 | |
| Founded | 1991; 34 years ago (1991) asVyshcha Liha 2008; 17 years ago (2008) asUkrainska Premier Liha |
|---|---|
| Country | Ukraine |
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Number of clubs | 16 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Ukrainian First League |
| Domestic cups | |
| International cups | |
| Current champions | Dynamo Kyiv (17th title) (2024–25) |
| Most championships | Dynamo Kyiv (17 titles) |
| Most appearances | Oleksandr Shovkovskyi (426) |
| Top scorer | Serhiy Rebrov,Maksim Shatskikh (123) |
| Broadcaster(s) |
|
| Website | upl.ua |
| Current:2025–26 Ukrainian Premier League | |
TheUkrainian Premier League (Ukrainian:"Українська Прем'єр-ліга"[ʊkrɐˈjinʲsʲkɐpreˈmjɛrˈl⁽ʲ⁾iɦɐ]) orUPL is a professionalassociation football league inUkraine and the highest level of theUkrainian football league system.
Originally known as theVyshcha Liha (Ukrainian:Вища ліга[ˈwɪʃtʃɐˈl⁽ʲ⁾iɦɐ],lit. 'Higher League') it was formed in 1991, after thefall of theSoviet Union, and the consequent discontinuation of theSoviet Top League.[1] In the first season in1992, the Ukrainian league included the Ukraine-based clubs that competed previously in the Soviet top three tiers competitions, as well as better clubs of theUkrainian republican competitions. The initial season of the league featured six formerSoviet Top League clubs among which wereDynamo Kyiv,Shakhtar Donetsk,Chornomorets Odesa,Dnipro,Metalist Kharkiv,Metalurh Zaporizhzhia, as well as four more clubs that previously also competed at the top league. The first edition was played during the first semester of the year, as it was decided to synchronise the Ukrainian football calendar with most European leagues. That first tournament was won byTavriya Simferopol, a club based inCrimea. That was the only edition of the league not won by either Dynamo or Shakhtar.
The Ukrainian Premier League is also a public organization of professional clubs. In 1996 along with the other professional football leagues of Ukraine, a council of the Vyshcha Liha (Top League) clubs became a member of theProfessional Football League of Ukraine.[1][2] In 2008[3][4] was withdrawn from Professional Football League of Ukraine and reformed into a separate self-governed entity of theUkrainian Association of Football (previously Football Federation of Ukraine), officially changing its name to the current one.
As a leading club of theSoviet Top League, Dynamo Kyiv dominated the league in the 1990s, winning nine consecutive titles from 1993 to 2001, while since the mid-2000s the league has been contested between Dynamo and Shakhtar Donetsk. Three of Ukrainian clubs reached the finals of European club competitions: Dynamo (as Soviet club), Shakhtar andDnipro. Among Ukrainian fans the most popular Ukrainian clubs areDynamo Kyiv andShakhtar Donetsk.[5] Other popular clubs includeKarpaty Lviv,Metalist Kharkiv,Chornomorets Odesa andDnipro.[5] The league was ranked the12th highest in Europe byUEFA in 2021, however since the Russian invasion, the league has fallen to 23rd.
Since 2014, the operation of the league has been disrupted greatly on account of theRusso-Ukrainian War, worsening with the full scaleRussian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The league has been affected by destruction of its sports infrastructure, many Ukrainian players choosing to join the military, and disruption to match attendances with games played behind closed doors, and many other facets of the league's operation.
The2023–24 season is the league's sixteenth after the restructuring of professional club football in 2008 and the 33rd season since the establishing of professional club competitions independent from theSoviet Union. As of 2024,Shakhtar Donetsk is the reigning Ukrainian Premier League champion. To summarise,Tavriya Simferopol won the first championship, while all the subsequent titles have gone to eitherDynamo Kyiv orShakhtar Donetsk. Only 2 teams,Dynamo Kyiv andShakhtar Donetsk, have participated in all previous 33 Ukrainian Top League competitions. The central feature of the league is a game between the same Dynamo and Shakhtar, which developed into theKlasychne (Classic).
On 15 April 2008 the new Premier-Liha (Premier League) was formed. It consists of 12 football clubs that take control of the league's operations under the statues ofFootball Federation of Ukraine,UEFA, andFIFA. With the new reorganization the format of the League was preserved, while the changes that were made were exclusively administrative. Competitions continued to be conducted in adouble round robin format among 16 clubs. There were a couple of seasons when the league experimented with a 14 club composition.
In 2014, the league was reduced to 12 members, while its format has changed. The season is still being played in a double round robin in the first half of a season, after which the league splits in half into two groups of six teams. Both the top six and the bottom six play another a double round robin tournament with the clubs of their grouping. For 2019-20 a post-season play-off for qualification for the European club competitions was introduced.
The teams that reach the top ranks of the competition table at the end of each season, gain the chance to representUkraine internationally in several prestigious tournaments (continental club tournaments). At the end of the season, the bottom clubs (usually two) are relegated to theFirst League, part of the lowerProfessional Football League, and are replaced by the top clubs from that league. All the participants of the Premier League enter theNational Cup competition and enter it at the round of 32 (1/16th of the final) or Round of 16 stage.
The winner of the league at the beginning of every next season plays against the winner of the National Cup for theUkrainian Super Cup, under administration of the Premier Liha. Besides the Super Cup game and the Premier Liha itself, the league conducts competitions among junior teams, including under 21s and under 19s. The champion of the under 19 championship qualifies for theUEFA Youth League.
The first UPL emblem was created along with the establishment of the league in 2008 and replaced the Professional Football League of Ukraine emblem.
The original emblem depicts afootball wrapped by a blue-yellow stripe, the national colors ofUkraine, on a blue background. Across the top and around the ball, 16 stars represent the league's participants. In 2014, when the league was reduced to 14 teams, the emblem was not changed. On the bottom, the script says "Premier League –Union of Professional Football Clubs of Ukraine".
As with the old emblem, the new emblem contains 16 stars. For the 2016–17 season, the sponsor's name was added.
Since at least 2006, the league has placed its sponsors' names in its seasons' titles. During that period, the league's sponsors were selected through the efforts of the Ukrainian sports marketing company "Media Sport Promotion" that was headed by Serhiy Kharchenko.[6] Following the separation of the Ukrainian Premier League from the Professional Football League of Ukraine, the cooperation was disrupted. The first known sponsor of the Vyshcha Liha (Professional Football League top tier) was Russian-Ukrainian alcoholic beverage company "Soyuz-Viktan", in the2006–07 Ukrainian championship.[7][8][9] While the contract was signed for five years and officially presented by the presidents of theFootball Federation of Ukraine and theProfessional Football League of Ukraine as a title sponsor, Soyuz-Viktan was expected to stay for couple of seasons. But in 2007 a new title sponsor, "Biola" fromDnipro was announced.[10][7][11]
Previously "Soyuz-Viktan" was sponsoring the Russian ice hockey team and its Hockey Super League. In 2006 it also became the sponsor of the newly establishedChannel One Cup.[12] Back in 2002,Mirror Weekly published an article that leaders of "Soyuz-Viktan" were convicted in theAutonomous Republic of Crimea to 15 years imprisonment.[13] The reputation of "Soyuz-Viktan" was questioned on several occasions.[14]
Soon after the establishment of the Premier-Liha, in 2008 a contract was signed with a new sponsor,Epicentr K, a network of home improvement stores.[7][15] The sum of the contract was announced as $3.6 million,[16] while just three months before there were speculations that the new sponsor would pay no less than $5 million.[17] In 2013 the contract expired.
A new contract was established in 2015 with a bookmaking company Pari-Match, which lasted for a couple of seasons.[15][18][19][20]
Season regulations are one of the two most important documents (other being the competition calendar) that are adopted by the Premier League prior to each season.
