Europe Friendlies 03/23 12:00 - Hammarby v KuPS Kuopio L 2-0
Finland Cup 03/16 12:00 2 Lahti v KuPS Kuopio W 0-2
Europe Friendlies 03/09 13:00 - KuPS Kuopio v FF Jaro W 4-1
Finland Liigacup 02/24 13:00 - [2] KuPS Kuopio v AC Oulu [4] W 3-1
Finland Liigacup 02/17 12:45 - [5] SJK v KuPS Kuopio [4] W 1-3
Finland Liigacup 02/08 13:00 - [6] KuPS Kuopio v VPS Vaasa [4] W 5-0
Finland Liigacup 02/02 13:00 - [3] FC Haka v KuPS Kuopio [6] L 3-1
Finland Liigacup 01/27 13:00 - KuPS Kuopio v FC Ilves L 0-2
Europe Friendlies 01/19 10:00 - AC Oulu v KuPS Kuopio W 2-5
Europe Friendlies 12/16 13:00 - KuPS Kuopio v AC Oulu W 5-0
Finland Veikkausliiga 10/21 14:00 - [1] HJK Helsinki v KuPS Kuopio [2] W 1-2
Finland Veikkausliiga 10/08 13:00 - [2] KuPS Kuopio v FC Honka [5] W 3-1
Finland Veikkausliiga 10/01 15:00 - [2] KuPS Kuopio v SJK [4] D 1-1
Finland Veikkausliiga 09/23 11:00 - [6] FC Inter v KuPS Kuopio [2] W 0-1
Finland Veikkausliiga 09/17 13:00 - [2] KuPS Kuopio v VPS Vaasa [4] L 0-2
Finland Veikkausliiga 09/03 13:00 22 [1] HJK Helsinki v KuPS Kuopio [2] D 2-2
Finland Veikkausliiga 08/27 13:00 21 [10] FC Haka v KuPS Kuopio [1] D 2-2
Finland Veikkausliiga 08/20 13:00 20 [1] KuPS Kuopio v SJK [3] W 3-0
Finland Veikkausliiga 08/13 13:00 19 [10] FC Ilves v KuPS Kuopio [2] W 0-3
UEFA Conference League Qualifying 08/03 16:00 15 KuPS Kuopio v Derry City D 3-3
Finland Veikkausliiga 07/30 13:00 18 [3] KuPS Kuopio v KTP [9] W 2-0
UEFA Conference League Qualifying 07/27 18:45 15 Derry City v KuPS Kuopio L 2-1
Finland Veikkausliiga 07/17 15:00 16 [6] FC Inter v KuPS Kuopio [2] D 1-1
Finland Veikkausliiga 07/08 14:00 14 [1] KuPS Kuopio v VPS Vaasa [12] L 0-1
Finland Cup 07/05 15:00 3 IFK Mariehamn v KuPS Kuopio L 6-5
Finland Veikkausliiga 07/01 16:00 14 [10] Lahti v KuPS Kuopio [1] W 3-4
Finland Veikkausliiga 06/27 15:00 12 [1] KuPS Kuopio v IFK Mariehamn [11] L 0-1
Finland Cup 06/22 14:00 12 KuPS Kuopio v HIFK W 1-0
Finland Veikkausliiga 06/11 15:30 12 [12] VPS Vaasa v KuPS Kuopio [1] W 0-2
Finland Veikkausliiga 06/07 15:00 10 [1] KuPS Kuopio v AC Oulu [4] W 1-0

Wikipedia - Kuopion Palloseura

Kuopion Palloseura, commonly referred to as KuPS, is a Finnish football club based in Kuopio. KuPS plays in Finland's Premier League, Veikkausliiga.

KuPS has won the Finnish championship six times, the Finnish Cup 4 times and the Finnish League Cup once. KuPS holds the Finnish club record of the most consecutive seasons in the top flight, from 1949 to 1992. In addition, KuPS holds the Veikkausliiga club record streak of 33 games without losses, achieved in the 2021 and 2022 seasons. The team is placed fourth in the all-time Finnish Premier League honour table.

The team plays its home matches at Savon Sanomat Areena. Until June 2005, KuPS used to play at an aged track and field stadium in Väinölänniemi, which is said to be one of the most beautiful sporting places in Finland. Väinölänniemi is a cape surrounded by a local lake, Kallavesi.

History

1923–1949 Early History

First team in 1923

One of the first sports clubs in Kuopio to adopt football was Kuopion Reipas who made the sport an official part of their program in 1915. Reipas was a general athletic society which competed in a wide variety of sports like track and field, gymnastics, skiing as well as team sports like bandy. After the Finnish Civil War of 1918 the differing interests of the disciplines began to cause friction within the club which resulted in the club gradually breaking apart during the 1920s. Among the clubs that emerged from Reipas was KuPS, officially founded on March 16, 1923, at Kuopion Seurahuone. Ali Rautakorpi was elected as the club's first chairman. Other sports participated in by the club during its early years were pesäpallo, tennis and bandy.

