bat-and-ball games with a Finnish twist. The principle remains that of an attacking team trying to score points by hitting the ball and running bases, and a defensive team seeking outs. But the differences from American baseball are numerous.

The most visible is the vertical pitch: the pitcher throws the ball straight up over a large circular plate, making contact easier but requiring the batter to have great precision in directing their hit. The bases, drawn on the ground in a zigzag rather than a diamond, change the running paths, and tactics take center stage. The coach, or “pelinjohtaja,” orchestrates the attack using a multicolored fan where each color combination indicates a specific instruction.

For the curious, it’s a very unique sport to play: the equipment – a ball similar to a tennis ball but heavier, a composite fiber bat, specific gloves – is specific to Finland. However, amateur-level clubs can be found in many towns, and there is a strong presence in schools, where pesäpallo is part of the physical education curriculum.

A table helps situate Superpesis within the landscape of Finnish leagues:

Bandy, Ringette, Basketball and Beyond

Around these major team sports orbit other deeply rooted disciplines:

– bandy, the ancestor of ice hockey, played with a small ball on a giant ice surface. Finland was world champion in 2004 and has a national league, Bandyliiga, which remains active;

– ringette, imported from Canada in the late 1970s, played with a rubber ring and straight sticks. It is a highly feminized sport, and Finland is, along with Canada, one of the two major global hubs for the discipline;

– basketball has gained popularity since the national team qualified for the 2014 World Cup, propelled by star Lauri Markkanen. The Korisliiga league structures high-level play.

Together they form a rich team sports landscape, where each sport finds its audience and its participants.

Finnish Winter: Skiing, Snow, and Ice on All Floors

Winter is the season that most strongly shapes sports practice in Finland, especially in Lapland where snow can persist from October to May. There are nearly 100 ski resorts, with over 300 kilometers of slopes, not to mention thousands of kilometers of cross-country ski trails.

Cross-Country Skiing, Alpine Skiing, Snowboarding, and Snowshoeing

Cross-country skiing is often presented as the “national winter sport”: groomed trails can be found almost everywhere there is snow, including in major cities like Helsinki or Lahti – the latter having about 170 km of prepared trails. Cross-country skiing is both a performance sport, with a long tradition of Olympic champions, and a health activity practiced by all generations.

Most of these resorts combine: measurement tools, alert systems, and user interfaces for a complete experience.

– alpine skiing and snowboarding on moderate slopes, ideal for learning;

– extensive networks of marked Nordic skiing trails;

– trails for snowshoeing or Finnish variants of sliding snowshoes (“liukulumikengät”);

– routes for wide-tire bikes (e-fatbikes) accessible even in snow.

In Saariselkä, a 1.8 km long toboggan run – the longest in the country – attracts families and thrill-seekers, while Vuokatti stands out with the world’s first ski tunnel, allowing year-round indoor skiing.

Ice Skating, Snowmobiling, Dog Sledding, and Reindeer Rides

Ice skating takes place on urban rinks, but also on natural surfaces: frozen bays, lakes, canals. Marked routes are often prepared on the frozen lakes of Saimaa or around Tampere, the “sauna capital,” for skating tours.

Ice Swimming and Sauna: Thermal Shock as a Popular Sport

Swimming in icy water, often called “avanto” or “avantouinti”, is one of the most puzzling practices for a foreign visitor. In holes cut into the ice, usually near a sauna, bathers descend into the water via a ladder, stay for a few seconds, then come back up to warm up. This hot-cold alternation is experienced as a wellness ritual, and devotees often speak of a euphoric effect.

Finland saw the creation of its first official winter swimming club in Helsinki in 1924, and strict guidelines govern this practice: never swim alone, prefer several very short immersions rather than one long bath, and never dive headfirst into the ice hole. In organized facilities, pumps keep the water free of ice, and stairs secure access.

Motorsports: From Rally to Folkraces

In the land of “sisu” – that mix of courage, resilience, and perseverance that Finns readily claim – motorsports hold a special place. Rally and Formula 1 have built a global reputation, but behind these showcases lies a whole ecosystem of accessible disciplines.

The popularity of motorsports is partly explained by geography: the country has about 280,000 kilometers of private gravel roads, on which generations of young drivers have learned to control a car. Add long winters and icy roads, and you get an ideal training ground for future rally champions.

