Ykkönen
Ykkönen (Finnish for 'Number One'; ) is the second highest level of the Finnish football league system (after the Veikkausliiga), although it is the highest league managed by the Football Association of Finland. History. The first league format competition in the second level of Finnish football was called , which was founded in 1936. Before the inauguration of the , from 1930 to 1935, there had been special qualification matches for the right to play in the "Mestaruussarja". In the autumn of 1969, the Finnish football underwent a league system reform, and the was renamed "II divisioona", or 2nd Division, with regional  sections. In 1973, this level of football in Finland became nationwide, and the new name was (First Division). The name has been used since 1995. Competition. Like the "Veikkausliiga", the first division is played mainly during the summer. It comprises 12 clubs, all of whom play 27 matches. After 22 games the division is divided to teams who finished 1-6 and 7-12. These teams play against each other once. The winner of the "Ykkönen" qualifies directly for promotion to "Veikkausliiga", and the team finishing second in the league will play a two-legged promotion playoff against the team  finishing 11th in the Veikkausliiga. The bottom 3 clubs are directly relegated to "Kakkonen". Clubs. The clubs in the "Ykkönen" for the 2022 season are: