This page summarizes everything related to Estonian football in the year 2024. It contains information about different league systems, national teams, futsal, beach football and most important transfers.
National teams Times are EET/EEST, as listed by UEFA. Association football Men Senior In 2024, Estonian football experienced a year of significant transitions and notable events. The Estonia men's national football team participated in the Euro 2024 qualifying play-offs for the second time, where they were defeated by Poland with a score of 5-1. Long-time head coach Thomas Häberli resigned after three years and 39 matches, marking the end of his tenure, and was succeeded by former assistant coach Jürgen Henn. Häberli and record international player Konstantin Vassiljev both played their last game in the match against Switzerland. Vassiljev retired from national team duty, capping off a distinguished career, which saw him play 158 matches and score 26 goals over 18 years. In Jürgen Henn's initial matches as head coach, Estonia achieved a narrow victory in the Baltic Cup, triumphing over Lithuania in a penalty shootout. The year concluded with another Nations League campaign, where Estonia earned four points from six matches, both coming in their encounters against Azerbaijan. This marked a significant milestone, as for the first time, Estonia avoided finishing last in a C-League season, demonstrating progress in their competitive performance on the European stage.
In addition to the managerial and player changes, 2024 also saw the debut of eight new players for the Estonian national team. These newcomers included Kristo Hussar, Nikita Mihhailov, Andreas Vaher, Kevor Palumets, Ramol Sillamaa, Robert Veering, and Oskar Hõim. Moreover, nine players scored their first goals for the team: Palumets (in his debut), Martin Vetkal, Alex Matthias Tamm (who scored two), Edgar Tur, Danil Kuraksin, Mark Anders Lepik, Ioan Yakovlev, Vlasiy Sinyavskiy and Rocco Robert Shein. These developments marked a new phase for Estonian football as the team adjusted to the leadership of Jürgen Henn and prepared for future competitions.
U21
U19
U17
Women Senior
U17
Futsal Men Senior
U19
Beach Men Senior
League system Association football Men Premium liiga
Relegation play-off:
Esiliiga
Relegation play-off:
Esiliiga B
Relegation play-off:
II liiga The season starts on 23 March and ends on 27 October. The teams in both regions compete in a home-and-away system: all teams face each other twice, accumulating a total of 26 league matches over the course of the season. Reserve teams, which do not have "U21" or "U19" in their name, are ineligible for promotion.
North / East The 2024 II liiga North/East (N/E) division saw significant changes from the previous season. Despite winning the division in 2023, Maardu Linnameeskond was not promoted to Esiliiga B due to non-compliance with league requirements. Consequently, Jõhvi FC Phoenix and JK Noova, who finished as runners-up, secured promotion instead. On the other end of the table, Valga FC Warrior and Kohtla-Järve JK Järve were relegated after finishing last. The departure of these three teams opened up spots for new entrants: Põhja-Tallinna JK Puuma (who joined forces with JK Volta after winning the III liiga West in 2023), Sillamäe FC NPM Silmet (finishing 5th in III liiga East but winning their promotion play-offs), and FC Elva II (returning to II liiga after a fourth-place finish in the 2023 III liiga South). Notably, before the season began, Maardu strengthened their squad by signing two players who had competed in the Meistriliiga the previous year: 31-year-old Aleksandr Kulinitš and 28-year-old Vladimir Avilov. The season saw Maardu Linnameeskond clinch the title for the second consecutive year, showcasing even greater dominance by remaining undefeated with only three draws. Newcomers Põhja-Tallinna JK Puuma made an impressive debut, finishing in second place and securing a spot in the promotion playoffs after an astonishing tally of 132 goals in 26 matches. At the bottom of the table, Ararat and Ajax were relegated. Remarkably, a comparison between last season’s top 10 and this year's reveals that seven teams maintained their positions. Tartu JK Welco II and FC Tallinn U21 swapped places (Welco moved from 6th to 7th, and FC Tallinn from 7th to 6th), while Puuma replaced Jõhvi FC Phoenix in the rankings. Additionally, former Estonian national team player Albert Prosa, playing for Puuma, set a new II liiga North/East record by finishing as the league's top scorer with 40 goals.
South / West The 2024 II liiga South/West (S/W) division experienced several notable changes from the previous season. Despite clinching the top spot in 2023, Harju JK Laagri U21 was not promoted to Esiliiga B. Meanwhile, the bottom two teams, FC Kose and Pärnu JK Poseidon, were relegated. Additionally, Pärnu JK Tervis, which finished 7th, did not rejoin the Estonian league system in 2024. To fill the vacant spots, three clubs were promoted from III liiga: Tallinna FC Zapoos (champions of the 2023 III liiga North), Paide Linnameeskond III (champions of the 2023 III liiga East), and Tabasalu Ulasabat C.F. (2nd place in III liiga West and winners of the promotion playoffs). Notably, Paide III returns to the division, where they were dominant champions from 2018 to 2022. The season saw FC Nõmme United U21 emerge as champions, finishing seven points clear of the second-placed Pärnu JK Vaprus U21. At the other end of the table, JK Tabasalu U21 and Saue JK were relegated after finishing in the bottom two. The third from last place went to Raplamaa JK, who managed to be ahead of Saue by only head-to-head games. On the individual front, Oliver Karlson of Tallinna FC Zapoos claimed the top scorer title, netting 23 goals to lead the scoring charts.
Post-season games: The II Liiga relegation play-outs were not held in 2024 due to a lack of clubs interested in promotion from the lower divisions. Similarly, the championship match between the winners of the league's two groups was canceled after FC Nõmme United U21 was forced to forfeit due to an insufficient number of available players.
