Introducing the opponent: Tampereen Ilves (Finland)
Tuesday, June 17, 2025
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Shakhtar will face Finnish Ilves in the opening qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League
Introducing the first opponent of the Miners in the 2025/26 European season.
History and path to the Europa League
FC Ilves was founded in 1931 in southern Finland in Tampere, the third most populous city in the country. In the early stages, the team played mostly in regional competitions and was restructured from football to hockey team several times. Current Ilves was formed only in 1974, after the merger of three local clubs. Throughout their history, the Lynx (which is how “ilves” is translated from Finnish) have been national champions once (1983), won silver (1985, 2024) and bronze (1984, 2017) in the Veikkausliiga twice, and also won the Finnish Cup three times (1979, 1990, 2019).
In the 2024 season (the Finnish championship is played in the spring-autumn format), Ilves finished second in the Veikkausliiga, having gained 54 points in 27 matches (with the best goal difference of 56–27), and earned the right to perform in UEFA Europa League qualifying.
Current season
Ilves started the 2025 season by participating in the winter League Cup, where the team passed five stages and only lost 0-4 to Inter Turku in the semi-final. In the Finnish championship, the Lynx have 7 wins, 1 draw and 3 losses after 11 rounds and are in second spot in the standings with 22 points (goal difference: 24–12). The Tampere team were eliminated from the domestic Cup at the end of May, losing to Gnistan in the first round (0-3).
Team squad and leaders
Head coach of Ilves is 37-year-old Finnish specialist Joonas Rantanen, who has been leading the team since October 2023. The team consists mainly of Finnish footballers, as well as several internationals and players with dual citizenship. The captain is 31-year-old goalkeeper Otso Virtanen. The most valuable player according to Transfermarkt is right winger Oiva Jukkola (estimated value is EUR 450 thousand). The top scorers this season are forward Roope Riski (6 goals and 2 assists) and midfielder Lauri Ala-Myllymäki (6 goals and 1 assist).
Stadium
Ilves’ home ground is the Tammela Stadium, which has a capacity of 8,017. The arena was opened in early 2024, has an artificial turf and meets the UEFA Category 4 criteria. The stadium is also used for matches of Finland U21 and the Finland women’s national team.
History and path to the Europa League
FC Ilves was founded in 1931 in southern Finland in Tampere, the third most populous city in the country. In the early stages, the team played mostly in regional competitions and was restructured from football to hockey team several times. Current Ilves was formed only in 1974, after the merger of three local clubs. Throughout their history, the Lynx (which is how “ilves” is translated from Finnish) have been national champions once (1983), won silver (1985, 2024) and bronze (1984, 2017) in the Veikkausliiga twice, and also won the Finnish Cup three times (1979, 1990, 2019).
In the 2024 season (the Finnish championship is played in the spring-autumn format), Ilves finished second in the Veikkausliiga, having gained 54 points in 27 matches (with the best goal difference of 56–27), and earned the right to perform in UEFA Europa League qualifying.
Current season
Ilves started the 2025 season by participating in the winter League Cup, where the team passed five stages and only lost 0-4 to Inter Turku in the semi-final. In the Finnish championship, the Lynx have 7 wins, 1 draw and 3 losses after 11 rounds and are in second spot in the standings with 22 points (goal difference: 24–12). The Tampere team were eliminated from the domestic Cup at the end of May, losing to Gnistan in the first round (0-3).
Team squad and leaders
Head coach of Ilves is 37-year-old Finnish specialist Joonas Rantanen, who has been leading the team since October 2023. The team consists mainly of Finnish footballers, as well as several internationals and players with dual citizenship. The captain is 31-year-old goalkeeper Otso Virtanen. The most valuable player according to Transfermarkt is right winger Oiva Jukkola (estimated value is EUR 450 thousand). The top scorers this season are forward Roope Riski (6 goals and 2 assists) and midfielder Lauri Ala-Myllymäki (6 goals and 1 assist).
Stadium
Ilves’ home ground is the Tammela Stadium, which has a capacity of 8,017. The arena was opened in early 2024, has an artificial turf and meets the UEFA Category 4 criteria. The stadium is also used for matches of Finland U21 and the Finland women’s national team.