About Ykkönen
Ykkönen History, Format, Organization, Media Coverage
Ykkönen, formerly the second-highest football division in Finland, is currently the third-tier Finnish football league. It was founded in 1973, and the competition was initially the Nordic country’s second-tier championship from its inauguration until 2023, when it was demoted following the introduction of Ykkösliiga in 2024.
This Finnish football league currently consists of 12 clubs competing every season, with each campaign typically kicking off in April and ending in October. The championship follows a double round-robin format, meaning that each team plays every other club twice (once at home and once away) during the 22-match regular season.
Once the regular campaign wraps up, the top six teams move on to the Promotion Round, while the bottom six enter the Relegation Round. Each team then plays an additional five matches, thus totaling 27 games. The team with the most points wins the title and secures automatic promotion to Ykkösliiga – the Finnish second football division.
On top of that, the Ykkönen runner-up enters the Ykkösliiga playoff. In this fixture, the team faces the second-to-last Ykkösliiga club over two legs, with the winner securing a spot in the Finnish second division for the following season. Meanwhile, the bottom two clubs in the Relegation Round drop to Kakkonen, the Finnish fourth football division. The Kakkonen playoff winners replace the relegated teams.
Despite Ykkönen’s formation in 1973, second-division football has existed in Finland since 1936. That competition was called “Suomensarja” before changing to “II divisioona” (2nd Division) following reforms in 1969. Initially a regional event, Finland's second division went nationwide in 1973 as “1. divisioona” (First Division). The name Ykkönen came into effect from 1995 onward.
MiPK won the inaugural Ykkönen title in 1973. Meanwhile, Klubi 04 became the first club to win this league following its demotion to the third tier in the Finnish football league system. KuPS and MP have also enjoyed admirable success in this division, with the latter being the first team to win this competition in back-to-back seasons (1979 and 1980).
