TALLINN PLANS TO START CONSTRUCTION OF LEVADIA FOOTBALL HALL NEXT YEAR (2026).

Tallinn Hopes to Start Construction of Levadia Football Hall in Lasnamäe in Early Spring 2026, Awaiting Co-financing from the State and Football Association.

According to Tallinn Deputy Mayor Kaarel Oja, the city hopes to begin construction of the football hall for football club Levadia in the Lasnamäe district in early spring 2026. The city is seeking co-financing for the construction from both the Estonian Football Association and the state.

Football club FCI Levadia initially planned to build the new football hall in Maarjamäe, but in 2021, the state and the football club agreed that the football hall would not be built near the Maarjamäe memorial. The agreement between the state and the football club stipulated that the hall would be built in Lasnamäe or Pirita with state support.

However, in 2024, the Ministry of Finance announced that the state would not be able to support the construction of the football hall. Following this, FCI Levadia announced that it would proceed with the design of the football hall in Maarjamäe anyway.

Tallinn Deputy Mayor for Culture Kaarel Oja confirmed to ERR that the football hall will not be built in Maarjamäe. "Those discussions a few years ago actually created the understanding that from the city's perspective, it is not reasonable and appropriate to continue with this issue. We have now resolved the confusion caused by the state, which on one hand gave land to the Levadia club and on the other hand began to hesitate about not building a football hall there," Oja explained.

According to Oja, the construction of the new football hall at Punane Street 69 in Lasnamäe could begin in early spring 2026. The preliminary design still needs to be approved by the Tallinn Urban Planning Department. "The design conditions will be put up for public review for two weeks, and if no serious counterarguments arise during this process – and I don't think they will – then we will simultaneously prepare the design and construction procurement," Oja said.

"Since the preliminary design of the hall is essentially ready, we could hope that the design and construction procurement will be completed before autumn, the construction contract signed, and then the design will take four to five to six months, followed by construction. So, construction could begin in early spring 2026, and experience shows that the construction of such buildings is a process of up to a year," Oja predicted.

Oja noted that football halls of this type cost in the range of up to four million euros. The city hopes to receive co-financing from both the Estonian Football Association and the state. "Firstly, the Estonian Football Association still owes the city of Tallinn a considerable sum of money in the context of the A. Le Coq Arena, which was built some time ago. The Estonian Football Association has said that they are ready to offset a large part of their debt within the framework of this project. In fact, the state has also promised funding to the Levadia club for the Maarjamäe confusion. At some point, I have been optimistic that the state will fulfill its promises, but today I cannot say exactly what the status of those agreements is," Oja added.