The Premier League directly organizes and conducts competitions among member clubs. Competitions are conducted on the principle of "Fair play" and according to the competition calendar which is approved by the Premier League General Assembly and the FFU Executive Committee 30 days before start of competitions. Until 2019[citation needed] all advertisement, commercial rights and rights on TV and radio broadcasting of games of championship and cup belong to the club that hosts them (the Super Cup of Ukraine and the "Gold game"). All advertisement, commercial rights and rights on TV and radio broadcasting of the game of Super Cup and the "Gold game". Before 2014 Premier League was also administering some rounds of theUkrainian Cup (round of 8, quarterfinals, and semifinals). The earlier rounds were administered by the Professional League and the final by the Federation. Since 2014 the organization of Ukrainian Cup competitions in full belongs exclusively to the Federation.
There are currently 12 club members of the league. All participants get approved by the Premier League General Assembly. Each club fields each team for senior competitions, and competitions for under 21 and under 19 teams (three teams). A club is required to have a stadium (registered with FFU) and an education and training facility (or center). A club is also obligated to finance its own youth sports institution and a complex scientific-methodical group as well as to own and finance a number of youth teams. A Premier League club needs to ensure the participation of at least four youth teams (ages groups between 14 and 17) in the Youth Football League of Ukraine. A club cannot field more than one team for a certain competition.
All club's staff members (coaches, physicians, massage specialists) have to be contracted and be UEFA licensed. All coaches should have A-diploma, while head coaches – PRO-diploma. Football players are listed in "A" and "B" rosters. "A" roster contains no more than 25 players, while "B" roster has unlimited number of players no older than 21 who have professional contracts or agreements for sports training. The 25-players "A" roster includes the number of slots allotted for players developed by the club.
During breaks in competitions in summer and winter there are two periods for registering players.
Beside the main championship among senior teams, the Premier League also organizes youth championship which was adopted from the previous Vyshcha Liha championship of doubles (reserves). Since 2012 there was added another competition for junior teams, so the original youth championship was renamed into the Championship of U-21 teams and the new competition was named as the Championship of U-19 teams. Unlike the Championship of U-21 teams, in the Championship of U-19 teams beside all of the Premier League clubs' junior teams, there also compete teams of some lower leagues' clubs.
The league's championship among senior teams is conducted by manner of theround robin system in two cycles "fall-spring" with one game at home and another at opponent's field with each participant. A competition calendar is formed after a draw that is conducted based on the Premier League club rankings. The calendar of the second cycle repeats the first, while hosting teams are switched. There should be no less than two calendar days between official games of a club. All games take place between 12:00 and 22:00 local time. Any game postponement is allowed only in emergencies and on decision of the Premier League Administration (Dyrektsiya). Game forfeitures are controlled by technical win/loss nominations and fines, followed by additional sanctions of the FFU Control-Disciplinary Committee, and possible elimination from the league.
Clubs play each other twice (once at home and once away) in the 26-match season. The league begins in mid-July and ends in mid-June. After 13 rounds of fixtures, there is a winter break that lasts for three months (from early December to early March). Thus, the winter break is significantly longer than the interval between seasons. This schedule accounts for climatic conditions and matches that of most European leagues in terms of the beginning and the end of the season.
Thefirst season of the League in 1992 was an exception, as it lasted only half a year. This was because the lastSoviet league season ended in the autumn of 1991, and theFootball Federation of Ukraine decided to shift the calendar from "spring-fall" to "fall-spring" football seasons. In the inaugural season, 20 clubs were divided into two 10-team groups. In both groups, each club played each other twice, and the championship was decided by a play-off match between the group winners, in whichTavriya Simferopol surprised the pre-season favoriteDynamo Kyiv.
After the first season, in each of the following seasons each team played each other team in the League twice. The number of participating teams fluctuated between 14 and 18, stabilizing since2002–03 season at 16.
As of the2005–06 season, the golden match rule was introduced. According to the rule, if the first two teams obtain the same number of points, the championship is to be decided by an additional "golden" match between the two teams. In fact, in that seasonDynamo Kyiv andShakhtar Donetsk had earned the same number of points and Shakhtar won the championship by winning the golden match (2–1 after extra time).
Before 1992, Ukrainian teams played in the Soviet league system, and Dynamo Kyiv enjoyed great success, with the team being the team with the most Soviet league titles at 13. The only other Ukrainian teams that won the Soviet league were Dnipro andZorya Luhansk. Shakhtar Donetsk was never able to win the Soviet Top League.
With the Soviet Union falling apart in late 1991,[26] discussion arose about the creation of a separate Ukrainian league which would only include the top Ukrainian clubs. Following the failed1991 coup d'état attempt againstMikhail Gorbachev, theUkrainian parliamentdeclared independence and set a date for anindependence referendum to confirm the decision, which was ratified by the Ukrainian people.
Despite the failed putsch and declaration of independence by number of Soviet union republics, theFootball Federation of the Soviet Union continued planning the 1992 football season.[26] In September 1991, the Soviet magazine "Futbol" published some comments from head coaches of Ukrainian clubs playing in theSoviet First League, with those being Tavriya and Bukovyna.[26] Tavriya head coachAnatoliy Zayaev said that the club was strongly against participation in Ukrainian championship and intended to continue to play in Soviet championship.[26] The Bukovyna head coachYukhym Shkolnykov said that the club did not have any wishes to return to the Ukrainian group as planned by the republican federation and no one should let politics transverse football.[26] On May 1, 2024, Ukrainian journalistIhor Tsyhanyk released a video-interview where he claimed that one of motivations to conduct the championship in the spring of 1992 was a financial situation ofFC Dynamo Kyiv. He pointed to the fact that Dynamo won the1990 Soviet Top League and qualified for the1991–92 European Cup where it received prize money by participating in the last season of the European Cup before the competition rebranded as theUEFA Champions League. Tsyhanyk also mentioned that Dynamo was losing money due to poor business management of player transfers, but did not mention that in the Soviet period, when transferred of players was finally allowed, it was carried through a special department of theFootball Federation of the Soviet Union, and Soviet clubs would receive only a portion of the transfer money. According to Tsyhanyk the administration of Dynamo along with theFootball Federation of Ukraine, members of which were former players of the club saw an opportunity to gain financial support by fielding Ukrainian club which had a high ranking in theUEFA Champions League.
In October 1991 some Moscow press took a big interview fromFC Dnipro head coachYevhen Kucherevsky titled "How to live on?" His direct speech had started with a phrase "Dnipro is definitely for the Soviet championship".[26] Next Yevhen Mefodiyich told about possible isolation of Ukrainian football, because if Ukraine would not be recognized by the world, there would be no membership in FIFA or UEFA.[26] After that recalling some kind of World Basket League, Kucherevsky discussed the topic that "people are uniting, but we..."[26] When questioned "what is the mood among coaches of other Ukrainian teams", he firmly answered: "Almost all are for the united championship and against separate Ukrainian".[26]
In particular, Kucherevsky mentioned his talks with head coach of ShakhtarValeriy Yaremchenko.[26] According to Kucherevsky, the majority of Dnipro's fans, judging by their letters and telephone calls also consider that conducting of Ukrainian championship was not in time.[26] Ended his interview Kucherevsky with a phrase that "he wants to hope that the situation when they have to play in a separate championship will never come".[26] The coach even allowed the thought that Ukraine could be recognized as an independent state, but proposes an idea of the "Soviet open championship", referring to... the case with NHL.[26]
In general, Kucherevsky was speaking of true situation.[26] Among all Ukrainian teams of theSoviet Top League, only Dynamo was clearly and firmly for its own independent championship. Other clubs took position from "strongly against" to "possibly for, but".[26] For example, Metalurh Zaporizhzhia that was playing its first season at such level was for the Soviet championship.[26] Yet, Metalist that was struggling to stay in, took a tricky position: "If we are would relegate to the First Union League, we will be for Ukrainian championship, if we would stay at the top, we will be for Soviet championship".[26]
In September 1991 there took place a session of the Football Federation of the Ukrainian SSR Executive Committee (ispolkom), which started with raising of blue-and-yellow flag that was given by a member of parliamentVyacheslav Chornovil.[27] On proposition ofViktor Bannikov who at time was heading the football federation, the struggle for independent championship had to take place under national colors.[27] The executive committee decided that blue-and-yellow flags had to flown over all stadiums where were playing Ukrainian teams.[27] Some members of the executive committee have spoken about the independent Ukrainian championship, but did not rush with a decision.[27] For that it was decided to wait until the Federation'splenum on 13–14 December 1991.[27]
After thefall of the Soviet Union, the inaugural independent championship took place hastily at the start of spring 1992 after the creation of the Ukrainian Higher League (Ukrainian:Вища Ліга, Vyshcha Liha). The League was created out of the six teams that took part in theSoviet Top League, two teams from theSoviet First League, and nine out of the eleven Ukrainian teams from theSoviet Second League. The other two of that eleven were placed in theUkrainian First League as they were to be relegated anyway. The two best teams of theSoviet Second League B of theUkrainian Zone were also placed in the Higher League along with the winner of the 1991 Ukrainian Cup which finished ninth in the same group (Soviet Second League B).
