A. Le Coq Premium liiga starts today, on 7th and 8th of March with five opening-round fixtures: FC Flora vs newly promoted Nõmme United opens the season on Saturday (12:30), followed by Pärnu Vaprus vs Paide (14:30) and Narva Trans vs Harju (17:00). Sunday’s programme is FCI Levadia vs FC Kuressaare (12:30) and Tartu Tammeka vs Super Cup winners Nõmme Kalju FC (14:30).
The 2025 season finished with a tight top four. Flora won the title on 82 points, three ahead of Levadia (79), with Nõmme Kalju FC (74) and Paide (70) completing the leading group. Rauno Sappinen ended the campaign as the league’s top scorer with 21 goals. Vaprus produced one of the season’s standout scorelines with an 8-1 home win over Tammeka, while Levadia’s 9-0 away win at Tallinna Kalev was the league’s biggest result.
The new season has already produced competitive reference points. Nõmme Kalju FC won the A. Le Coq Super Cup 3-1 against Flora in Paide on 28th February. Flora also lost 0-3 to Riga FC in the Livonia Cup on 24th February at the Estonian FA Football Hall, with goals in the 16th, 30th and 79th minutes.
The league’s first week is immediately followed by knockout football in the Estonian Tipner Cup quarter-finals on 10–11th of March: Vaprus vs Tartu Welco (19:00) and Flora vs Nõmme United on 10th of March (18:00), then Narva Trans vs Viimsi and Paide vs Kalev on 11th of March (both 18:00).
FC Flora
Flora start 2026 as reigning champions after a 2025 league season that delivered 82 points from 36 matches. Konstantin Vassiljev leads the team into the new campaign.
The opening week is unusually concentrated. Flora face FC Nõmme United twice in three days: first in the league opener on 7 March (12:30), then again in the Tipner Cup quarter-final on 10 March (18:00). That sequence arrives after two competitive defeats: a 3-1 Super Cup loss to Kalju and a 3-0 loss to FC Riga in the Livonia Cup final. This, according to Vassiljev, however, is a good thing, so Flora fans have nothing to be concerned about going into regular season.
The winter window brought change on the right side of defence. Right-back Kristo Hussar moved to AS Trenčín, while experienced midfielder Ilja Antonov arrived and has already featured in competitive minutes. For Flora, the early weeks combine the immediate pressure of two games against the same opponent with a schedule that has already included trophy matches.
FCI Levadia
Levadia come into 2026 after losing the title, finishing second in 2025 on 79 points and scoring 89 goals across the season. Vjatšeslav Zahovaiko takes over from Spaniard Curro Torres who left for Real Murcia CF.
Their 2025 title run-in ended with a 2-2 draw away to Harju as Flora secured the championship elsewhere. Following a strong start to the season and demonstrating some energetic football, Levadia all but fell apart after their shock defeat to Differdange 03 in Conference League qualifier. Since then, things had gone from bad to worse as their arch-rivals, Flora, steadily picked up form while Levadia struggled to piece results together.
Given their winter signings and the statements made by the owner – Viktor Levada – at the end of previous season, it does not seem likely that Levadia will have it in them to make a title push this season.
Levadia open 2026 at home against FC Kuressaare on 8 March (12:30). The key off-season addition is Joseph Saliste, signed from Paide on a three-year contract, giving Levadia an experienced domestic option ahead of the new campaign.
Nõmme Kalju FC
Kalju finished third in 2025 and begin 2026 with silverware after winning the A. Le Coq Super Cup 3-1 against Flora. Nikita Andreev continues as head coach.
The Super Cup provides an immediate competitive marker. Mattias Männilaan’s hat-trick delivered the trophy, and the match also included a second-half red card shown to Flora’s Sander Tovstik. Kalju also carry forward one of the league’s most productive creators from last season: Nikita Ivanov finished 2025 with 14 assists.
Kalju begin the league season away at Tartu Tammeka on 8 March (14:30), with a quick transition from Super Cup celebration into points football. Their key signing was central midfielder Bogdan Vaštštuk as a free agent, after he was released from Kuwaiti side Al Shabab.
With both Flora and Levadia in some form of rebuild after 2025, and aided by squad continuity, good goalkeeper lineup, and some sensible winter signings, Kalju might have a real chance of reclaiming the Premium liiga title last held all the way back in 2018.
Paide Linnameeskond
Paide finished fourth in 2025 on 70 points, staying attached to the top four while falling short of the title race’s final step. Vladimir Vassiljev continues as head coach with expectations of challenging for the title.
Paide’s opening is demanding in both league and cup. They begin away at Pärnu Vaprus on 7 March (14:30), then host Kalev in the Tipner Cup quarter-final on 11 March (18:00). That March calendar leaves little space for a slow start.
The most notable winter move is the signing of Brazilian midfielder Daniel Cabral on a three-year contract, a major addition to a squad built to compete at the top end of the table.
