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Kuopion Palloseura, commonly referred to as KuPS, is a Finnish football club based in Kuopio. KuPS competes in Veikkausliiga, the top flight of Finnish football. The team plays its home matches at Kuopio Football Stadium.
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| Full name | Kuopion Palloseura | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Keltamusta (The Yellow-black) Kanarialinnut (The Canaries) | ||
| Founded | 1923 | ||
| Ground | Väre Areena Kuopio | ||
| Capacity | 5,000 (2,700 seated) | ||
| Chairman | Ari Lahti | ||
| Manager | Jani Honkavaara | ||
| League | Veikkausliiga | ||
| 2024 | Veikkausliiga, 1st of 12 (champions) | ||
| Website | www | ||
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KuPS has won the Finnish championship seven times, the Finnish Cup five times and the Finnish League Cup once. The club is placed fourth in the all-time Finnish Premier League honor table.[1]
The club was officially founded on March 16, 1923, at Kuopion Seurahuone. The club was named to Kuopion Palloseura and the abbreviation KPS, which was later changed to KuPS. [2]
The 1920s the club spent mostly by playing friendly games against other local clubs. In the 1930s and early 1940s, the club played second in the highest tier of Finnish football. KuPS was first promoted to Mestaruussarja in 1947 only for a single season. The club was promoted again in 1949 and this time remained in the top tier for 44 seasons. [2]
The first years, KuPS played in black and green shirts with vertical stripes, white pants and black socks. In 1935, the colors were changed to yellow shirt, black pants and yellow and black socks. At the same time, the club's abbreviation changed to KuPS. [3][2]
The golden decades of KuPS take place between the 1950s and 1970s, when the club won five championships, eight silver and one bronze medal. The club also won its first Finnish Cup championship in 1968. [2]
KuPS played in the top flight without significant success in the 1980s. However, the 1980s ended with the club's second Finnish Cup victory in 1989. [2]
In the 1990s, KuPS was in financial problems and even dropped to the third highest league level.[3] In the early 2000s, KuPS spent seasons in both in the First Division and in Veikkausliiga, where it has played ever since 2008. [4]
In the 2019 season KuPS won its sixth league title, coached by Jani Honkavaara. In 2021 and 2022 the club won its third and fourth Cup titles. In the 2024 season, KuPS won its first-ever double championship, after winning the Finnish Championship and the Finnish Cup titles, led again by coach Honkavaara and captain Petteri Pennanen.
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UEFA club competition record
As of 18 July 2023.
| Competition | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA Champions League | 7 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 26 |
| UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League | 29 | 8 | 6 | 15 | 27 | 59 |
| UEFA Conference League | 18 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 32 | 26 |
| Total | 58 | 14 | 16 | 28 | 65 | 118 |
Competitions
| Season | Competition | Round | Country | Club | 1st leg | 2nd leg | Agg. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959–60 | European Cup | Preliminary round |  |
Eintracht Frankfurt | KuPS withdrew | ||
| 1967–68 | European Cup | First round |  |
Saint-Étienne | 0–2 | 0–3 | 0–5 |
| 1969–70 | Cup Winners' Cup | First round |  |
Académica de Coimbra | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 |
| 1975–76 | European Cup | First round |  |
Ruch Chorzów | 0–5 | 2–2 | 2–7 |
| 1976–77 | UEFA Cup | First round |  |
Östers | 3–2 | 0–2 | 3–4 |
| 1977–78 | European Cup | First round |  |
Club Brugge | 0–4 | 2–5 | 2–9 |
| 1978–79 | UEFA Cup | First round |  |
Boldklubben 1903 | 2–1 | 4–4 | 6–5 |
| Second round | |
Esbjerg fB | 0–2 | 1–4 | 1–6 | ||
| 1980–81 | UEFA Cup | First round | |