The 20 participants were split into two groups with the winners playing for the championship title and the runners-up playing for third place. Three teams from each group were to be relegated. As expected, the five favorites,Dynamo Kyiv,Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk,Shakhtar Donetsk,Chornomorets Odesa, andMetalist Kharkiv finished at the top of each group. In the championship play-off game inLviv, a sensation took place asTavriya Simferopol beatDynamo Kyiv 1–0. The Crimeans earned the first Ukrainian title, the only one in their history, with Tavriya only losing once, toTemp Shepetivka. To this date, this is the only title that was not won either by Dynamo or Shakhtar. Tavriya went extinct in 2014.
After being stunned in the first championship by Tavriya Simferopol inLviv,Dynamo Kyiv were anxious to earn their first title at the second opportunity. In the second Ukrainian championship, which had a regular League format of 16 teams, their main rivals wereDnipro Dnipropetrovsk, who were top after the first half of the season. By the end of the season both teams were neck and neck and they finished with the same number of points, andDynamo Kyiv won the title on goal difference.
The next eight years were known as the total domination ofDynamo Kyiv. During this period 'the main Soviet protagonists' had changed as some of the best teams were facing a crisis. After the1993–94 seasonMetalist Kharkiv were surprisingly relegated to theFirst League. In the1995–96 seasonShakhtar Donetsk had the worst year in the club's history, coming tenth.Chornomorets Odesa were relegated twice during that first decade after which managerLeonid Buryak was sacked. A few newly created teams have since emerged such asArsenal Kyiv andMetalurh Donetsk, as well asVorskla Poltava, who surprisingly came third in the club's first season at the Top Level in the1997.
The next decade was marked by fierce competition betweenDynamo Kyiv andShakhtar Donetsk. Since 2000,Shakhtar Donetsk has proved to be the real challengers to Dynamo. In 2000, Shakhtar earned their first qualification to the Champions League earning a place in the group stage. Nonetheless,Dynamo Kyiv is still considered to be the benchmark of excellence in the country and the primary feeder to the Ukraine national football team. 2002 became the real cornerstone in theminers history when they earned their first national title under the management of the newly appointed Italian specialist,Nevio Scala, who managed to secure theUkrainian Cup title as well. Since that time the issue of foreign players has become particularly acute and brought a series of court cases. TheFFU andPFL worked together to solve that issue, coming up with a plan to force thetransitional limitation of foreign players over time.
The clubs such asDnipro Dnipropetrovsk andChornomorets Odesa, who were recent contenders for the title, had to put up a fierce fight against the newly established contendersMetalurh Donetsk andMetalist Kharkiv to qualify for the European competitions.Metalist Kharkiv shone brightly in the late 2000s (decade) by consistently finishing right behindDynamo Kyiv andShakhtar Donetsk in third place. Their most remarkable feat was their participation in the 2009 European season when they had to faceDynamo Kyiv to earn a place in the quarter-finals of the2008–09 UEFA Cup, but lost on the away goals rule. That same2008–09 UEFA Cup competition was won for the first time byShakhtar Donetsk, the first club of independent Ukraine to win the title. It was also the last UEFA cup title before it changed its name to the Europa league. In the 2008–09 season the league earned the highestUEFA league coefficient in Europe for that season.
On 15 November 2007 clubs' presidents of the Vyshcha Liha adopted a decision to create the Premier League (Premier Liha).[28] At the same meeting session there was created a supervisory board that consisted ofRavil Safiullin (Professional Football League),Vitaliy Danilov (FC Kharkiv),Petro Dyminskyi (FC Karpaty), andVadym Rabinovych (FC Arsenal).[28] During the next three months that body curated a process on creation of the Premier League's regulation and statute as well as a procedure of launching the championship starting from the 2008–09 season.[28] On 15 April 2008 at one of the meetings among the presidents of clubs there was signed a protocol about establishing the Association of Professional Football Clubs of Ukraine "Premier-Liha"[28] as an autonomous entity, parting away from the PFL.
The Premier League has been split since the moment it was created in regards to its president. The dispute went as far as even canceling the 13th round of2009–10 season and moving it to the spring half, while having the 14th round still playing in the fall. The representatives of five clubs:Arsenal Kyiv,Dynamo Kyiv,Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk,Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih, andMetalist Kharkiv have been boycotting most of the League meetings, not complying with its financial obligations and giving the broadcasting rights to TV-channels other than the League official supplier. They justified their actions due to what they deem to be the illegal election of the Premier League president. The representatives of the above-mentioned clubs did not recognize the election in 2008 ofVitaliy Danilov as the president and believed that the elections should have been won byVadim Rabinovich.
To resolve this conflictVitaliy Danilov instigated the re-election of the Premier League president in September 2009, and on 1 December 2009 won the election again with 11 clubs voting for his candidature, 3 were against, 1 abstained, and 1 was absent. This time most club presidents of the Premier League of Ukraine acknowledgedVitaliy Danilov legality. In the subsequent elections on 9 December 2011Vitaliy Danilov was challenged by Andriy Kurhanskyi (through the proposal ofKarpaty Lviv). The other available candidates, Miletiy Balchos (president of the Professional Football League of Ukraine) and Yuriy Kindzerskyi, were not picked by any members of the Premier League.Vitaliy Danilov managed to retain his seat with nine votes for him.
| Season | DNI | DYN | MET | SHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005–06 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| 2006–07 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 2007–08 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2008–09 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 2009–10 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2010–11 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2011–12 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2012–13 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 2013–14 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 2014–15 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 2 |
| Top four | 8 | 10 | 8 | 10 |
| Finishes out of 10 | ||||
| League champions Champions League UEFA Cup / Europa League group stage UEFA Cup / Europa League qualification UEFA Intertoto Cup | ||||
Starting from2010 and to2014 season, FC Shakhtar led by Romanian coachMircea Lucescu obtained five national league titles in a row, making Lucescu the most successful manager in the history of the league with 9 titles. At the same time, in the beginning of the 2010s the so-called"Big Four" of clubs eventually formed, consisting fromShakhtar,Dynamo,Metalist andDnipro.[29] These four clubs consecutively took all the top 4 places for five seasons from 2009–10 to 2013–14 and displayed the biggest financial abilities in the league.[30]
In2012–13, Metalist Kharkiv finished second and qualified for theUEFA Champions League for the first time, the achievement which was repeated by Dnipro in the next season. In the same 2013–14 season Dynamo Kyiv for the first time since Ukrainian independence placed as low as fourth in league's season ranking, which led to dismissal of former national team coach and the legend of Soviet footballOleh Blokhin as the club's manager. In European football, new club achievements were set in these years for Shakhtar in2010–11 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals and for Metalist in2011–12 UEFA Europa League quarter-finals.