The 1920s KuPS spent mostly by playing friendly games against other local clubs. First major breakthrough came in 1930 when KuPS won the Savo district championship thereby earning promotion to B-sarja, the second tier of Finnish football at the time, where they remained until 1947 when they were promoted to Mestaruussarja for the first time. KuPS's first stint in the Finnish top division lasted only a single season, but they were promoted again in 1949 and this time remained in the top division for 44 seasons.

Season 2005

Savon Sanomat Areena (Also called Kuopion keskuskenttä), 2010.
KuPS vs HJK at Magnum Areena, Kuopio. Finnish League Cup, March 11, 2008.

KuPS returned to the top flight for the 2005 season after a year in the First Division (Ykkönen). They finished the 2005 season in 10th place, easily avoiding the relegation play-off (13th place) and direct relegation (14th place).

Season 2006

On 1 April 2006 KuPS beat reigning Veikkausliiga champions, MyPa 1–0 in the semi-final of the Finnish League Cup and secured a place in the Finnish League Cup Final. On 12 April 2006 in Finnair Stadium, Helsinki KuPS beat FC KooTeePee 2–1 in the League Cup Final and ended their 17-year run without titles. However, the club ended the 2006 season in last place, and was once again demoted to Ykkönen for the 2007 season. This resulted in manager Juha Malinen being replaced by his former player/assistant manager Kai Nyyssönen.

Reserve team, KuPS Akatemia (tr: KuPS Academy) played in the Second Division Group A (Kakkonen lohko A), but the team was terminated in December 2006 to cut costs and as a replacement, an agreement with Kings Kuopio, which plays also in the Second Division was signed.

In December 2006, it was revealed that the team was heavily in debt and about to go bankrupt. KuPS fans held their breath, until a Helsinki-based CEO of an Investment bank ICECAPITAL, also a former chairman of the Board of the Veikkausliiga, Ari Lahti increased his stake at the club to ca. 95% and saved the club.

Season 2007

Petteri Pennanen trying to get into penalty area of PK-35 on May 27, 2007.

After escaping imminent destruction, season 2007 began with reasonably low expectations. A target to achieve promotion back to top flight in two years was set.

Manager Kai Nyyssönen lured his former team-mate Harri Ylönen back to strengthen the team and to serve as an assistant manager. The duo lured in Roope Reinikainen, Ilja Venäläinen and Miikka Turunen, who also returned to their former home club. Jussi Hakasalo from JJK Jyväskylä and Tero Mäkäläinen from MyPa were new names.

Because of relegation KuPS lost its prized assets, Sierraleonese players, Patrick Bantamoi to FC Inter Turku and Medo to HJK. KuPS and Ghanaian midfielder Seth Ablade parted their ways earlier, with Ablade terminating his contract.

Season 2007 started well with mostly local players. The team suffered a run of draws in the mid-season, but by winning their last six games with their main opponent RoPS of Rovaniemi at the same time losing its lead, KuPS won the league Ykkönen and went straight back. RoPS also achieved a promotion, by winning a promotion play-off against 13th-place finisher of Veikkausliiga, FC Viikingit.

2010-present

KuPS qualified for the UEFA Europa League after finishing second in the Veikkausliiga. They were drawn against Romanian side Gaz Metan Medias in the second qualifying round. Ilja Venäläinen gave KuPS a 1–0 lead going into the second leg in Romania, but the Finnish side fell 2–0 in Mediaș, ending their first European run in 21 years.

In the 2012-13 season, KuPS once again qualified for the Europa League. They beat Welsh side Llanelli in the first qualifying round, before pulling off a shock win against Maccabi Netanya. They fell in the next round to Turkish side Bursaspor, in what was the club's most successful European campaign ever.

KuPS solidified themselves as a mid-table Ykkonen side during the mid 2010s, and began to push for European places again towards the end of the decade, returning to the Europa League in the 2017 season, although their campaign ended almost immediately, with a loss to Copenhagen in the first round.

In the 2019 season KuPS won their first Finnish top-flight title since 1976. They played in the Champions League for the first time in their history next season.

KuPS Kuopio is a professional soccer team based in Kuopio, Finland. The team was founded in 1923 and has a rich history in Finnish soccer. They play their home matches at the Savon Sanomat Areena, which has a capacity of 5,000 spectators.

KuPS Kuopio has won the Finnish championship three times, in 1956, 1958, and 2019. They have also won the Finnish Cup four times, in 1969, 2017, 2019, and 2020. The team has a strong reputation for developing young talent and has produced several players who have gone on to play for top European clubs.

The team's colors are blue and white, and their logo features a stylized eagle. The current head coach is Arne Erlandsen, a Norwegian who has previously coached several top teams in Norway and Denmark.

KuPS Kuopio has a passionate fan base and is known for its lively atmosphere at home matches. The team has a strong rivalry with local rivals JJK Jyväskylä and FC Lahti. Overall, KuPS Kuopio is a respected and successful team in Finnish soccer, with a bright future ahead.