Levadia
FCI Levadia Tallinn, commonly known as FCI Levadia or simply Levadia, is a professional football club based in Tallinn, Estonia, founded in 1998. The club competes in the Meistriliiga, Estonia's top football division, and plays their home matches at the 14,336-seat Lilleküla Stadium (A. Le Coq Arena). Levadia are the second most successful club in Estonian football history with 31 domestic titles, including 11 Meistriliiga championships, a record 11 Estonian Cups, and 9 Estonian Supercups. The club has never been relegated from the Estonian top division since joining in 1999.
History
Overview
General information about the club
FCI Levadia Tallinn was originally founded on 22 October 1998 when Viktor Levada's Levadia Group OÜ became the official sponsor of Maardu-based Esiliiga club Olümp. The club has undergone several transformations, moving from Maardu to Tallinn in 2000, officially affiliating with the capital city in 2004, and merging with FC Infonet Tallinn in 2017 to become FCI Levadia. The club's colors are green and white, with green symbolizing that "Levadia" roughly translates to meadow in both Ukrainian and Greek.
Most recent season and achievements
In the 2024 season, Levadia achieved a remarkable double, winning both their 11th Premium Liiga title and defeating Paide Linnameeskond 4–2 in the 2023–24 Estonian Cup final. The club began 2025 by winning their 9th Estonian Supercup against Nõmme Kalju, though they later lost the 2024–25 Estonian Cup final to the same opponent on penalties.
History
Early years
Levadia's journey began when they won the 1998 Esiliiga and earned promotion to the Meistriliiga. Before their first top-flight season, the club merged with JK Tallinna Sadam to secure European qualification. Under head coach Sergei Ratnikov, Levadia made an immediate impact in 1999, becoming the first team to win the Meistriliiga, Estonian Cup, and Estonian Supercup in the same year. They repeated this treble in 2000, going unbeaten in the league while playing their home matches at Kadriorg Stadium after moving from Maardu.
Successful period
The period from 2004 to 2016 marked Levadia's most dominant era. After officially relocating to Tallinn in 2004 and renaming from Levadia Maardu to Levadia Tallinn, the club won the 2004 league title under Tarmo Rüütli. Levadia achieved European success in the 2006–07 UEFA Cup, becoming the first Estonian club to reach the first round after defeating Haka and Twente, though they were eventually eliminated by Newcastle United. The club's golden period included four consecutive Meistriliiga titles from 2006 to 2009, with the 2009 title achieved with a record 97 points under Igor Prins.
Crisis and recovery
Following Rüütli's departure to coach the Estonia national team in 2008, Levadia experienced a period of instability with frequent coaching changes. The club hit their lowest point in 2011, finishing fourth in the league under Sergei Hohlov-Simson. Recovery came under Marko Kristal, who led the team to Meistriliiga titles in 2013 and 2014, though the club struggled to maintain consistency in subsequent years.
Current period
The merger with FC Infonet Tallinn in 2017 created FCI Levadia, with Aleksandar Rogić initially taking charge. After moving to A. Le Coq Arena in 2019 and enduring coaching instability, the club found success under the joint management of Marko Savić and Vladimir Vassiljev, ending a 7-year title drought in 2021. Following another turbulent period in 2022, former Spanish international Curro Torres was appointed manager in November 2022, leading the club to their recent double success in 2024.
Achievements and Honors
Domestic competitions
Levadia has achieved remarkable domestic success with 31 total titles. In league competitions, they have won the Meistriliiga 11 times (1999, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2021, 2024) and the Esiliiga once in 1998. The club holds a record 11 Estonian Cup victories (1998–99, 1999–2000, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2017–18, 2020–21, 2023–24) and has won the Estonian Supercup 9 times (1999, 2000, 2001, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2018, 2022, 2025).
Continental and global competitions
While Levadia has not won any continental titles, they achieved notable European success by becoming the first Estonian club to reach the first round of the UEFA Cup in the 2006–07 season. The club participated in various UEFA competitions, including the Champions League, where they notably defeated The New Saints 6–2 on aggregate in 2000–01 before losing to Shakhtar Donetsk.
Symbols and Colors
Current logo and logo history
The source material does not provide specific information about Levadia's logo design or its historical evolution.
Traditional home and away kits colors
Levadia's traditional colors are green and white, with green serving as the primary color. The green symbolically represents that "Levadia" roughly translates to meadow in both Ukrainian (Левада) and Greek (λιβάδιον), connecting the club's identity to natural grasslands.
Traditional club anthem
The source material does not contain information about Levadia's club anthem.
Traditional Rivals
FC Flora
Levadia's deepest rivalry is with FC Flora, and matches between the two clubs are known as the Tallinn Derby (Estonian: Tallinna derbi). This rivalry began in 1999 when Levadia entered the Meistriliiga and immediately challenged the reigning champions Flora for the title, winning the treble in their debut top-flight season. Both clubs are the biggest and most successful in Estonian football. In the early 2000s, the rivalry had linguistic and cultural dimensions, with Levadia perceived as the club of choice for Russian-speaking residents and Flora for Estonian speakers, though this image has since faded. Since 2019, both clubs share the A. Le Coq Arena as their home ground, with the attendance record of 3,510 set on 28 June 2023.
Club Traditions and Behind the Scenes
Sponsors
The source material mentions that Lilleküla Stadium is commonly known as A. Le Coq Arena for sponsorship reasons, but does not provide detailed information about current or historical sponsors beyond the founding sponsorship by Viktor Levada's Levadia Group OÜ.
Nicknames
The source material does not provide information about specific club nicknames beyond the common abbreviations FCI Levadia and simply Levadia.
Ownership and finances
The club was originally founded through the sponsorship of Viktor Levada's Levadia Group OÜ in 1998. The source mentions that CEO Sergei Hohlov-Simson and sporting director Tarmo Kink left the club during the turbulent 2022 season, but does not provide detailed information about current ownership structure or financial situation.
Traditions and culture
Levadia has maintained strong traditions since its founding, including the symbolic meaning of their green and white colors representing meadowlands. The club has consistently competed at the highest level of Estonian football since 1999 without ever being relegated from the top division, establishing a culture of sustained excellence in Estonian football.
Stadium
Levadia's current home ground is the 14,336-seat Lilleküla Stadium, commonly known as A. Le Coq Arena for sponsorship reasons. Opened in 2001 and expanded from 2016 to 2018, it is Estonia's largest football stadium and also serves as home to rival FC Flora and the Estonian national team. The stadium is located at Jalgpalli 21, Kesklinn, Tallinn. For training and winter matches, Levadia uses Sportland Arena artificial turf stadium, while their summer and autumn training takes place at the Maarjamäe training complex. From 2000 to 2018, the club played at Kadriorg Stadium, one of Estonia's oldest football stadiums built from 1922 to 1926.