After the start of thewar in Donbas in 2014, the number of teams participating in the league was cut from 16 in the2013–14 season to 14 in the following two seasons.[31] Teams from the Donbas would be forced to play outside the region as a consequence. Both of the seasons were won by Dynamo Kyiv withSerhii Rebrov as manager. With the continuation of themilitary conflict in the eastern oblasts of Ukraine since 2014 and its economic impact, the league was forced to change its format again and started to be contested by 12 teams after being cut from 14 after the2015–16 season, introducing the two stages of the competition: after the standard two rounds of games the league would split into two 6-team groups according to their positions.
Under the new format, Shakhtar Donetsk under the managerPaulo Fonseca managed to win three league titles in a row from2016–17 to2018–19, runner-up in all the three seasons being Dynamo Kyiv. In2019–20 season, Shakhtar set the record of the earliest title win in the history, with 5 rounds remaining.[32] In 2019, the decision was adopted to expand the league to 14 teams from the2020–21 and to 16 teams from the 2021–22 season.[33]
On 24 February 2022,Russia invaded Ukraine, and the result of this for Ukrainian football was the suspension of football competitions in the country, and on 26 April 2022, it was announced that the2021-22 season would be abandoned due to the extension of martial law in Ukraine.[34] The football clubs of the UPL also expressed their support for the termination, since it would not possible to end the championship due to the state of war in the country. Thus, it was concluded that the standings as of 24 February 2022 would be the final standings of the 2021–22 season, and there would be no champion for the season.[34]
In the2022-23 season, the competition restarted, with matches being played behind closed doors, and with sometimes matches being interrupted by alert sirens. That season ended with Shakhtar Donetsk winning the tournament, which they also won in thefollowing season. Dynamo Kyiv won the league in the2024-25 season.
As of 20 April 2025[update][42]
A total of 51 clubs have played in the Premier League up to 2025–26 season.
The following clubs competed in the2025–26 season. Note in parentheses shows the actual home cities and stadiums.
a: Team played in every Ukrainian topflight season
  Kyiv  Lviv Zhytomyr Home venues of teams in the2025–26 Ukrainian Premier League. Several teams (Metalist 1925, Shakhtar, and Zorya) are playing their home games away from their cities due to ongoing hostilities.
|
From the spring part of the 2023–24 season, the Ukrainian Premier League launched a new sports channel — UPL.TV, which will be distributed by 1+1 Media distribution. The broadcast of the TV channel includes pre-match and post-match studios, reviews, interviews with football players, coaches and leaders of Ukrainian football.
The main international broadcaster of the league inWestern Europe and some countries ofAfrica is the French Ma Chaîne Sport providing coverage for such countries likeFrance, and many other countries likeAndorra,Switzerland,Belgium,Luxembourg,Monaco,Algeria,Morocco,Tunisia. Another broadcasterSport Klub provides coverage in all countries of formerYugoslavia includingBosnia and Herzegovina,Croatia,North Macedonia,Serbia, andSlovenia. Other broadcasters of the Ukrainian league in other countries include 12 TV (Armenia), CBC Sport (Azerbaijan),Polsat Futbol (Poland), and Dolce Sport (Romania).
Ukrainian clubs have been competing in European competitions since the 1960s, when the country was part of theSoviet Union. In fact the first Soviet club that took part in European competitions was Ukrainian club,Dynamo Kyiv, which took part in the1965–66 European Cup Winners' Cup. Before thefall of the Soviet Union, the following Ukrainian clubs participated in European competitions:Dynamo Kyiv,Karpaty Lviv,Zorya Luhansk,Chornomorets Odesa,Shakhtar Donetsk,FC Dnipro, andMetalist Kharkiv.
At least five clubs participated in top continental competitions the European Cup and theUEFA Champions League among which areDynamo Kyiv,Dnipro,Metalist Kharkiv,Shakhtar Donetsk, andTavriya Simferopol.
Both Dynamo and Shakhtar were able to win European trophies. Dynamo won twoEuropean Cup Winners' Cups (1975 and1986) and one UEFA Super Cup in1975, Shakhtar Donetsk won theUEFA Cup in2008. Dnipro also reached the2015 UEFA Europa League Final, but lost toSevilla.
In 2023 talks about creation of theEuropean Super League resurfaced with a decision of theEuropean Court of Justice on 21 December 2023.
Number of Ukrainian football clubs came out with official statements on that matter.
In 2009, the Ukrainian Premier League joined theEuropean Professional Football Leagues.[47] Also in 2009 the league signed a partnership withIMG of which during the first month of cooperation sold broadcasting rights for theUkrainian Cup to Poland and Armenia. On its own initiative, the Ukrainian Premier League sold broadcasting rights to Romania and Russia as well.
Notes:
| Club | Winners | Runners-up | Third place | Winning years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dynamo Kyiv | 17 | 13 | 1 | 1992–93,1993–94,1994–95,1995–96,1996–97,1997–98,1998–99,1999–2000,2000–01,2002–03,2003–04,2006–07,2008–09,2014–15,2015–16,2020–21,2024–25 |
| Shakhtar Donetsk | 15 | 13 | 1 | 2001–02,2004–05,2005–06,2007–08,2009–10,2010–11,2011–12,2012–13,2013–14,2016–17,2017–18,2018–19,2019–20,2022–23,2023–24 |
| Tavriya Simferopol | 1 | – | – | 1992 |
| Dnipro | – | 2 | 7 | |
| Chornomorets Odesa | – | 2 | 3 | |
| Metalist Kharkiv | – | 1 | 6 | |
| Oleksandriya | – | 1 | 1 | |
| Dnipro-1 | – | 1 | – | |
| Zorya Luhansk | – | – | 4 | |
| Metalurh Donetsk | – | – | 3 | |
| Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih | – | – | 3 | |
| Vorskla Poltava | – | – | 2 | |
| Karpaty Lviv | – | – | 1 | |
| Total | 32 | 32 | 31 |
Notes:
A representative star is placed above the team's badge to indicate 10 league titles.[50]Dynamo Kyiv became the first Ukrainian team to achieve the prestigious honor of winning theSoviet Top League for the 10th time in 1981.Dynamo Kyiv after having entered the Ukrainian championship has become the same dominant leader as during the Soviet times by earning its 20th national title at the top level in 1999. The two stars were added to the club's logo in 2007.[51] Earning its 10th national title in 2017, Shakhtar Donetsk has not yet adopted a star on its crest. After winning the 2024–25 season, Dynamo Kyiv added a star to the club's badge.
Currently (as of 2025) the following clubs earned the star element to be added to their crest.
Dynamo Kyiv (13 in Soviet Union; 17 in Ukraine).Shakhtar Donetsk (15 in Ukraine)From2016–17 to2019–20 seasons, the league conducted season competition in two rounds, where after the first double round robin tournament the league is split in half into two groups of six teams. Then, top six play second double round robin for the title, while the bottom six play to determine teams to be relegated (and Europa League playoff participants in the 2019–20 season). The team that won the relegation group receives a consolation-type honorary award, the Prestige trophy.[52]
| Season | Prestige trophy |
|---|---|
| 2016–17 | Vorskla Poltava |
| 2017–18 | FC Oleksandriya |
| 2018–19 | Vorskla Poltava |
| 2019–20 | SC Dnipro-1 |
Ex-Dynamo Kyiv strikersMaksim Shatskikh andSerhiy Rebrov hold the record for most Ukrainian Premier League goals with 123, with Shatskikh winning the top single season scorer title twice in 1999–2000 and 2002–03, Rebrov once in 1997–98.Since the first Ukrainian Premier League season in 1992, 22 different players have won or shared the top scorer's title. Only five players have won the title more than once,Tymerlan Huseynov,Maksim Shatskikh,Yevhen Seleznyov,Alex Teixeira andJúnior Moraes.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan holds the record for most goals in a season (25),Serhiy Rebrov andMaksim Shatskikh are the only two players to score at least 20 goals twice. The most prolific all-time scorers areIvan Hetsko andViktor Leonenko, respectively attaining 0.59 and 0.57 goals per game.