Rally is king, with figures like Juha Kankkunen, Tommi Mäkinen, Marcus Grönholm, or more recently Kalle Rovanperä, who became the youngest World Rally Champion at 22. The flagship event, the Rally of Finland – now Secto Rally Finland – takes place around Jyväskylä and is nicknamed the “Grand Prix of Rally” due to the high speeds. It attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators each year.

Finnish Rally

At the amateur level, “folkrace” (jokamiehenluokka, the “everyman’s category”) allows for low-cost introduction, with cars capped at about 1,400 euros and drivers able to start as young as 14. The idea: make car racing accessible and avoid budget escalation.

In Formula 1, Finland boasts an impressive ratio of world champions per capita, with drivers like Keke Rosberg, Mika Häkkinen, or Kimi Räikkönen. The culture of performance and the seriousness of training – karting, psychological coaching, sponsor networks – fuel this enthusiasm.

Running, Adventure, and Ultra: From Marathon to Raids

Finland isn’t just a land of snow and engines; it’s also a land of runners. The tradition goes back to the “Flying Finns” of athletics, from Paavo Nurmi to Lasse Virén. Today, running, both on roads and trails, enjoys lasting success.

Events like the Helsinki Marathon wind through the capital’s streets, parks, and waterfronts, offering 10K, half-marathon, and marathon, sometimes under the midnight sun in June. Specialized organizations like Runner’s High structure these events.

The most adventurous spirits turn to multisport raids and long-duration orienteering races. The Endurance Quest Saimaa, for example, is part of the Adventure Race World Series. Teams there combine mountain biking, kayaking, trekking, ropes, orienteering, and sometimes swimming or “swimrun” sections over nearly 250 km, using detailed maps of different scales, to be completed in under 30 hours of racing.

These formats require navigation skills, endurance, and the ability to operate in a sometimes very isolated environment – deep forest, archipelago, lake district. They reflect a strong trait of Finnish sports culture: ease in the wilderness and acceptance of sometimes harsh weather conditions.

Disc Golf, Unusual Sports, and New Trends

Among recent trends, disc golf has established itself as one of the fastest-growing sports in Finland. According to the KIHU sports research center, it would now be more practiced than traditional golf, volleyball, basketball, or tennis. The country has about 700 disc golf courses, often installed in urban parks or on the edge of forests. The simplicity of the equipment and generally free access make it a very attractive activity for all ages.

– swamp soccer, with a major tournament that has brought together up to 200 teams;

– mobile phone throwing, a humorous event that has become almost a symbol of Finnish irony;

– wife-carrying race in Sonkajärvi, where the winner gets beer equivalent to his partner’s weight;

– ski-orienteering and MTB-orienteering, highly developed in this country of maps and forests.

These disciplines, sometimes born as jokes, testify to a relaxed relationship with sport: people challenge each other, laugh, compete, without sanctifying performance.

A Deep Sports Culture, Accessible Infrastructure

Throughout this overview, a constant emerges: in Finland, sport is not reserved for an elite. Professional leagues exist and attract audiences – in hockey, soccer, pesäpallo, motorsport – but the core dynamic comes from a vast network of associations, schools, and municipalities.

Several structural elements explain the ease with which a resident or visitor can practice a sport:

In this context, “Popular Sports to Play in Finland” cannot be summed up in a short list: for those who love water, there’s swimming, paddling, sailing, fishing; for snow lovers, skiing in all its forms, skating, snowmobiling, sledding; for team fans, hockey, soccer, floorball, pesäpallo; for thrill-seekers, rally, adventure raids, ice-karting; for the curious, disc golf, ringette, bandy, unusual sports.

In this country where the sauna is almost as common as television, sport remains a privileged way to connect with the landscape, the seasons, and others. Whether diving into a lake after the sauna, skiing on a forest trail at dusk, or tossing a disc in an urban park, practicing a sport in Finland is always, in one way or another, also practicing a bit of Finland itself.

Cyril Jarnias

Cyril Jarnias is an independent expert in international wealth management with over 20 years of experience. As an expatriate himself, he is dedicated to helping individuals and business leaders build, protect, and pass on their wealth with complete peace of mind.

On his website, cyriljarnias.com, he shares his expertise on international real estate, offshore company formation, and expatriation.

Thanks to his expertise, he offers sound advice to optimize his clients' wealth management. Cyril Jarnias is also recognized for his appearances in many prestigious media outlets such as BFM Business, les Français de l’étranger, Le Figaro, Les Echos, and Mieux vivre votre argent, where he shares his knowledge and know-how in wealth management.

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