Veikkausliiga 2026 season preview: KuPS' title again or can HJK bounce back?

[p]All 12 teams will be kicking off their season on Saturday 4th April, the first of 22 rounds in the regular season, before the league splits into two for another 10 rounds where the champions, European places and relegation will all be decided in the autumn.[/p][p]This weekend's curtain-raiser was almost put on hold, after a pay dispute between the league and the referees threatened a postponement. Thankfully, an agreement was reached just three days before the scheduled kick-off.[/p][p]The rest of the drama will hopefully be happening on the pitch, and with that in mind, here is Flashscore's preview of the 2026 Veikkausliiga campaign.[/p][h2]The title duopoly to continue?[/h2][p]Last season saw [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/kups/nLBbqJDS/"]KuPS[/a] [/b]win their second title in a row and their third in seven seasons. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/wiss-jarkko/MTuX3gBF/"]Jarkko Wiss[/a]' retaining the title after taking over from Jani Honkavaara made the transition look smooth, but it was anything but. The Kuopio side were fourth after the regular season and needed seven wins in their last 10, plus other sides around them faltering, to win the league by six points.[/p][embed guid="90d529ab-9799-44ed-a6a0-2a1692c9d85b" url="https://x.com/KuPS1923/status/1987601944328786139" social-type="twitter" /][p]A similar performance early on surely won't be good enough to win a third straight title, and a UEFA Conference League season that went deep into the winter means a short preseason this time. Experience of defending the title will be vital, and keeping hold of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ruoppi-otto/QqHLjPgi/"]Otto Ruoppi[/a] on loan after his transfer to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/mainz/EuakNmc1/"]Mainz[/a] will be a welcome boost, but KuPS are very much there to be shot at in 2026.[/p][p]The only other side to win the Veikkausliiga in the last 10 years, [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/hjk/nmjJVR7B/"]HJK[/a][/b], have filed 2025 alongside 2024 under "seasons to forget". The Helsinki side won the Suomen Cup, but the impact of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/pukki-teemu/SxeXIHNo/"]Teemu Pukki[/a]'s return wasn't quite what they had hoped. Zero wins in the Championship Group saw the record champions finish fifth, spared a failure to reach Europe by their Cup success.[/p][p]Former Ilves manager [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kekarainen-joonas/Kf8kzTFI/"]Joonas Rantanen[/a] is now at the helm and still has Pukki's 28-goal partnership with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ring-alexander/0r9cVEJa/"]Alex Ring[/a] to call upon, while the side's defence has been bolstered by the arrival of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cissokho-till/IPmRs9Yr/"]Till Cissokho[/a].[/p][h2]The title challengers[/h2][p]If the league is to have a winner other than KuPS or HJK for the first time since 2016, then [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/inter-turku/QwkNUoNH/"]Inter Turku[/a][/b] - three times the runners-up in that period - are not only the best placed but have a point to prove. They were clear at the top around the halfway mark, before a slump towards the end of the regular season saw them begin the Championship Group just a point clear and without any momentum.[/p][p]The losses of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ouguehi-christian/2BZlhbLn/"]Dimitri Legbo[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/krebs-florian/0r23D4ri/"]Florian Krebs[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kouame-axel/E9VQkipf/"]Axel Kouame[/a] will be felt, but winning the Liiga Cup in preseason was a good way to silence some doubters.[/p][embed guid="453f1602-fe6d-4793-baf6-395cbacc64ec" url="https://x.com/Veikkausliiga/status/2035407332281065724" social-type="twitter" /][p]Third in 2025, [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ilves/pYGmWmwa/"]Ilves[/a] [/b]have every chance of being in the mix again, with former assistant coach [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lehtonen-joel/U9rdWqdk/"]Joni Lehtonen[/a] taking over from the departing Rantanen. The Lynx will be relying on league veteran [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/riski-roope/655FxMgU/"]Roope Riski[/a] for goals, but he will have to manage without the services of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/jukkola-oiva/jXPL4MTo/"]Oiva Jukkola[/a], who has left for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/kairat-almaty/CrO7xXpJ/"]Kairat Almaty[/a].