III liiga
Champion's match:
IV liiga
Champion's match:
Women Naiste Meistriliiga
Relegation tournament:
Naiste Esiliiga
Naiste Teine liiga
Futsal Men Coolbet saaliliiga Main phase:
Play-offs:
Relegation play-off:
Saalijalgpalli Esiliiga
Beach Men
Läänemere rannajalgpalliliiga In 2024, nine beach soccer clubs will compete for the Baltic Sea League ("Läänemere liiga") title, with four of the teams hailing from Estonia and one team each from Denmark, Lithuania, Latvia, Germany, and Sweden.. The league comprises three stages: the first stage was held on July 13-14 in Pärnu at Düün Beach, the second stage will take place in Germany from July 28-29, and the final stage will be hosted in Pärnu from August 23-24.
Cup competitions Association football Men Tipneri karikavõistlused
Home teams listed on top of bracket. (AET): At Extra Time, (PL): Premium liiga, (EL): Esiliiga, (ELB): Esiliiga B
Small Cup
Home teams listed on top of bracket. (II): II liiga, (III): III liiga, (RL): Rahvaliiga
Women
Home teams listed on top of bracket. (AET): At Extra Time, (PL): Premium liiga, (ELB): Esiliiga B
Futsal Men
Home teams listed on top of bracket. (AET): At Extra Time, (CS): Coolbet Saaliliiga, (EL): Saalijalgpalli Esiliiga
Beach Men
European competitions Association football Men
Women Futsal Men Beach Men
County competition
The Estonian county competition is an annual competition, where all Estonian countys and the capital Tallinn play each other once a year. In 2024, only teams that did not play a match last year, will compete.
Notable transfers Players are listed in an alphabetical order. Players with an "*" behind their name have changed teams inside and outside of Meistriliiga. Player's last team is listed as "free agent" if he has not represented a team in the previous six months. Player's next team is listed as "free agent" if he has not found a new club within the following six months.
Inside Meistriliiga Listed are players, who have joined or left a club participating in the 2024 Meistriliiga. The player must have represented the Estonian national team at least once. The list may also contain more known players, who have either changed their club inside the lower leagues or retired from football. NamePos.AgeFromToDateNotesRef
Outside Meistriliiga Listed are all Estonian footballers, who have joined or left a foreign team. NamePos.AgeFromToDateNotesRef Ilja Antonov MF 31 CS Corvinul Hunedoara free agent 30.01 Terminated his contract with Corvinul. free agent Al-Shabab SC 01.07 Signed a 1 year contract with Al-Shabab. Karl Jakob Hein GK 22 Arsenal F.C. Real Valladolid 13.08 Signed a 1 year loan deal with Valladolid. Matvei Igonen GK 27 FC Hebar Pazardzhik Botev Plovdiv 27.01 Signed a 2.5 year contract with Botev. Oliver Jürgens FW 20 Újpest FC FC DAC 1904 Dunajská Streda 30.01 Signed a 3.5 year contract with DAC. 21 FC DAC 1904 Dunajská Streda SD Ponferradina 20.08 Signed a contract with Ponferradina. Tristan Koskor FW 28 JK Narva Trans Asti Calcio FC 08.02 Signed a contract with Asti. Märten Kuusk DF 27 Újpest FC GKS Katowice 15.01 Signed a 1.5+1 year contract with Katowice. Michael Lilander DF 26 FC Flora Bohemian F.C. 27.01 Signed a 2 year contract with Bohemian. Martin Miller MF 26 FC Flora Bohemian F.C. 27.01 Signed a 2 year contract with Bohemian. Kevor Palumets MF 21 S.V. Zulte Waregem HJK Helsinki 03.07 Signed a 0.5 year loan deal with HJK. Markus Poom MF 24 FC Flora Shamrock Rovers F.C. 06.01 Signed a 1 year loan deal with Shamrock. Sten Reinkort FW 25 FC Flora Bohemian F.C. 09.01 Signed a 2 year contract with Bohemian. 26 Bohemian F.C. Şanlıurfaspor 15.07 Terminated his contract with Bohemian. Signed a 1+1 year contract with Şanlıurfaspor. Şanlıurfaspor free agent 30.08 Terminated his contract with Şanlıurfaspor. Erik Sorga FW 25 Sumgayit FK Ho Chi Minh City FC 02.09 Signed a 2 year contract with HCMC. Aleksandr Šapovalov FW 20 FC Flora PAOK B 16.01 Signed a 0.5 year loan deal with PAOK B. 21 Niki Volos F.C. 06.09 Signed a 1 year contract with Niki Volos. Andreas Vaher DF 19 SC Freiburg II HJK Helsinki 24.01 Signed a 0.5+2 year contract with HJK. Nikita Vassiljev MF 20 FCI Levadia FC ŠTK 1914 Šamorín 07.07 Signed a 1 year loan deal with Šamorin. Bogdan Vaštšuk MF 28 FK Voždovac Al-Shabab SC 29.01 Signed a 1 year contract with Al-Shabab. Martin Vetkal MF 20 AS Roma Primavera IF Brommapojkarna 20.08 Signed a 3 year contract with Brommapojkarna. Sten Jakob Viidas FW 21 Paide Linnameeskond KPV 27.02 Signed a 1 year loan deal with KPV.
Foreign players Listed are all foreign players that have joined or left a team participating in the 2024 Meistriliiga.