The 2024 Veikkausliiga is the 94th season of top-tier football in Finland, which takes place from April to November. Veikkaus was the league's sponsor.
| Season | 2024 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 6 April – |
| Top goalscorer | Mads Borchers (8 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Ilves 5–0 FC Haka 17 May 2024 |
| Biggest away win | FC Lahti 0–4 SJK 27 May 2024, Gnistan 0–4 HJK 16 June 2024 |
| Highest scoring | Ilves 4–6 IF Gnistan 13 April 2024 |
| Highest attendance | 8,064 HJK 1–0 IF Gnistan (22 May 2024) |
← 2023 2025 →
All statistics correct as of 7 June 2024. | |
Teams
editThe league consisted of twelve teams; ten teams remaining from the previous season, and two teams promoted from the Ykkönen. HJK entered the season as defending champions.
EIF were promoted as champions of the 2023 Ykkönen (returning to the top flight after a 90-year absence), replacing the bottom-placed 2023 Veikkausliiga team (KTP, relegated after a single-year stint in top flight). Ykkönen runners-up Gnistan were also promoted (marking their debut in the top flight) after fifth-placed Veikkausliiga team Honka were demoted due to bankruptcy, replacing them in the league.[1][2]
Stadiums and locations
edit
| Club | Location | Stadium | Turf | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AC Oulu | Oulu | Raatti Stadion | Natural | 5,000 |
| Ekenäs IF | Ekenäs, Raseborg | Ekenäs Centrumplan | Artificial | 1,900 |
| FC Haka | Valkeakoski | Tehtaan kenttä | Artificial | 3,516 |
| FC Inter Turku | Turku | Veritas Stadion | Artificial | 9,372 |
| FC Lahti | Lahti | Lahden Stadion | Natural | 7,465 |
| HJK | Töölö, Helsinki | Bolt Arena | Artificial | 10,770 |
| IF Gnistan | Oulunkylä, Helsinki | Mustapekka Areena | Artificial | 2,200 |
| IFK Mariehamn | Mariehamn | Wiklöf Holding Arena | Artificial | 1,650 |
| Ilves | Tampere | Tammelan Stadion | Artificial | 8,000 |
| KuPS | Kuopio | Väre Areena | Artificial | 4,778 |
| SJK | Seinäjoki | OmaSP Stadion | Artificial | 5,817 |
| VPS | Vaasa | Hietalahti Stadium | Artificial | 6,005 |
Personnel
editAll teams are obligated to have the Veikkausliiga logo on the right sleeve of their shirt.
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players and Managers may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| Team | Head coach | Captain |
|---|---|---|
| AC Oulu |  Kostas Bratsos
|
 Niklas Jokelainen
|
| Ekenäs IF |  Gabriel Garcia Xatart
|
 Enoch Kofi Adu
|
| FC Haka |  Andy Smith
|
 Guilherme Morais
|
| FC Inter Turku | Vesa Vasara
|
Juuso Hämäläinen
|
| FC Lahti | Ricardo Duarte
|
Mikko Viitikko
|
| HJK | Toni Korkeakunnas
|
Joona Toivio
|
| IF Gnistan | Jussi Leppälahti
|
Jukka Raitala
|
| IFK Mariehaman | Bruno Romão
|
Robin Sid
|
| Ilves | Joonas Rantanen
|
Otso Virtanen
|
| KuPS | Jani Honkavaara
|
Petteri Pennanen
|
| SJK |  Stevie Grieve
|
Ville Tikkanen
|
| VPS | Jussi Nuorela
|
Jesper Engström
|
Managerial changes
edit| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in the table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AC Oulu | Rauno Ojanen / Jussi-Pekka Savolainen
|
Contract expired | 30 November 2023 | Pre-season | Tuomas Silvennoinen
|
8 November 2023 |
| AC Oulu | Tuomas Silvennoinen
|
Dismissed | 13 June 2024 | 10th | Kostas Bratsos
|
20 June 2024 |
| FC Haka | Teemu Tainio
|
Signed by AEL Limassol | Pre-season | Andy Smith
|
31 October 2023[3] | |
| FC Inter Turku | Jarkko Wiss
|
Contract terminated | 6 November 2023[4] | Vesa Vasara
|
17 November 2023[5] | |
| FC Lahti | Toni Lindberg
|
Dismissed | 20 June 2024 | 11th | Ricardo Duarte
|
21 June 2024 |
| HJK | Toni Korkeakunnas
|
Contract expired | Pre-season | Ossi Virta / Ferran Sibila
|
14 November 2023 | |
| HJK | Ossi Virta / Ferran Sibila
|
Dismissed | 20 May 2024 | 5th | Toni Korkeakunnas
|
20 May 2024 |
| IF Gnistan | Joonas Rantanen
|
Signed by Ilves | 23 October 2023[6] | Pre-season | Jussi Leppälahti
|
10 November 2023[7] |
| IFK Mariehamn | Jimmy Wargh
|
Appointed the club director | Bruno Romão
|
20 December 2023[8] | ||
| Ilves | Joni Lehtonen
|
Appointed the assistant coach | Joonas Rantanen
|
23 October 2023 | ||
| SJK | Joaquín Gomez
|
Signed by Al Qadsiah FC | 4 November 2023 | Toni Lehtinen / Stevie Grieve
|
12 January 2024[9] |
Regular season
editLeague table
edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HJK | 15 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 28 | 15 | +13 | 28 | Qualification for the Championship Round |
| 2 | KuPS | 14 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 24 | 15 | +9 | 25 | |
| 3 | SJK | 14 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 24 | 19 | +5 | 25 | |
| 4 | VPS | 14 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 23 | 18 | +5 | 25 | |
| 5 | Ilves | 14 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 27 | 17 | +10 | 23 | |
| 6 | Haka | 13 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 19 | 18 | +1 | 21 | |
| 7 | Mariehamn | 13 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 16 | 18 | −2 | 16 | Qualification for the Relegation Round |
| 8 | Inter Turku | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 18 | 24 | −6 | 15 | |
| 9 | Gnistan | 14 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 18 | 26 | −8 | 13 | |
| 10 | Oulu | 13 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 19 | 24 | −5 | 12 | |
| 11 | EIF | 13 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 13 | 23 | −10 | 9 | |
| 12 | Lahti | 13 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 13 | 25 | −12 | 9 |
Updated to match(es) played on 30 June 2024. Source: Flashscore
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Head-to-head away goals scored; 7) Play-off
(Note: Play-off is only played if need to decide champion, teams for relegation or UEFA competition and will be played on a neutral ground).