[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/sjk/hj3ima3I/"]SJK[/a] [/b]are also calling upon a centre-forward to have another productive season, and no one was more productive than [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/paananen-kasper/K4zhEl2o/"]Kasper Paananen[/a], who netted 18 times to win the golden boot. The Seinajoki squad has not lost too many big names and has recruited mainly from around the league, and not having European football to worry about could be a real benefit in the long run.[/p][h2]The rest of the pack[/h2][p]The new definition of "making up the numbers" is [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/gnistan/Aa28K98n/"]Gnistan[/a]'s [/b]sixth-place finish in 2025, where despite beating Helsinki rivals HJK, they still finished 16 points behind their noisy neighbours. Another foray into the top six may be their limit again this time.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/jaro/faEPan8O/"]Jaro[/a] [/b]were one of two sides to just miss out on the Championship Group, and will be aiming for the top six this time around. That, however, will be a real challenge without [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cissoko-kerfala/jZ1WFT4q/"]Kerfala Cissoko[/a], who was joint-second highest scorer despite having five fewer games than others in the golden boot race. Seven goals in five games in the Liiga Cup from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/vikstrom-rudi/ShgrGvif/"]Rudi Vikstrom[/a] is encouraging, nonetheless.[/p][p]The other such side were [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/vps/8GveH5dA/"]VPS[/a][/b], who unlike Jaro failed to kick on in the Relegation Group but were well clear of the drop. The departures of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/maissa-fall-elhadji/6omapt4a/"]Maissa Fall[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ahiabu-prosper/hx368WkM/"]Prosper Ahiabu[/a] leave them potentially vulnerable this time around.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ac-oulu/Y35Jer59/"]AC Oulu[/a][/b] have made a strong start to 2026 by reaching the final of the Liiga Cup, continuing positive form from themselves and [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/mariehamn/C8bOhcyj/"]Mariehamn[/a][/b], who both pulled themselves clear of the relegation scrap in the final few weeks of last season. Both will be hoping to have an easier time of it this time around.[/p][embed guid="d23dc1a2-3fe6-4adf-8a76-38fd2031656b" url="https://x.com/Veikkausliiga/status/2038541777645289475" social-type="twitter" /][p]The aim for promoted sides, [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/lahti/pn1BFqRM/"]Lahti[/a] [/b]and [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tps/dM4FE3tT/"]TPS[/a][/b], will be survival. The second-tier champions Lahti have dipped into the free agent market to bring in [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cassubie-yohan/hnXvVvRs/"]Yohan Cassubie[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/yapi-romaric/4x25i61p/"]Romaric Yapi[/a] on the defensive side, while play-off winners TPS have signed centre-forward [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tsirigotis-theodoros/x0oPGOcK/"]Theodoros Tsirigotis[/a] on loan from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/gornik-zabrze/2LH3Ywq4/"]Gornik Zabrze[/a].[/p][h2]The opening weekend[/h2][p]The title holders are involved in one of two opening-day clashes between teams in last season's Championship Group, while both newcomers will be aiming to earn their first points on the road.[/p][p][i]All times CEST[/i][/p][p][b]Saturday 4th April[/b][/p][p]12:00: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/inter-turku-QwkNUoNH/vps-8GveH5dA/?mid=lrlsrgTk"]Inter Turku vs VPS[/a][/p][p]14:00: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/hjk-nmjJVR7B/sjk-hj3ima3I/?mid=d8iktXc2"]HJK vs SJK[/a][/p][p]16:00: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/ilves-pYGmWmwa/kups-nLBbqJDS/?mid=pUJsnNoL"]Ilves vs KuPS[/a][/p][p]16:00: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/jaro-faEPan8O/lahti-pn1BFqRM/?mid=4E0Et19r"]Jaro vs Lahti[/a][/p][p]16:00: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/mariehamn-C8bOhcyj/tps-dM4FE3tT/?mid=CGLZmqH8"]Mariehamn vs TPS[/a][/p][p]18:00: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/ac-oulu-Y35Jer59/gnistan-Aa28K98n/?mid=Cv4Mvuve"]Gnistan vs AC Oulu[/a][/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/soccer/finland/veikkausliiga/"]Follow the whole 2026 Veikkausliiga season on Flashscore.[/a][/b][/p]