| Player | Games | Years | |
 Oleksandr Shovkovskyi | 426 | 1994–2017 | |
| Oleh Shelayev | 412 | 1994–2014 | |
| Vyacheslav Checher | 410[53] | 1994–2017 | |
| Oleksandr Chizhevskiy | 400 | 1992–2006, 2008, 2010 | |
| Oleksandr Horyainov | 391 | 1994–2015 | |
| Ruslan Rotan | 375[53] | 2000–2018 | |
| Serhiy Nazarenko | 373 | 2000, 2002–2017 | |
| Taras Stepanenko | 369 | 2007– | |
| Serhiy Shyshchenko | 363 | 1993–2010 | |
| Ruslan Kostyshyn | 359 | 1997–2012 | |
| Playersin bold are still playing in Premier League Data as of 7 December 2024[54][55] | |||
| Player | Goals | Games | Years | |
 Maksim Shatskikh | 124[b] | 341 | 2000–2015 | |
| Serhiy Rebrov | 123 | 261 | 1992–2000, 2006–2008 | |
| Yevhen Seleznyov | 117 | 257 | 2007–2017, 2020–2023 | |
| Andriy Yarmolenko | 110 | 256 | 2008–2018, 2023– | |
| Andriy Vorobey | 105 | 315 | 1998–2013 | |
| Júnior Moraes[c] | 103 | 189 | 2013–2022 | |
| Oleksandr Hladkyy | 99 | 359 | 2005–2018, 2020–2023 | |
| Oleksandr Haydash | 95[d] | 259[e] | 1993–2004 | |
| Marko Dević[f] | 90 | 219 | 2005–2014 | |
| Serhiy Mizin | 90 | 342 | 1993–2008 | |
| Playersin bold are still playing in Premier League Data as of 7 December 2024[53][57][58] | ||||
| Player | C/S Games | Total Games | Years | |
| Oleksandr Shovkovskyi | 233 | 426 | 1994–2017 | |
| Andriy Pyatov | 174 | 344 | 2003–2023 | |
| Oleksandr Horyainov | 151 | 391 | 1994–2015 | |
| Vitaliy Reva | 128 | 341 | 1996–2014 | |
| Dmytro Shutkov | 122 | 266 | 1992–2008 | |
| Serhiy Dolhanskyi | 96 | 328 | 1993–2013 | |
| Ihor Shukhovtsev | 94 | 349 | 1992–2013 | |
| Mykola Medin | 91 | 205 | 1993–2006 | |
| Vyacheslav Kernozenko | 86 | 195 | 1997–2010 | |
| Yuriy Pankiv | 268 | 2012–2023 | ||
| Playersin bold are still playing in Premier League Data as of 4 January 2024[59] | ||||
The league's record holder for winnings isMircea Lucescu.
| Manager | Club(s) | Wins | Winning years |
|---|---|---|---|
 Mircea Lucescu | Shakhtar Donetsk Dynamo Kyiv | 9 | 2004–05,2005–06,2007–08,2009–10,2010–11,2011–12,2012–13,2013–14,2020–21 |
| Valery Lobanovsky | Dynamo Kyiv | 5 | 1996–97,1997–98,1998–99,1999–2000,2000–01 |
 Paulo Fonseca | Shakhtar Donetsk | 3 | 2016–17,2017–18,2018–19 |
| Yozhef Sabo | Dynamo Kyiv | 2 | 1993–94,1995–96 |
| Oleksiy Mykhailychenko | 2002–03,2003–04 | ||
| Serhiy Rebrov | 2014–15,2015–16 | ||
| Anatoliy Zayaev | Tavriya Simferopol | 1 | 1992 |
| Mykhailo Fomenko | Dynamo Kyiv | 1992–93 | |
| Mykola Pavlov | 1994–95 | ||
 Nevio Scala | Shakhtar Donetsk | 2001–02 | |
| Anatoliy Demyanenko | Dynamo Kyiv | 2005–06 | |
 Yuri Semin | 2008–09 | ||
| Luis Castro | Shakhtar Donetsk | 2019–20 | |
 Igor Jovićević | 2022–23 | ||
/ Marino Pušić | 2023–24 | ||
| Oleksandr Shovkovskyi | Dynamo Kyiv | 2024–25 |
The league's record holder for games in the league isMyron Markevych.
| Rank | Coach | Games | First | Last |
| 1 | Myron Markevych | 622 | 7 March 1992 | 15 May 2016 |
| 2 | Mykola Pavlov | 549 | 7 March 1992 | 30 May 2015 |
| 3 | Mircea Lucescu | 432 | 22 May 2004 | 3 November 2023 |
| 4 | Vitaliy Kvartsyanyi | 340 | 23 September 1994 | 31 May 2017 |
| 5 | Valeriy Yaremchenko | 297 | 7 March 1992 | 2 October 2011 |
| 6 | Mykhailo Fomenko | 293 | 13 March 1993 | 27 September 2008 |
| 7 | Oleh Taran | 273 | 9 July 1997 | 1 November 2014 |
| 8 | Yuriy Vernydub | 266 | 3 December 2011 | |
| 9 | Volodymyr Sharan | 265 | 29 September 2007 | 10 November 2023 |
| 10 | Semen Altman | 257 | 7 August 1999 | 10 May 2012 |
| Coachesin bold are still active in the League Data as of 8 January 2024[60][61] | ||||
| Nat. | Name | Club | Appointed | Time as manager |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volodymyr Sysenko | SC Poltava | 1 March 2019 | 6 years, 269 days |
| Serhiy Nahornyak | Epitsentr Kamianets-Podilskyi | 2 September 2022 | 3 years, 84 days |
| Oleksandr Shovkovskyi | Dynamo Kyiv | 4 November 2023 | 2 years, 21 days |
| Oleh Shandruk | Veres Rivne | 12 December 2023 | 1 year, 348 days |
| Vladyslav Lupashko | Karpaty Lviv | 19 July 2024 | 1 year, 129 days |
| Vasyl Baranov | FC Kudrivka | 4 September 2024 | 1 year, 82 days |
| Ruslan Kostyshyn (caretaker) | Kolos Kovalivka | 10 March 2025 | 260 days |
 | Arda Turan | Shakhtar Donetsk | 27 May 2025 | 182 days |
| Ruslan Rotan | Polissya Zhytomyr | 29 May 2025 | 180 days |
| Oleksandr Antonenko (caretaker) | Obolon Kyiv | 4 June 2025 | 174 days |
| Vitaliy Ponomaryov | LNZ Cherkasy | 5 June 2025 | 173 days |
| Patrick van Leeuwen | Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih | 9 June 2025 | 169 days |
| Ivan Fedyk | Rukh Lviv | 11 June 2025 | 167 days |
| Viktor Skrypnyk | Zorya Luhansk | 16 June 2025 | 162 days |
| Kyrylo Nesterenko | FC Oleksandriya | 17 June 2025 | 161 days |
| Mladen Bartulović | Metalist 1925 Kharkiv | 20 June 2025 | 158 days |
The table lists the place each team took in each of the seasons.
