Ilves

Ilves' single league championship came in 1983, and the club has spent the decades since trying to get back there — runners-up in 1985 and again in 2024, third twice more recently, in 2017 and 2025. The Finnish Cup has been friendlier: four wins, in 1979, 1990, 2019 and 2023, with a losing final back in 1977 showing the pursuit had already started well before that.

The club was founded in Tampere in 1931 and carries the nickname Ipa. Yellow and green have stayed the colours since, with black used as trim on the away kit.

Ari Hjelm is the name still measured against: 139 goals in 258 appearances, plus 100 caps for Finland. Markku Wacklin captained the side through the golden run of the 1980s alongside Seppo Räsänen, who went on to the 1980 Olympics, while Harri Holli kept goal for both the 1983 title and the 1979 Cup win. On the women's side, Johanna Lindell made her name between the posts at Ilves before going on to captain Finland.

Friday nights against FC Haka carry the sharpest edge — the Pirkanmaan derby — with an older rivalry against the now-defunct Tampere United still remembered. Reconstruction work sent Ilves away from home for three seasons, playing out of the 16,800-seat Tampere Stadium, before a return in 2024 to a rebuilt Tammelan Stadion, now holding 8,017.