In this article we present 2023 Veikkausliiga as a central element of our analysis. 2023 Veikkausliiga is a topic of great relevance and interest today, since its impact is felt in various areas of society. Through this article, we will explore the various aspects related to 2023 Veikkausliiga, examining its historical evolution, its influence in different contexts, and the implications it has for the present and future. In order to provide a comprehensive view on 2023 Veikkausliiga, we will approach it from multidisciplinary perspectives, thus offering a complete and enriching analysis for our readers.
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This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2023)
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| Season | 2023 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 5 April – 5 November |
| Champions | HJK |
| Relegated | Honka KTP |
| Champions League | HJK |
| Conference League | Ilves (via Finnish Cup) KuPS VPS |
| Matches played | 132 |
| Goals scored | 329 (2.49 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Bojan Radulović (18 goals) |
| Biggest home win | HJK 4–0 VPS (19 April 2023) |
| Biggest away win | Oulu 0–3 SJK (29 April 2023) SJK 1–4 Oulu (27 June 2023) |
| Highest scoring | Lahti 3–4 KuPS (1 July 2023) |
| Longest winning run | 10 matches VPS |
| Longest unbeaten run | 11 matches SJK |
| Longest winless run | 11 matches Haka, Lahti |
| Longest losing run | 5 matches VPS |
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← 2022
2024 →
All statistics correct as of 9 October 2023. |
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The 2023 Veikkausliiga was the 93rd season of top-tier football in Finland, which takes place from April to November.
The winners (HJK, their fourth successive title win and thirty-third overall) qualified for the Champions League first qualifying round. The 2023 Finnish Cup winners (Ilves) qualified for the Conference League second qualifying round. The second-placed team (KuPS) and Conference League play-off winners (VPS) qualified for the Conference League first qualifying round. The eleventh-placed team (Mariehamn) qualified for the Veikkausliiga play-off, winning to retain their place in the league. The bottom-placed team (KTP) were relegated to the 2024 Ykkösliiga. The fifth-placed team (Honka) were demoted to the 2024 Kakkonen due to financial issues.
Teams
The league consisted of twelve teams; the top eleven teams from the previous season, and one team promoted from the Ykkönen. After 22 games, the season split into a championship/relegation round.
HJK were the defending champions. HJK drew an average home attendance of 5,631 in the 2023 Veikkausliiga, the highest in the league.[1] Veikkaus was the league’s sponsor.[2]
| Promoted from 2022 Ykkönen |
Relegated to 2023 Ykkönen |
|---|---|
| KTP | HIFK |
Stadia and locations
| Club | Location | Stadium | Turf | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AC Oulu | Oulu | Raatti Stadion | Natural | 5,000 |
| FC Haka | Valkeakoski | Tehtaan kenttä | Artificial | 3,516 |
| FC Honka | Espoo | Tapiolan Urheilupuisto | Natural | 6,000 |
| FC Inter | Turku | Veritas Stadion | Natural | 9,372 |
| FC Lahti | Lahti | Lahden Stadion | Natural | 7,465 |
| HJK | Helsinki | Bolt Arena | Artificial | 10,770 |
| IFK Mariehamn | Mariehamn | Wiklöf Holding Arena | Artificial | 1,650 |
| Ilves | Tampere | Tampere Stadium | Natural | 16,800 |
| KTP | Kotka | Arto Tolsa Areena | Artificial | 4,780 |
| KuPS | Kuopio | Savon Sanomat Areena | Artificial | 2,700 |
| SJK | Seinäjoki | OmaSP Stadion | Artificial | 5,817 |
| VPS | Vaasa | Hietalahti | Artificial | 6,005 |
Regular season
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HJK | 22 | 12 | 8 | 2 | 39 | 19 | +20 | 44 | Qualification for the Championship Round |
| 2 | KuPS | 22 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 34 | 15 | +19 | 43 | |
| 3 | SJK | 22 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 29 | 24 | +5 | 38 | |
| 4 | VPS | 22 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 30 | 23 | +7 | 36 | |
| 5 | Honka | 22 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 23 | 17 | +6 | 35 | |
| 6 | Inter Turku | 22 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 33 | 31 | +2 | 34 | |
| 7 | Oulu | 22 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 32 | 37 | −5 | 31 | Qualification for the Relegation Round |
| 8 | Haka | 22 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 27 | 37 | −10 | 24 | |
| 9 | Lahti | 22 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 21 | 32 | −11 | 22 | |
| 10 | Ilves | 22 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 20 | 27 | −7 | 20 | |
| 11 | KTP | 22 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 20 | 33 | −13 | 20 | |
| 12 | Mariehamn | 22 | 3 | 6 | 13 | 21 | 34 | −13 | 15 |
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
| Home \ Away | HAK | HJK | HON | ILV | INT | KTP | KPS | LAH | MAR | OUL | SJK | VPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haka | — | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 4–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 2–2 |
| HJK | 2–0 | — | 2–0 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 4–0 |
| Honka | 0–2 | 1–1 | — | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 |
| Ilves | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 |
| Inter Turku | 3–0 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 2–1 | — | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–2 |
| KTP | 1–2 | 3–3 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–4 | — | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–0 |
| KuPS | 3–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 | — | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 0–1 |
| Lahti | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 3–4 | — | 0–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 |
| Mariehamn | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 2–3 | — | 1–2 | 0–2 | 1–2 |
| Oulu | 3–0 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 3–2 | — | 0–3 | 2–1 |
| SJK | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 1–4 | — | 2–1 |
| VPS | 4–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 3–2 | — |
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Championship Round
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HJK (C) | 27 | 15 | 8 | 4 | 50 | 26 | +24 | 53 | Qualification for the Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | KuPS | 27 | 16 | 5 | 6 | 41 | 20 | +21 | 53 | Qualification for the Conference League first qualifying round |
| 3 | VPS (O) | 27 | 15 | 4 | 8 | 41 | 26 | +15 | 49 | Qualification for the Conference League first qualifying round play-off final |
| 4 | SJK | 27 | 12 | 6 | 9 | 35 | 33 | +2 | 42 | Qualification for the Conference League first qualifying round play-off quarter-finals |
| 5 | Honka (R) | 27 | 12 | 5 | 10 | 29 | 27 | +2 | 41 | Qualification for the Conference League first qualifying round play-off quarter-finals and relegation to 2024 Kakkonen[a] |
| 6 | Inter Turku | 27 | 10 | 5 | 12 | 35 | 40 | −5 | 35 | Qualification for the Conference League first qualifying round play-off quarter-finals |
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).