| Season | 1992 | 92/93 | 93/94 | 94/95 | 95/96 | 96/97 | 97/98 | 98/99 | 99/00 | 00/01 | 01/02 | 02/03 | 03/04 | 04/05 | 05/06 | 06/07 | 07/08 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | 20 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| CSKA Kyiv–Arsenal Kyiv[g] | 4 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 12 | 5 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 6 | ||||
| Borysfen Boryspil | 7 | 16 | |||||||||||||||
| Bukovyna Chernivtsi | 10 | 12 | 17 | ||||||||||||||
| Chornomorets Odesa | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 15 | 15 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 7 | |||
| Dnipro | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 11 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 4 |
| Dynamo Kyiv | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Hoverla Uzhhorod | 14 | 12 | 16 | 16 | |||||||||||||
| Karpaty Lviv | 13 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 8 | 10 | ||
| Kharkiv | 13 | 12 | 14 | ||||||||||||||
| Kremin Kremenchuk | 14 | 9 | 15 | 10 | 9 | 15 | |||||||||||
| Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih | 8 | 6 | 6 | 14 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 10 | 13 | |
| Mariupol | 14 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 15 | |||||||
| Metalist Kharkiv | 6 | 5 | 18 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 5 | 16 | 11 | 5 | 3 | (3)* | |||||
| Metalurh Donetsk | 6 | 14 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 12 | ||||||
| Metalurh Zaporizhya | 11 | 7 | 16 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 15 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 9 |
| Mykolaiv | 18 | 13 | 16 | 16 | |||||||||||||
| Naftovyk-Ukrnafta Okhtyrka | 16 | 15 | |||||||||||||||
| Nyva Ternopil | 7 | 14 | 7 | 12 | 13 | 9 | 7 | 13 | 12 | 14 | |||||||
| Nyva Vinnytsia | 15 | 10 | 14 | 15 | 16 | ||||||||||||
| Obolon Kyiv | 14 | 6 | 15 | ||||||||||||||
| Odesa | 20 | ||||||||||||||||
| Oleksandriya | 13 | 13 | |||||||||||||||
| Prykarpattya Ivano-Frankivsk | 17 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 14 | ||||||||||
| Shakhtar Donetsk | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Stal Alchevsk | 13 | 11 | 16 | ||||||||||||||
| Tavriya Simferopol | 1 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 12 | 6 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 |
| Temp Shepetivka | 19 | 9 | 17 | ||||||||||||||
| Torpedo Zaporizhzhia | 8 | 13 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 16 | ||||||||||
| Veres Rivne | 16 | 11 | 18 | ||||||||||||||
| Volyn Lutsk | 9 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 17 | 6 | 13 | 8 | 15 | ||||||||
| Vorskla Poltava | 3 | 5 | 10 | 4 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 13 | 8 | |||||
| Zirka Kropyvnytskyi | 6 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 16 | |||||||||||
| Zorya Luhansk | 12 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 11 | 11 |
| Season | 08/09 | 09/10 | 10/11 | 11/12 | 12/13 | 13/14 | 14/15 | 15/16 | 16/17 | 17/18 | 18/19 | 19/20 | 20/21 | 21/22 | 22/23 | 23/24 | 24/25 | 25/26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| Arsenal Kyiv | 11 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 16 | 12 | |||||||||||
| Chornomorets Odesa | 10 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 11 | 6 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 16 | ||||
| Desna Chernihiv | 8 | 4 | 6 | 7 | ||||||||||||||
| Dnipro | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 11 | |||||||||
| Dnipro-1 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 4 | |||||||||||||
| Dynamo Kyiv | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | • |
| Epitsentr Kamianets-Podilskyi | • | |||||||||||||||||
| Hoverla Uzhhorod | 16 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 13 | |||||||||||||
| Inhulets Petrove | 12 | 14 | 14 | 15 | ||||||||||||||
| Karpaty Lviv (original) | 9 | 5 | 5 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 12 | ||||||
| Karpaty Lviv (later) | 6 | • | ||||||||||||||||
| Kharkiv | 16 | |||||||||||||||||
| Kolos Kovalivka | 6 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 10 | • | |||||||||||
| Kryvbas–Kryvbas (2020) | 12 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 5 | • | |||||||||
| Kudrivka | • | |||||||||||||||||
| Livyi Bereh Kyiv | 14 | |||||||||||||||||
| LNZ Cherkasy | 7 | 12 | • | |||||||||||||||
| Lviv | 15 | 6 | 11 | 8 | 12 | 16 | ||||||||||||
| Mariupol | 14 | 12 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 16 | ||||||
| Metalist Kharkiv | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 15 | |||||||||
| Metalist 1925 Kharkiv | 10 | 12 | 16 | • | ||||||||||||||
| Metalurh Donetsk | 4 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 10 | |||||||||||
| Metalurh Zaporizhya | 7 | 9 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 7 | 14 | |||||||||||
| Mynai | 14 | 15 | 10 | 15 | ||||||||||||||
| Obolon Kyiv (original) | 11 | 10 | 15 | |||||||||||||||
| Obolon Kyiv (Brovar) | 14 | 11 | • | |||||||||||||||
| Oleksandriya | 16 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 2 | • | ||||||
| Olimpik Donetsk | 8 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 13 | ||||||||||
| Polissia Zhytomyr | 5 | 4 | • | |||||||||||||||
| Poltava | • | |||||||||||||||||
| Rukh Lviv | 10 | 11 | 11 | 6 | 8 | • | ||||||||||||
| Sevastopol | 15 | 9 | ||||||||||||||||
| Shakhtar Donetsk | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | • |
| Stal Kamianske | 8 | 8 | 12 | |||||||||||||||
| Tavriya Simferopol | 8 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 15 | ||||||||||||
| Veres Rivne | 6 | 9 | 13 | 13 | 9 | • | ||||||||||||
| Volyn Lutsk | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 12 | |||||||||||
| Vorskla Poltava | 5 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 13 | |
| Zirka Kropyvnytskyi | 9 | 10 | ||||||||||||||||
| Zorya Luhansk | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 7 | • |
Teams marking (as of2025–26):
| Competing in UPL (1st tier) |
| Competing inPFL (2nd tier) |
| Competing inPFL (3rd tier) |
| Competing inAAFU (4th tier) |
| Competing in regional championships (below 4th tier) |
| Defunct clubs |
All figures are correct through the2024–25 season.[62][63][64] Promotion/relegation playoff games are not included. Teams inbold currently compete in Premier League. Numbers inbold indicate the record values for each column.
| Rank | Team | Seasons | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Achievement | First season | Last season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dynamo Kyiv | 34 | 996 | 722 | 172 | 102 | 2134 | 668 | +1466 | 2338 | champions (17) | 1992 | 2025/26 |
| 2 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 34 | 996 | 706 | 144 | 146 | 2131 | 735 | +1356 | 2262 | champions (15) | 1992 | 2025/26 |
| 3 | FC Dnipro | 26 | 765 | 379 | 199 | 187 | 1127 | 718 | +409 | 1336 | runners-up (2) | 1992 | 2016/17 |
| 4 | Vorskla Poltava | 29 | 844 | 288 | 225 | 331 | 913 | 1010 | −97 | 1089 | 3rd (2) | 1996/97 | 2024/25 |
| 5 | Chornomorets Odesa | 28 | 823 | 294 | 198 | 331 | 908 | 1007 | −99 | 1080 | runners-up (2) | 1992 | 2024/25 |
| 6 | Karpaty Lviv | 27 | 800 | 255 | 227 | 318 | 872 | 1003 | −131 | 992 | 3rd (1) | 1992 | 2019/20 |
