Paide Women one point from ending Flora’s eight-year reign in Estonia

by Raphaël Bedani

Paide Linnanaiskond need a draw at home to Harju Laagri on Sunday to win the Estonian women’s championship in their first top-flight season, despite losing three of their five meetings with Flora.

Paide go into the final round on 51 points, three ahead of Flora, with both matches kicking off at 17:00. A Paide defeat would give Flora the title only if they beat Elva, since Flora’s superior head-to-head record would put them ahead if the clubs finished level.

A League Short of Clubs

The 2026 championship was planned for seven teams. FC Ararat withdrew in September 2025, Kalev ended its senior women’s team after the season and Tartu Tammeka chose the second division, so the Estonian Football Association invited clubs outside the previous top group to apply for licences on sporting results, which Paide and Harju accepted. Tabasalu’s withdrawal in January reduced the league to six, producing a 25-round season in which each club meets every opponent five times.

Building the Squad

Paide appointed Sirje Kapper, a former co-head coach of Estonia’s women’s national team, in January 2025 and set a five-year ambition to win the national championship, which the club is within a match of achieving less than two years later. The squad included Lisette Tammik, who had helped Flora win eight Estonian championships before joining Paide in January.

Paide won 2-1 away to Flora on 12 September through a Kirkeliis Lillemets penalty and a goal from Lisandra Rannasto, before the club had made its only overseas signing. With the sisters Aleksandra and Nicole Kelli set to join Tharros in Italy, Paide used an exception permitting one professional registration after the normal window to sign the American forward Kennedy Avery Mayo on 18 September, on a contract to the end of the season. The Tharros move collapsed when the Italian club failed to secure its licence, and Aleksandra returned to Paide while Nicole remained in Italy.

Mayo opened the scoring in the 2-0 home win over Flora on 16 October after Lillemets won the ball near the penalty area, and Tammik set up Marie Kiivit for the second. The result brought the clubs level on points.

Where the Points Came From

The meetings with Flora left Paide three points behind in that series, so their lead has been built elsewhere. Against Saku and Viimsi they have 18 points to Flora’s 17, and against Harju and Elva they have taken all 27 available from nine matches, while Flora have 22 after losing 3-2 at Elva on 29 August and drawing 2-2 with Harju. The five points gained against the bottom two have outweighed everything Flora won in the direct contest.

Saku Sporting, assured of bronze on 44 points, created the opening for Paide to move clear when they beat Flora 3-0 on 30 October. Paide won 5-0 at Viimsi the following day, with a Tammik hat-trick and two goals from Mayo, to turn a level race into a three-point lead. Saku had beaten Paide by the same score on 3 October, which makes them a third side capable of taking points from either contender.

The Final Day

Paide have organised Sunday as a community occasion before the title is secure, with Traffic due to perform, adult tickets at €3 and the match shown live on Soccernet TV. Kapper has previously argued that the pressure belongs to Flora, who have eight consecutive titles and are pursuing a ninth. A draw would instead make Paide the first champions other than Flora since Pärnu in 2017.