| Competition: | Meistriliiga |
| Season: | 2016 |
| Winners: | Infonet (1st title) |
| Relegated: | Tarvas |
| Continentalcup1: | Champions League |
| Continentalcup1 Qualifiers: | Infonet |
| Continentalcup2: | Europa League |
| Continentalcup2 Qualifiers: | Levadia Nõmme Kalju Flora |
| League Topscorer: | Yevgeni Kabaev (25 goals) |
| Best Goalkeeper: | Sergei Lepmets (18 clean sheets) |
| Biggest Home Win: | Paide 7–0 Tarvas (23 August 2016) |
| Biggest Away Win: | Tarvas 0–6 Trans (1 October 2016) (29 October 2016) |
| Highest Scoring: | Levadia 7–1 Paide (24 July 2016) Pärnu 1–7 Trans (29 October 2016) |
| Longest Wins: | 10 matches Infonet |
| Longest Unbeaten: | 14 matches Infonet |
| Longest Winless: | 36 matches Tarvas |
| Longest Losses: | 16 matches Tarvas |
| Matches: | 180 |
| Total Goals: | 582 |
| Prevseason: | 2015 |
| Nextseason: | 2017 |
The 2016 Meistriliiga (known as A. Le Coq Premium Liiga for sponsorship reasons[1]) was the 26th season of the Meistriliiga, the highest division of Estonian football system. The season began on 4 March 2016 and concluded on 5 November 2016.[2] [3]
Infonet won the league on the last matchday of the season, finishing with 80 points. It was their first league title.[4]
A total of 10 teams will contest the league. These include 9 teams from the 2015 season and one promoted team from the 2015 Esiliiga: Tarvas, making their debut in the top flight. Tarvas replaces Tulevik who were relegated from the Meistriliiga after a single season. In the relegation play-off Tammeka successfully defended their league spot by defeating challengers Tallinna Kalev.
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players and Managers may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flora |  Argo Arbeiter | Gert Kams | Nike | Tele2[14] | |
| Infonet | Aleksandr Puštov | Andrei Kalimullin | Joma | Infonet | |
| Levadia | Igor Prins | Rimo Hunt | Adidas | Viimsi Keevitus | |
| Narva Trans |  Adyam Kuzyaev | Roman Nesterovski | Nike | Sportland | |
| Nõmme Kalju | Sergei Frantsev | Vitali Teleš | Adidas | Optibet[15] | |
| Paide Linnameeskond | Meelis Rooba | Lauri Varendi | Nike | Enemat | |
| Pärnu Linnameeskond | Marko Lelov | Karl Palatu | Hummel | Wendre[16] | |
| Sillamäe Kalev |  Algimantas Briaunys Vadym Dobizha | Mihhail Starodubtsev | Uhlsport | Alexela | |
| Tammeka | Indrek Koser | Kaarel Kiidron | Nike | Sportland | |
| Tarvas | Urmas Kirs | Kaarel Saar | Nike | Aqva Hotel & Spa |
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Replaced by | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Levadia | Marko Kristal | Sacked | 7 November 2015[17] | Pre-season | Sergei Ratnikov | 7 November 2015 |
| Nõmme Kalju |  Getúlio Fredo | Caretaker spell over | 7 November 2015[18] | Sergei Frantsev | 7 November 2015 | |
| Sillamäe Kalev | Denis Ugarov | Sacked | 24 May 2016[19] | 8th | Algimantas Briaunys (caretaker) Vadym Dobizha (caretaker) | 24 May 2016 |
| Tarvas | Valeri Bondarenko | Sacked | 4 June 2016[20] | 10th | Urmas Kirs | 4 June 2016 |
| Flora | Norbert Hurt | Resigned | 8 July 2016[21] | 4th | JĂĽrgen Henn (caretaker) | 8 July 2016 |
| Levadia | Sergei Ratnikov | Sacked | 11 July 2016 [22] | 2nd | Igor Prins | 11 July 2016[23] |
| Flora | JĂĽrgen Henn | Caretaker spell over | 13 July 2016 | 4th | Argo Arbeiter | 13 July 2016[24] |
At season's end Pärnu, the ninth place club, participated in a two-legged play-off with Maardu Linnameeskond, the runners-up (of independent teams) of the 2016 Esiliiga, for the spot in 2017 Meistriliiga.[25]
Pärnu Linnameeskond won 9–4 on aggregate and retained their Meistriliiga spot for the 2017 season.
Each team plays every opponent four times, twice at home and twice away, for a total of 36 games.
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[26] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yevgeni Kabaev | Sillamäe Kalev | 25 |
| 2 | Rauno Sappinen | Flora | 19 |
| Vjatšeslav Zahovaiko | Paide Linnameeskond | ||
| 4 | Rauno Alliku | Flora | 15 |
| 5 | Anton Miranchuk | Levadia | 14 |
| Dmitri Proshin | Narva Trans | ||
| Ats Purje | Nõmme Kalju | ||
 Sakari Tukiainen | Flora | ||
| 9 | Kristjan Tiirik | Tammeka | 12 |
| Vladimir Voskoboinikov | Infonet |
| Player | For ! | Against ! | Result | Date | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sakari Tukiainen5 | 6–0 | 8 March 2016[27] | ||||
| Vjatšeslav Zahovaiko | 4–2 | 13 May 2016[28] | ||||
| Albert Prosa | 4–2 | 13 May 2016[29] | ||||
| Rauno Alliku4 | 5–0 | 19 June 2016[30] | ||||
 Rizvan Umarov | 4–1 | 19 June 2016[31] | ||||
| Vjatšeslav Zahovaiko | 3–0 | 9 July 2016[32] | ||||
| 6–1 | 10 July 2016[33] | |||||
| 7–1 | 24 July 2016[34] | |||||
| 3–0 | 29 July 2016[35] | |||||
| Yevgeni Kabaev4 | 5–1 | 30 July 2016[36] | ||||
| Vjatšeslav Zahovaiko | 4–1 | 9 September 2016[37] | ||||
| Tammeka | 5–0 | 9 September 2016[38] | ||||
| Nõmme Kalju | 4–0 | 17 September 2016[39] | ||||
| 6–1 | 1 October 2016[40] | |||||
| 7–1 | 29 October 2016[41] |
| Club | Average attendance[42] | |
|---|---|---|
| 388 | ||
| 321 | ||
| 297 | ||
| 285 | ||
| 234 | ||
| 222 | ||
| 206 | ||
| 205 | ||
| 174 | ||
| 144 | + | |
| League average | 248 |
| Month | Manager of the Month | Player of the Month | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manager | Club | Player | Club | ||
| March[43] | Aleksandr Puštov | Infonet |  Ofosu Appiah | Infonet | |
| April[44] | Meelis Rooba | Paide Linnameeskond | Andrei Sidorenkov | Nõmme Kalju | |
| May[45] | Aleksandr Puštov | Infonet | Anton Miranchuk | Levadia | |
| June/July[46] | Algimantas Briaunys | Sillamäe Kalev | Dmitri Kruglov | Infonet | |
| August[47] | Argo Arbeiter | Flora | Gert Kams | Flora | |
| September[48] | Igor Prins | Levadia | Vjatšeslav Zahovaiko | Paide Linnameeskond | |
| October[49] | Sergei Frantsev | Nõmme Kalju | Yevgeni Kabaev | Sillamäe Kalev | |
Yevgeni Kabaev was named Meistriliiga Player of the Year.[50]