| 7 | Metalist Kharkiv[h] | 21 | 603 | 259 | 151 | 193 | 782 | 722 | +60 | 928 | runners-up (1) | 1992 | 2022/23 |
| 8 | Kryvbas/Kryvbas[i] | 24 | 724 | 243 | 192 | 289 | 744 | 872 | −128 | 921 | 3rd (3) | 1992/93 | 2025/26 |
| 9 | Tavriya Simferopol[j] | 23 | 681 | 237 | 170 | 274 | 795 | 873 | −78 | 881 | champions (1) | 1992 | 2013/14 |
| 10 | Zorya Luhansk | 24 | 670 | 244 | 144 | 282 | 793 | 923 | −130 | 876 | 3rd (4) | 1992 | 2025/26 |
| 11 | Metalurh Zaporizhya[k] | 24 | 702 | 206 | 173 | 323 | 699 | 949 | −250 | 791 | 4th (1) | 1992 | 2015/16 |
| 12 | Metalurh Donetsk[l] | 18 | 526 | 203 | 142 | 181 | 655 | 623 | +32 | 751 | 3rd (3) | 1997/98 | 2014/15 |
| 13 | FC Mariupol | 22 | 638 | 197 | 153 | 288 | 715 | 932 | −217 | 744 | 4th (3) | 1997/98 | 2021/22 |
| 14 | Arsenal Kyiv[m] | 19 | 568 | 191 | 156 | 221 | 654 | 675 | −21 | 729 | 4th (1)[n] | 1995/96 | 2013/14 |
| 15 | Volyn Lutsk | 16 | 472 | 140 | 102 | 230 | 473 | 710 | −237 | 519 | 6th (1) | 1992 | 2016/17 |
| 16 | FC Oleksandriya[o] | 13 | 375 | 127 | 113 | 135 | 430 | 474 | −44 | 494 | runner-up (1) | 2001/02 | 2025/26 |
| 17 | Nyva Ternopil | 10 | 296 | 93 | 62 | 141 | 319 | 388 | −69 | 341 | 7th (3) | 1992 | 2000/01 |
| 18 | Veres Rivne[p] | 8 | 238 | 63 | 70 | 105 | 231 | 326 | −95 | 259 | 6th (1) | 1992/93 | 2025/26 |
| 19 | Zirka Kropyvnytskyi[q] | 8 | 248 | 62 | 58 | 128 | 209 | 368 | −159 | 244 | 6th (1) | 1995/96 | 2017/18 |
| 20 | SC Dnipro-1[r] | 5 | 137 | 71 | 25 | 41 | 215 | 155 | +60 | 238 | runner-up (1) | 2019/20 | 2023/24 |
| 21 | Torpedo Zaporizhzhia[s] | 7 | 210 | 64 | 42 | 104 | 214 | 315 | −101 | 234 | 7th (2) | 1992 | 1997/98 |
| 22 | Olimpik Donetsk | 7 | 206 | 56 | 55 | 95 | 210 | 324 | −114 | 223 | 4th (1) | 2014/15 | 2020/21 |
| 23 | Prykarpattya Ivano-Frankivsk[t] | 7 | 206 | 55 | 52 | 99 | 215 | 315 | −100 | 217 | 10th (1) | 1992 | 1999/00 |
| 24 | Kolos Kovalivka | 6 | 168 | 54 | 45 | 69 | 160 | 201 | −41 | 207 | 4th (1) | 2019/20 | 2025/26 |
| 25 | Kremin Kremenchuk[u] | 6 | 180 | 54 | 40 | 86 | 182 | 269 | −87 | 202 | 9th (2) | 1992 | 1996/97 |
| 26 | Hoverla Uzhhorod[v] | 9 | 256 | 41 | 64 | 151 | 186 | 421 | −235 | 187 | 12th (3) | 2001/02 | 2015/16 |
| 27 | Obolon Kyiv[w] | 6 | 180 | 44 | 44 | 92 | 153 | 253 | −100 | 176 | 6th (1) | 2002/03 | 2011/12 |
| 28 | Rukh Lviv | 5 | 133 | 38 | 51 | 44 | 148 | 155 | −7 | 165 | 6th (1) | 2020/21 | 2025/26 |
| 29 | Desna Chernihiv | 4 | 108 | 46 | 22 | 40 | 154 | 133 | +21 | 160 | 4th (1) | 2018/19 | 2021/22 |
| 30 | Nyva Vinnytsia[x] | 5 | 150 | 42 | 32 | 76 | 140 | 213 | −73 | 158 | 10th (1) | 1992 | 1996/97 |
| 31 | FC Lviv | 6 | 168 | 34 | 41 | 93 | 131 | 269 | −138 | 143 | 6th (1) | 2008/09 | 2022/23 |
| 32 | FC Kharkiv[y] | 4 | 120 | 25 | 33 | 62 | 94 | 156 | −62 | 108 | 12th (1) | 2005/06 | 2008/09 |
| 33 | SC Mykolaiv | 4 | 116 | 26 | 23 | 67 | 100 | 208 | −108 | 101 | 13th (1) | 1992 | 1998/99 |
| 34 | Polissia Zhytomyr | 2 | 60 | 26 | 20 | 14 | 77 | 58 | +19 | 98 | 4th (1) | 2023/24 | 2025/26 |
| 35 | Stal Kamianske[z] | 3 | 90 | 24 | 24 | 42 | 72 | 106 | −34 | 96 | 8th (2) | 2015/16 | 2017/18 |
| 36 | Inhulets Petrove | 4 | 103 | 21 | 31 | 51 | 80 | 128 | −48 | 94 | 12th (1) | 2020/21 | 2024/25 |
| 37 | Temp Shepetivka[aa] | 3 | 86 | 24 | 16 | 46 | 79 | 113 | −34 | 88 | 9th (1) | 1992 | 1994/95 |
| 38 | Bukovyna Chernivtsi | 3 | 82 | 23 | 18 | 41 | 69 | 99 | −30 | 87 | 11th (1) | 1992 | 1993/94 |
| 39 | FC Mynai | 4 | 104 | 18 | 32 | 54 | 77 | 160 | −83 | 86 | 10th (1) | 2020/21 | 2023/24 |
| 40 | Metalist 1925 Kharkiv | 3 | 78 | 17 | 23 | 38 | 72 | 128 | −56 | 74 | 10th (1) | 2021/22 | 2025/26 |
| 41 | LNZ Cherkasy | 2 | 60 | 18 | 18 | 24 | 56 | 71 | −15 | 72 | 7th | 2023/24 | 2025/26 |
| 42 | Stal Alchevsk[ab] | 3 | 86 | 17 | 21 | 48 | 67 | 126 | −59 | 72 | 11th (1) | 2000/01 | 2006/07 |
| 43 | FC Sevastopol[ac] | 2 | 58 | 17 | 11 | 30 | 58 | 91 | −33 | 62 | 9th (1) | 2010/11 | 2013/14 |
| 44 | Borysfen Boryspil | 2 | 60 | 14 | 19 | 27 | 40 | 60 | −20 | 61 | 7th (1) | 2003/04 | 2004/05 |
| 45 | Obolon Kyiv | 2 | 60 | 13 | 19 | 28 | 37 | 84 | −47 | 58 | 11th (1) | 2023/24 | 2025/26 |
| 46 | Karpaty Lviv | 1 | 30 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 42 | 36 | +6 | 46 | 6th (1) | 2024/25 | 2025/26 |
| 47 | Naftovyk-Ukrnafta Okhtyrka[ad] | 2 | 48 | 11 | 11 | 26 | 30 | 66 | −36 | 44 | 15th (1) | 1992 | 2007/08 |
| 48 | Livyi Bereh Kyiv | 1 | 30 | 7 | 5 | 18 | 18 | 39 | -21 | 26 | 14th (1) | 2024/25 | |
| 49 | SC Odesa[ae] | 1 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 15 | 32 | −17 | 10 | 20th | 1992 | |
| 50 | Epitsentr Kamianets-Podilskyi | debut | 2025/26 | ||||||||||
| 51 | SC Poltava | debut | 2025/26 | ||||||||||
| 52 | FC Kudrivka | debut | 2025/26 | ||||||||||
| Club | Notes |
|---|---|
| FC Dnipro (formerly Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk) | soon after playing at the2015 UEFA Europa League Final, the club was forced into relegation due to ignoring the FIFA sanctions and eventually its first team was dissolved |
| FC Metalist Kharkiv | denied license due to heavy debts[65] |
| FC Hoverla Uzhhorod | denied license due to heavy debts[66] |
| FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih | denied license for failure to provide evidence of stable financial support[67] |
| FC Kharkiv | denied license for giving false documentation about financial condition in the club[68] |
| FC Arsenal Kyiv | club was not able to finish the 2013–14 season[69] |
| FC Arsenal-Kyiv Kyiv | is considered a direct successor of Arsenal Kyiv (2001–2013) soon after relegation in 2019 it announced about liquidation of its first team[70] |
| FC Karpaty Lviv | was not able to finish the 2019–20 and announced that it is a bankrupt, but allowed to keep professional status and restart at the third tier. In 2020 it was split and original club following 2020–21 was dissolved, while the newly formed was admitted to the third tier from amateurs. |
| SC Tavriya Simferopol | playing since 1958, the club became liquidated in 2014 by the Russian authorities following occupation of theAutonomous Republic of Crimea. In 2016 it was revived based out of neighboringKherson Oblast and playing in lower tiers until the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022. |
| FC Metalurh Zaporizhia | during the 2015–16 season on 2 March 2016, Metalurh was recognized as bankrupt on decision of the commercial court of Zaporizhzhia Oblast and a liquidation procedure was initiated.[71] |
| FC Metalurh Donetsk | was merged withFC Stal Dniprodzerzhynsk in 2015, due to hardship caused by the 2014Russian aggression against Ukraine |
| FC Mariupol | in connection with thefull-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia and occupation of the city of Mariupol as well as financial inability of to keep the club, on 27 April 2022 it was announced that the club withdraws from national competitions and dissolves. |
There were several instances when the games outside of regular doubleround-robin tournament and split group seasons were scheduled or required. They were held either for determining the league position (golden and third place matches), international competitions qualification (Europa League play-off) or promotion or relegation (relegation play-off).