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Head-to-head away goals scored; 7) Play-off
(Note: Play-off is only played if need to decide champion, teams for relegation or UEFA competition and will be played on a neutral ground).
Results by round
editUpdated to match(es) played on 30 June 2024. Source: veikkausliiga.com (in Finnish)
W = Win; D = Draw; L = Lose
W = Win; D = Draw; L = Lose
Results
editPlay-offs
editConference League play-off
editTeams placed 3rd-7th enter play-off matches for the second spot in the Conference League first qualifying round. The third-placed team receive a bye to the final. The quarter-finals and semi-finals are held over one leg (with the higher-placed team gaining home advantage), while the final is held over two legs.
Veikkausliiga play-off
editThe eleventh-placed team will face the second-placed team from the 2024 Ykkösliiga for the final place in the 2025 Veikkausliiga.
Season statistics
edit
Top goalscorersedit
|
Hat-tricksedit
|
Awards
edit| Month | Coach of the Month | Player of the Month |
|---|---|---|
| April[13] | Toni Lehtinen (SJK)
|
Topi Keskinen (HJK)
|
| May[14] | Jani Honkavaara (KuPS)
|
 Ashley Coffey (AC Oulu)
|
| June[15] | Toni Korkeakunnas (HJK)
|
 Jaime Moreno (SJK)
|
See also
edit
|
|
References
edit- ^ "Ghanaian midfielder Enoch Adu Kofi leads Ekenäs IF to Finnish top-flight promotion after 90-year hiatus". Ghana Soccernet. 14 November 2023.
- ^ "Gnistan gets Veikkausliiga-level conditions in Oulunkylä - "Thanks to the city for excellent cooperation"". Veikkausliiga. 22 February 2024.
- ^ FC Haka palkkasi yllätysnimen – ansioluettelo päävalmentajana erittäin lyhyt, Helsingin Sanomat, 31 October 2023.
- ^ Turun Inter erotti Jarkko Wissin – MTV: päävalmentaja ahdisteli naistyöntekijää, Yle, 6 November 2023.
- ^ Vesa Vasara siirtyy FC Interin päävalmentajaksi, suomifutis.com, 17 November 2023.
- ^ Joonas Rantanen Ilveksen päävalmentajaksi – jalkapallojoukkueen nykyinen valmennustiimi jatkaa tukena, Yle, 23 October 2023.
- ^ JUSSI LEPPÄLAHTI GNISTANIN PÄÄVALMENTAJAKSI, gnistan.fi, 10 November 2023.
- ^ IFK Mariehamn portugalilaiskomentoon - Bruno Romão uusi päävalmentaja, veikkausliiga.com, 20 December 2023.
- ^ Seinäjoen Jalkapallokerhon päävalmentaja kaudella 2024 on Toni Lehtinen, sjk.fi, 12 January 2024.
- ^ "Veikkausliiga perustilastot". Veikkausliiga.
- ^ Villi 10 maalin ottelu Veikkausliigassa – tulikuuma Joakim Latonen iski hattutempun ja Gnistan nousi sarjakärkeen, Yle, 13 April 2024.
- ^ Luke Plangen hattutempulla kolme pistettä – ”Tarvitsimme tätä voittoa”, hjk.fi, 8 June 2024
- ^ Huhtikuun joukkue valittu - HJK:n Topi Keskinen Veikkausliigan kuukauden pelaaja (in Finnish)
- ^ AC Oulun Ashley Coffey kuukauden pelaaja - Veikkausliigan toukokuun joukkue valittu (in Finnish)
- ^ SJK:n Jaime Moreno Veikkausliigan kuukauden pelaaja kesäkuussa, veikkaus.fi, 5 July 2024