Saint-Étienne | 0–7 | 0–7 | 0–14 |
| 1990–91 | Cup Winners' Cup | First round |  |
Dynamo Kyiv | 2–2 | 0–4 | 2–6 |
| 2011–12 | Europa League | 2nd qualifying round |  |
Gaz Metan Mediaș | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–2 |
| 2012–13 | Europa League | 1st qualifying round |  |
Llanelli | 2–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 |
| 2nd qualifying round |  |
Maccabi Netanya | 0–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 (a) | ||
| 3rd qualifying round |  |
Bursaspor | 1–0 | 0–6 | 1–6 | ||
| 2018–19 | Europa League | 1st qualifying round | |
FC Copenhagen | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 |
| 2019–20 | Europa League | 1st qualifying round |  |
Vitebsk | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 |
| 2nd qualifying round | |
Legia Warsaw | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | ||
| 2020–21 | Champions League | 1st qualifying round |  |
Molde | 0–5 | ||
| Europa League | 2nd qualifying round |  |
Slovan Bratislava | 1–1 (4–3 p) | |||
| 3rd qualifying round |  |
Sūduva | 2–0 | ||||
| Play-off round | |
CFR Cluj | 1–3 | ||||
| 2021–22 | Europa Conference League | 1st qualifying round |  |
Noah | 0–1 | 5–0 | 5–1 |
| 2nd qualifying round |  |
Vorskla Poltava | 2–2 | 3–2 | 5–4 | ||
| 3rd qualifying round |  |
Astana | 1–1 | 4–3 | 5–4 | ||
| Play-off round | |
Union Berlin | 0–4 | 0–0 | 0–4 | ||
| 2022–23 | Europa Conference League | 1st qualifying round |  |
Dila Gori | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 |
| 2nd qualifying round |  |
Milsami Orhei | 2–2 | 4−1 | 6–3 | ||
| 3rd qualifying round |  |
Young Boys | 0–2 | 0–3 | 0–5 | ||
| 2023–24 | Europa Conference League | 2nd qualifying round |  |
Derry City | 1–2 | 3−3 | 4−5 |
| 2024–25 | Conference League | 1st qualifying round |  |
UNA Strassen | 0−0 | 5−0 | 5−0 |
| 2nd qualifying round | |
Tromsø | 0−1 | 0−1 | 0−2 | ||
| 2025–26 | Champions League | 1st qualifying round | |||||
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As of 4 December 2024. [7][8] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Boardroom
As of 22 October 2024
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Jonni Heikkinen escapes from a PK-37 player in Finnish Cup 5th Round, 2006
Miikka Turunen near the corner flag in Finnish League Cup, 2008
Arto Lindberg trying to keep Tuomas Haapala away
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- Mestaruussarja/Veikkausliiga
- Finnish Cup
- Finnish League Cup
- Champions: 2006
- Runners-up: 2024
- Ykkönen (second tier)
- Kakkonen (third tier)
- Champions: 1998
Aaro Heikkinen (1945–57)
Imre Nagy (1947)- Martti Kosma (1958)
- Reino Miettinen (1959)
- Veijo Pehkonen (1960)
- Asser Väisänen (1960)
- Aaro Heikkinen (1961–65)
- Gunnar Boman (1966–68)
- Veikko Jokinen (1969–71)
- Unto Nevalainen (1969–71)
- Martti Räsänen (1972–79)
- Matti Terästö (initial term) (1980)
- Jarmo Flink (final season) (1980)
- Ari Savolainen (1981)
- Matti Väänänen (1982)
Bogusław Hajdas (1983–85)- Jouko Pasanen (1986)
- Jouko Pasanen (1987)
- Aarre Miettinen (July 1987)
- Heikki Turunen (1988)
- Aarre Miettinen (1988)
- Heikki Turunen (1989)
- Markku Hyvärinen (May 1989)
- Olavi Rissanen (May 1989)
- Martti Räsänen (1990–91)
- Olavi Rissanen (1990–91)
- Martti Räsänen (1992)
- Jouni Jäntti (Sept 1992)
- Markku Hyvärinen (Sept 1992)
- Keijo Voutilainen (Jan 1, 1993 – Dec 31, 1994)
- Hannu Turunen (1995–96)
- Atik Ismail (1995–96)
- Jouni Jäntti (1997–98)
- Ensio Pellikka (1998)
- Heikki Turunen (1999)
- Esa Pekonen (Jan 1, 2000 – Dec 31, 2001)
- Jari Pyykölä (Jan 1, 2002 – June 6, 2003)
- Ismo Lius (June 2003)
- Juha Malinen (Jan 1, 2005 – Dec 31, 2006)
- Kai Nyyssönen (Jan 1, 2007 – June 13, 2009)
- Esa Pekonen (June 14, 2009 – April 24, 2014)
- Marko Rajamäki (May 2, 2014 – 2016)
- Jani Honkavaara (2017–2019)
Arne Erlandsen (2020)- Simo Valakari (2021–2023)
- Pasi Tuutti (Jan 19, 2023 – April 20, 2023)
- Jani Honkavaara (April 21, 2023–)
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