2026 Finnish League Cup
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | Finland |
| Dates | 16 January – March 2026 |
| Teams | 12 |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 2 |
| Goals scored | 4 (2 per match) |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Four Players (1 goal each) |
The 2026 Liigacup is the 23rd season of the Finnish League Cup, the primary pre-season football competition for clubs in the Veikkausliiga. Inter Turku entered the tournament as defending champions, having secured their third title by defeating KuPS in the 2025 final.[1]
The tournament features the 12 teams competing in the 2026 Veikkausliiga. The competition returned to a group stage format followed by a knockout round, with matches beginning on 16 January 2026.[2]
Format
The 2026 Liigacup features the 12 clubs from the 2026 Veikkausliiga, organized into two groups of six teams based on geographical location. The competition is played in a single round-robin format during the group stage, where each team plays five matches. The top two teams from Group A and Group B advance to the knockout semi-finals. The tournament concludes with a final match in March 2026 to determine the champion before the league season begins.[3][4]
Group stage
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Inter Turku | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 3 | +5 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | FC Lahti | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | +6 | 6 | |
| 3 | HJK | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 6 | |
| 4 | IFK Mariehamn | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | |
| 5 | Gnistan | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 1 | |
| 6 | TPS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 8 | −7 | 0 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored; 4) head-to-head points; 5) head-to-head goal difference; 6) goals scored in head-to-head
| 16 January 2026 | HJK | 0–1 | IFK Mariehamn | Helsinki |
| 18:00 EET (UTC+2) | Report | Nissinen 54' | Stadium: Talin Jalkapallohalli Attendance: 650 Referee: Mohammad Al-Emara |
| 17 January 2026 | Gnistan | 0–3 | Inter Turku | Helsinki |
| 14:00 EET (UTC+2) | Report | Kouame 15' Botué 55' Krebs 88' |
Stadium: Mustapekka Areena Attendance: 310 Referee: Peiman Simani |
| 24 January 2026 | Inter Turku | v | IFK Mariehamn | Turku |
| 12:00 EET (UTC+2) | Stadium: Veritas Stadium |
| 30 January 2026 | Gnistan | v | IFK Mariehamn | Helsinki |
| 12:30 EET (UTC+2) | Stadium: Mustapekka Areena |
| 31 January 2026 | Inter Turku | v | HJK | Turku |
| 12:00 EET (UTC+2) | Stadium: Veritas Stadium |
| 7 February 2026 | TPS | v | Inter Turku | Turku |
| 12:00 EET (UTC+2) | Stadium: Kupittaa Football Stadium |
| 7 February 2026 | IFK Mariehamn | v | FC Lahti | Mariehamn |
| 15:30 EET (UTC+2) | Stadium: Wiklöf Holding Arena |
| 11 February 2026 | IFK Mariehamn | v | TPS | Mariehamn |
| 16:00 EET (UTC+2) | Stadium: Wiklöf Holding Arena |
| 14 February 2026 | Inter Turku | v | Lahti | Turku |
| 12:00 EET (UTC+2) | Stadium: Veritas Stadium |
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AC Oulu | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 3 | +10 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Ilves | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 6 | |
| 3 | SJK | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 3 | |
| 4 | KuPS | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 3 | |
| 5 | FF Jaro | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 11 | −5 | 3 | |
| 6 | VPS (E) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 9 | −6 | 0 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored; 4) head-to-head points; 5) head-to-head goal difference; 6) goals scored in head-to-head
(E) Eliminated
Knockout stage
The top two teams from each group advance to the knockout stage. The semi-finals will be played in mid-March, with the final scheduled for late March 2026. In the knockout stage, if a match is level at the end of normal playing time, a penalty shoot-out is used to determine the winner (no extra time is played).[5]
Bracket
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| March 2026 | ||||||
| Winner Group A | ||||||
| March 2026 | ||||||
| Runner-up Group B | ||||||
| Winner SF1 | ||||||
| March 2026 | ||||||
| Winner SF2 | ||||||
| Winner Group B | ||||||
| Runner-up Group A | ||||||
Semi-finals
| March 2026 | Winner Group A | v | Runner-up Group B |
| March 2026 | Winner Group B | v | Runner-up Group A |
Final
| March 2026 | Winner SF1 | v | Winner SF2 |
Goalscorers
As of matches played 17 January 2026[6]
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vilho Huovila | Inter Turku | 1 |
| Jiri Nissinen | IFK Mariehamn | ||
| Jean Botué | Inter Turku | ||
| Bismark Ampofo | Inter Turku |
References
- ^ Hiekkaniemi, Paavo (30 March 2025). "Inter juhli Liigacupin voittoa – Turkulaiset vahvoilla myös tulevalla kaudella". Turun Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ "Liigacup 2026". veikkausliiga.com (in Finnish). Veikkausliiga. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ Lehtinen, Eetu (14 November 2025). "Liigacupin lohkojako ja pelitapa vahvistettu kaudelle 2026". Lapin Kansa (in Finnish). Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ "Liigacupin säännöt ja sarjajärjestelmä 2026". palloliitto.fi (in Finnish). Football Association of Finland. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ "Liigacupin 2026 lopputurnauksen aikataulu". veikkausliiga.com (in Finnish). Veikkausliiga. 15 December 2025. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ "Liigacup 2026 - Perustilastot". veikkausliiga.com (in Finnish). Veikkausliiga. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
External links
- Official website (in Finnish)
- Liigacup at the Football Association of Finland (in Finnish)