On paper, Paide have (not for the first time) one of the strongest sides going into 2026 – provided they can actually build on that and not continue their reputation of being the ‘Arsenal of Estonia’.
Narva Trans
Narva Trans finished fifth in 2025 with 51 points and return with the same target that typically defines their season: pushing from the middle tier into the positions above. Roman Kozhukhovskyi continues as head coach and Narva again base their campaign on the Kalev-Fama Stadium home programme.
The key winter change is in goal. Narva signed 20-year-old goalkeeper Daniil Pareiko on a two-year contract, confirming he will wear number 27.
Narva begin at home against Harju on 7 March (17:00) in the Narva indoor hall, which is pending demolition, and then host Viimsi in the Tipner Cup quarter-final on 11 March (18:00). With cup football arriving immediately after the opening weekend, Narva’s early month combines league points with a direct route to a semi-final.
Pärnu Vaprus
Vaprus finished sixth in 2025 on 49 points and again positioned themselves as a competitive side capable of producing standout performances. Their 8-1 home win over Tammeka was one of the season’s defining results. Igor Prins remains head coach, while Taavi Viik was brought in as assistant coach in place of Henri Rüütli, who now concentrates on youth work.
The new season begins with a high-level league test at home to Paide on 7 March (14:30), followed by a Tipner Cup quarter-final at home to Tartu JK Welco on 10 March (19:00). The combination puts immediate emphasis on both points and progression.
Having sold youth sensation Paalberg to France for a record fee, Vaprus added a proven attacking option for 2026 with Mark Anders Lepik joining on loan from Flora until the end of the season.
Harju Laagri
Harju finished seventh in 2025 with 36 points, completing the season with a draw against Levadia in the final round and avoiding the all-too-common fate of promoted Esiliiga clubs – immediate relegation. Lauri Nuuma remains head coach.
Harju’s 2026 campaign begins with an away trip to Narva Trans on 7 March (17:00). Their opening fixtures quickly shape the baseline of the season, particularly as Harju again look to convert their home programme and continuity into consistent points.
Tartu Tammeka
Tammeka finished eighth in 2025 on 30 points and conceded 83 goals across the season. Their 2026 opener is a home match against Super Cup winners Nõmme Kalju FC on 8 March (14:30).
Tammeka have moved early in the market. Winger Pavel Marin joined on a two-year contract, and Brazilian midfielder Thomas Lisboa arrived from Corinthians U20 on a three-year deal. The opening weeks provide an immediate read on how those additions integrate against top-four opposition. Ex-Estonian men’s national team head coach Karel Voolaid has also been appointed as head coach.
FC Kuressaare
Kuressaare finished ninth in 2025 with 28 points and kept their top-flight place through the relegation play-off against Viimsi, winning 3-0 on aggregate. They took the first leg 1–0 away on 22 November and completed the job with a 2-0 home win on 29 November. Sander Post remains in charge.
Kuressaare begin 2026 with a demanding away fixture at Levadia on 8 March (12:30). Their winter business includes the return of experienced defender Marco Lukka on a two-year deal, adding proven top-flight minutes to a squad that had to fight through the play-offs to stay up.
FC Nõmme United
Nõmme United return to Premium liiga after a record breaking Esiliiga season in 2025: 92 points, 125 goals scored and 27 conceded, with promotion secured with three games remaining. Slawomir Krzysztof Cisakowski leads the side.
The opening week is immediately intense. United start away to champions Flora on 7 March (12:30) and then face Flora again in the Tipner Cup quarter-final on 10 March (18:00). That sequence provides a fast introduction to the league’s top end and a knockout test at the same time.
United’s squad includes a core of experienced names and new arrivals. The group includes Zakaria Beglarishvili, Andre Frolov, Egert Õunapuu, Kevin Mätas, Dutch midfielder Koen Oostenbrink, and Japanese centre-back Yosuke Morishige (1.98m).
What to watch out for and our predictions:
For the first time in the last few years, the Flora-Levadia due do not appear to be poised for a two-horse race at the top of Estonia’s top flight. Both clubs are in different modes of rebuild, and both will almost certainly be easier to compete against for the rest of the league than in 2025. The question then becomes about those ‘best of the rest’ – Paide and Kalju. Will they have it in them to make a push for the title? On paper, both seem likely as Paide has a very strong squad and Kalju benefit from continuity and early trophy boost. In practice, however, beating either of the Tallinn ‘green giants’ will require far more resilience than that.
Still, Baltic Football News are optimistic, and so here are our Premium liiga 2026 predictions:
- Paide Linnameeskond
- FC Flora
- Nõmme Kalju FC
- FCI Levadia
- Narva Trans
- Pärnu Vaprus
- Tartu
- Harju Laagri
- FC Nõmme United
- FC Kuressaare
