Kuopio plans €13 million football stadium with UEFA backing

Kuopio city council will decide on a €13 million investment in an 8,000-seat football stadium after the Midsummer break, public broadcaster Yle reports, with construction tenders set to open if the plan wins approval on 22 June.

The updated project, which replaces the ageing central stadium used by reigning Finnish champions Kuopion Palloseura (KuPS), relies on a two-party model: the city would fund sports infrastructure while a private real estate partner develops commercial spaces. The city would then lease the sports facilities and let businesses manage their own operations in the retail areas.

UEFA has conditionally pledged €1 million toward the project, provided construction begins in 2027 and the venue meets its fourth-category standards—enabling it to host group-stage matches in the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League. The city will also seek additional funding from Finland’s Ministry of Education and Culture.

Last season, KuPS was forced to play its historic Conference League home fixtures in Tampere due to inadequate facilities. The new stadium would match the capacity of Tampere’s Tammela Stadium, completed in 2024.

Efforts to modernise Kuopio’s central stadium have stalled for over a decade, with previous plans collapsing over funding and feasibility issues. The current main stand, built in 2005, seats 2,700, while a deteriorating wooden terrace opposite holds 500. KuPS men’s team are the defending Finnish league champions; the women’s side finished runners-up in the national league last season.