Big day for Finnish sports today. First ever qualification for major tournament for men’s national team in football (soccer for you USians) is dependent on a home win on Liechtenstein.

Reasonable assumption is three points for Finland and a spot in UEFA Euro 2020. Implied probability of win is well north of 90% in betting markets.

If this happens it will be an emotional moment for us long term sufferers, er, fans of Finnish football. I mean the closest we ever got to qualify ended with a last minute own goal: Finland vs. Hungary world cup qualification October 1998. Being there in person ranks pretty high on my list of emotional roller coaster rides. Then we have 31(!) other attempts that also ended in tears. Whatever the result today I think a lot of us will tear up to mark the end of (or in the worst situation continuation of) decades of disappointments.