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- ^ Honka were relegated to 2024 Kakkonen after the end of the season due to financial issues.
Results
Relegation Round
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oulu | 27 | 11 | 5 | 11 | 41 | 45 | −4 | 38 | Qualification for the Conference League first qualifying round play-off quarter-finals |
| 2 | Ilves | 27 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 35 | 33 | +2 | 33 | Qualification for the Conference League second qualifying round[a] |
| 3 | Haka | 27 | 7 | 11 | 9 | 35 | 42 | −7 | 32 | |
| 4 | Lahti | 27 | 7 | 8 | 12 | 26 | 41 | −15 | 29 | |
| 5 | Mariehamn (O) | 27 | 5 | 7 | 15 | 28 | 40 | −12 | 22 | Qualification for the Veikkausliiga play-off final |
| 6 | KTP (R) | 27 | 5 | 5 | 17 | 21 | 44 | −23 | 20 | Relegation to the Ykkösliiga |
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).
(O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- ^ Ilves qualified for the Conference League second qualifying round by winning the 2023 Finnish Cup.
Results
Play-offs
Conference League play-off
Teams placed 3rd-7th (Honka, Inter Turku, Oulu, SJK, and VPS) entered play-off matches for the second spot in the Conference League first qualifying round. The third-placed team (VPS) received 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.[3]
Quarter-finals
| 25 October 2023 | Honka (5th) | 0–0 (a.e.t.) (4–2 p) |
Inter Turku (6th) | Tapiolan urheilupuisto, Espoo |
| 16:00 BST |
| 25 October 2023 | SJK (4th) | 2–2 (a.e.t.) (4–5 p) |
Oulu (7th) | OmaSP Stadion, Seinäjoki |
| 16:00 BST |
Semi-finals
| 28 October 2023 | Honka (5th) | 5–0 | Oulu (7th) | Tapiolan urheilupuisto, Espoo |
| 15:00 BST |
Final
First leg
| 1 November 2023 | Honka (5th) | 0–1 | VPS (3rd) | Tapiolan urheilupuisto, Espoo |
| 16:00 BST |
Second leg
| 5 November 2023 | VPS (3rd) | 1–0 (2–0 agg.) |
Honka (5th) | Hietalahti Stadium, Vaasa |
| 14:00 BST |
Veikkausliiga play-off
The eleventh-placed team (Mariehamn) qualified for a play-off alongside the second, third, and fourth-placed teams from the 2023 Ykkönen (Gnistan, MP, and SJK Akatemia). The third and fourth-placed Ykkönen teams entered the quarter-finals, with the winners facing the second-placed Ykkönen team in the semi-finals. The semi-final winners then face the eleventh-placed Veikkausliiga team, with the winners securing the final place in the 2024 Veikkausliiga. For the quarter and semi-finals, the higher-placed team gained home advantage.
Quarter-finals
| 14 October 2023 | MP (3rd, Ykkönen) | 1–4 | SJK Akatemia (4th, Ykkönen) | Mikkelin Urheilupuisto, Mikkeli |
| 13:00 BST |
Semi-finals
| 21 October 2023 | Gnistan (2nd, Ykkönen) | 4–2 (a.e.t.) | SJK Akatemia (4th, Ykkönen) | Mustapekka Areena, Helsinki |
| 16:00 BST |
Final
First leg
| 25 October 2023 | Gnistan (2nd, Ykkönen) | 0–0 | Mariehamn (11th, Veikkausliiga) | Mustapekka Areena, Helsinki |
| 16:30 BST |
Second leg
| 29 October 2023 | Mariehamn (11th, Veikkausliiga) | 3–0 (3–0 agg.) |
Gnistan (2nd, Ykkönen) | Wiklöf Holding Arena, Mariehamn |
| 13:00 BST |
Top scorers
- As of 1 November 2023[4]
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Bojan Radulović
|
HJK | 18 |
| 2 |  Peter Godly Michael
|
VPS | 17 |
| 3 |  Ashley Coffey
|
Oulu | 13 |
| 4 |  Jaime Moreno
|
SJK | 11 |
| 5 |  Juan Lescano
|
Haka | 9 |
| 6 |  Darren Smith
|
Inter Turku | 8 |
 Santeri Haarala
|
Ilves | ||
| Rasmus Karjalainen
|
Oulu | ||
| 9 | Jeremiah Streng
|
SJK | 7 |
| Elias Mastokangas
|
Haka | ||
| Tuomas Ollila
|
HJK | ||
| Niklas Jokelainen
|
Oulu |
References
- ^ https://www.european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn/archive/fin/avefin23.htm
- ^ «Veikkausliiga: HIFK is relegated after their loss against VPS, and KTP returns to the league». Panoroma Football. 3 October 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ «HJK is the champion in 2023 — KTP’s path leads to the First League». Veikkausliiga.
- ^ «Veikkausliiga perustilastot». Veikkausliiga.
External links
