Veikkausliiga


Veikkausliiga is the premier division of Finnish football, the highest tier of the Finnish football league structure, comprising the top 12 clubs of the country. Its main sponsor is the Finnish national betting agency Veikkaus, hence the league's name. Veikkausliiga was founded in 1990; before that the top division was called Mestaruussarja since 1930 which was an amateur or semi-professional league. Between 1908 and 1930 the championship was decided as a knock-out cup competition.

Structure

During the 1990 and 1991 seasons the Veikkausliiga was played under the name "Futisliiga".
As with certain other cold-climate European countries, league matches in Finland are played in summer, with a schedule usually from April to October. The format and number of teams has changed frequently. As of 2020 there are 12 teams, which first face the other teams two times. After the two rounds, the league is divided into championship group and challenge group, and both groups play a single series of five further matches. At the end of the season, the last team is relegated to Ykkönen, whose winner is promoted to Veikkausliiga, and the second last team plays a two-leg play-off versus the Ykkönen runner-up.
In 2010 the average annual salary with fringe benefits for a league player was 24,400 euros. Veikkausliiga is a founding member of the European Professional Football Leagues association.

Clubs

The Veikkausliiga clubs in the 2020 season are presented in the table below. Number of seasons includes seasons played in Veikkausliiga and preceding Mestaruussarja and seasons of predecessor teams after season 2019. In the case of mergers, the seasons of the predecessor with the most seasons are counted.
Club
CityStadiumCapacity2019 positionNumber of
seasons*
FC HakaValkeakoskiTehtaan kenttä3,5161st in Ykkönen62
FC HonkaEspooTapiolan Urheilupuisto4,1003rd11
FC InterTurkuVeritas Stadion9,3722nd23
FC LahtiLahtiLahden kisapuisto4,0008th47
HIFKHelsinkiTelia 5G -areena10,7707th33
HJKHelsinkiTelia 5G -areena10,7705th81
IFK MariehamnMariehamnWiklöf Holding Arena1,6506th15
IlvesTampereTammela Stadion5,0504th38
KuPSKuopioSavon Sanomat Areena5,0001st63
RoPSRovaniemiRovaniemen Keskuskenttä2,80010th32
SJKSeinäjokiOmaSP Stadion6,0009th9
TPSTurkuVeritas Stadion9,3722nd in Ykkönen75

Former clubs

1) FC Jazz was formerly known as PPT.

2) Kuusysi and Reipas merged their professional teams in 1996 to form FC Lahti. Kuusysi returned to Kakkonen in 2011 under the name Lahti Akatemia, while Reipas returned to Kolmonen one year later.

3) Tampere United was formed in 1998 after it inherited the place of FC Ilves. Tampere United was dissolved in 2011 and Ilves, which in the meantime had bought the place of KooVee in second division, got promoted back to the highest league in 2015.

Veikkausliiga 1990–present

SeasonWinnerRunners-upThird place
1990HJKKuusysiMP
1991KuusysiMPFC Haka
1992HJKKuusysiFC Jazz
1993FC JazzMyPaHJK
1994TPVMyPaHJK
1995FC HakaMyPaHJK
1996FC JazzMyPaTPS
1997HJKVPSFinnPa
1998FC HakaVPSPK-35
1999FC HakaHJKMyPa
2000FC HakaFC JokeritMyPa
2001TamUHJKMyPa
2002HJKMyPaFC Haka
2003HJKFC HakaTamU
2004FC HakaAC AllianssiTamU
2005MyPaHJKTamU
2006TamUHJKFC Haka
2007TamUFC HakaTPS
2008FC InterFC HonkaFC Lahti
2009HJKFC HonkaTPS
2010HJKKuPSTPS
2011HJKFC InterJJK
2012HJKFC InterTPS
2013HJKFC HonkaVPS
2014HJKSJKFC Lahti
2015SJKRoPSHJK
2016IFK MariehamnHJKSJK
2017HJKKuPSFC Ilves
2018HJKRoPSKuPS
2019KuPSFC InterFC Honka

Performance

Performance by club

The following clubs have won:
Finnish Championship Cup Competition

Mestaruussarja

Veikkausliiga
29 clubs have been Champions.
ClubTitlesRunners-upWinning Years
HJK
29
14
1911, 1912, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1923, 1925, 1936, 1938, 1964, 1973, 1978, 1981, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018
FC Haka
9
7
1960, 1962, 1965, 1977, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004
HPS
9
6
1921, 1922, 1926, 1927, 1929, 1932, 1934, 1935, 1957
TPS
8
12
1928, 1939, 1941, 1949, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1975
HIFK
7
7
1930, 1931, 1933, 1937, 1947, 1959, 1961
KuPS
6
10
1956, 1958, 1966, 1974, 1976, 2019
FC Kuusysi
5
4
1982, 1984, 1986, 1989, 1991
Kiffen
4
–
1913, 1915, 1916, 1955
ÅIFK
3
5
1910, 1920, 1924
Reipas Lahti
3
3
1963, 1967, 1970
VIFK
3
2
1944, 1946, 1953
Tampere United
3
–
2001, 2006, 2007
VPS
2
5
1945, 1948
KTP
2
–
1951, 1952
OPS
2
–
1979, 1980
FC Jazz
2
–
1993, 1996
MyPa
1
5
2005
FC Inter Turku
1
3
2008
SJK
1
1
2015
PUS
1
1
1909
Sudet Vyborg
1
1
1940
KPV
1
1
1969
FC Ilves
1
1
1983
Unitas
1
–
1908
HT
1
–
1942
Ilves-Kissat
1
–
1950
Pyrkivä Turku
1
–
1954
TPV
1
–
1994
IFK Mariehamn
1
–
2016

Top scorers

SeasonPlayerClubGoals
1990 Marek CzakonIlves16
1991 Kimmo TarkkioFC Haka23
1992 Luiz AntônioFC Jazz21
1993 Antti SumialaFC Jazz20
1994 DionísioTPV17
1995 Valeri PopovitchFC Haka21
1996 Luiz AntônioFC Jazz17
1997 RafaelHJK11
1998 Matti HiukkaRoPS11
1999 Valeri PopovitchFC Haka23
2000 Shefki KuqiFC Jokerit19
2001 Paulus RoihaHJK22
2002 Mika KottilaHJK18
2003 Saku PuhakainenMyPa14
2004 Antti PohjaTamU16
2005 Juho MäkeläHJK16
2006 Hermanni VuorinenFC Honka16
2007 RafaelFC Lahti14
2008 Aleksandr KokkoFC Honka13
2008 Henri MynttiTamU13
2009 Hermanni VuorinenFC Honka16
2010 Juho MäkeläHJK16
2011 Timo FuruholmFC Inter Turku22
2012 Irakli SirbiladzeFC Inter Turku17
2013 Tim VäyrynenFC Honka17
2014 Jonas EmetFF Jaro14
2014 Luis SolignacIFK Mariehamn14
2015 Aleksandr KokkoRoPS17
2016 Roope RiskiSJK17
2017 Aleksei KangaskolkkaIFK Mariehamn16
2018 KlaussHJK21
2019 Filip ValenčičFC Inter16

Individual all-time records

Most matches played

Last updated: 20 September 2019.
Source: .

Most goals scored

Last updated: 20 September 2019.
Source: .