League finals for Premier League took place on two occasions. In the inaugural1992 season, the league was conducted in two groups of 10 teams due to transition to the autumn-spring competition calendar. The teams in each group played a doubleround-robin tournament, after which the winners of both groups faced each other in the one-match league final at neutral field. Thefinal was played on 21 June 1992, crowningTavriya Simferopol as the firstchampions of independent Ukraine after their 1–0 win overDynamo Kyiv.
Starting from the2005–06 season, if multiple teams finish tied on points on the top of the table, Golden match is required to determine the champion. In the same season, this rule came into effect for the first and only to the moment time:Shakhtar Donetsk andDynamo Kyiv both finished with 75 points after the regular season. In the following final game, Shakhtar managed to win the title after the 100th-minute goal fromJulius Aghahowa which concluded their 2–1extra-time win.
| Season | Winner | Result | Runner-up | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Tavriya Simferopol | 1–0 | Dynamo Kyiv | Ukraina Stadium,Lviv | 21 June 1992 |
| 2005–06 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 2–1(a.e.t.) | Dynamo Kyiv | Metalurh Stadium,Kryvyi Rih | 14 May 2006 |
Similarly to the league final, in the inaugural1992 season the third place match was played between the runners-up of both 10-team groups that formed the league in the season. In the game at neutral field,Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk from Group B defeatedShakhtar Donetsk from Group A 3–2 and won their first bronze medals in the league.
| Season | Group A team | Result | Group B team | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 2–3 | Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk | Metalurh Central Stadium,Zaporizhzhia | 20 June 1992 |
In the2019–20 season, play-offs for qualification to theUEFA Europa League are played for the first time between the 5th and 6th teams from the Championship round and two top teams from the Relegation round (7th and 8th). The play-off consists of the semi-final and final stages, with ties in both played as single matches on the field of the team ranked higher in the season standings.
| Season | Home team | Result | Away team | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–20 | Semi-finals | ||||
| FC Oleksandriya | 1–2 | FC Mariupol | CSC Nika Stadium,Oleksandriya | 25 July 2020 | |
| Kolos Kovalivka | 4–1 | Dnipro-1 | NSC Olimpiyskiy,Kyiv | ||
| Final | |||||
| Kolos Kovalivka | 1–0 (a.e.t.) | FC Mariupol | NSC Olimpiyskiy,Kyiv | 29 July 2020 | |
On 22 July 2024, the UAF executive committee approved that the club that will replaceSC Dnipro-1 should be the winner of the transitional tournament, the organization of which was awarded to the UPL. The draw of the tournament was scheduled for the same date.[72] The tournament was decided to include three games (two semifinals and a final) on 26 and 30 July 2024.[73] The tournament was won by Livyi Bereh that gained promotion to the2024–25 Ukrainian Premier League.
| Season | Home team | Result | Away team | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | Semi-finals | ||||
| Livyi Bereh Kyiv | 1–1(5–4p) | Metalist 1925 Kharkiv | Arena Livyi Bereh,Hnidyn | 26 July 2024 | |
| Epitsentr Kamianets-Podilskyi | 3–3(3–5p) | FC Mynai | Stadion Avanhard,Rivne | ||
| Final | |||||
| Livyi Bereh Kyiv | 3–0 | FC Mynai | Stadion Avanhard,Rivne | 30 July 2024 | |
Livyi Bereh Kyiv won the Mini tournament by beating in the final gameMynai, thus gaining promotion in place ofSC Dnipro-1.Epitsentr Kamianets-Podilskyi remained in theUkrainian First League, whileMynai andMetalist 1925 Kharkiv both were relegated to theUkrainian First League.
For the first time, a play-off to determine the participants of the next Vyshcha Liha season was held unplanned at the end of the1998–99 season. Third-placed team of1998–99 First League,Torpedo Zaporizhzhia, which was to be promoted, filed for bankruptcy at the end of the season. The league regulations at the time did not specify what actions are needed to be taken in such situation, soPFL made a decision to held a play-off game between the highest-ranked relegated team,Prykarpattia Ivano-Frankivsk, and highest-ranked not promoted team,FC Cherkasy at neutral field in Kyiv. The game ended with Prykarpattia defending their league place 3–1.[74][75]
In the2001–02 season, due to league enlargement play-off was held between the second-lowest Vyshcha Liha team,Polihraftekhnika Oleksandriya, and the fourthFirst League team,Polissya Zhytomyr. The game on a neutral field in Kyiv ended 1–0 in favour of Oleksandriya.[75]
Since2017–18 season, the play-offs have been held in a home-and-away format between the 10th and 11th teams from the Premier League, and the 2nd and 3rd from the First League. During this time, 3 teams were promoted by play-offs, and another 1 managed to defend its place. However, in the2019–20 season and2020–21 season there were no playoffs because of the league enlargement, and three teams were promoted from the First League directly.[76] In the2021–22 season play-offs were not conducted as the championship ceased halfway due to the2022 Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
| Season | Premier League team | Result | First League team | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998–99 | Prykarpattia Ivano-Frankivsk | 3–1 | FC Cherkasy | Dynamo Stadium,Kyiv | 4 July 1999 |
| 2001–02 | Polihraftekhnika Oleksandriya | 1–0 | Polissya Zhytomyr | CSK ZSU Stadium,Kyiv | 16 June 2002 |
| 2017–18 | Zirka Kropyvnytskyi | 1–1 0–4 | Desna Chernihiv | Home and away | 23 and 27 May 2018 |
| Chornomorets Odesa | 1–0 0–3(a.e.t.) | FC Poltava | |||
| 2018–19 | Karpaty Lviv | 0–0 3–0* | Volyn Lutsk | 4 and 8 June 2019 | |
| Chornomorets Odesa | 0–0 0–2 | Kolos Kovalivka | |||
| 2022–23 | Inhulets Petrove | 1–1 1–2 | LNZ Cherkasy | 10 and 14 June 2023 | |
| Veres Rivne | 6–1 0–1 | Metalurh Zaporizhzhia | |||
| 2023–24 | Veres Rivne | 1–1 3–1 | Epitsentr Kamianets-Podilskyi | 29 May and 2 June 2024 | |
| Obolon Kyiv | 1–0 1–1 | Livyi Bereh Kyiv | |||
| 2024–25 | Vorskla Poltava | 2–1 0–1(3–4p) | FC Kudrivka | 29 May and 1 June 2025 | |
| Livyi Bereh Kyiv | 0–1 0–1 | Metalist 1925 Kharkiv |
Notes:
* – a technical result, the match result was determined by the league's administration.
The central feature of the league is a rivalry between Shakhtar Donetsk and Dynamo Kyiv which has adopted its name asKlasychne derby. The rivalry started ever since the end of the 1990s when both teams started consistently to place the top two places from season to season. The rivalry became really established when Shakhtar obtained its first national title in 2002.
The surprising win of the first season bySC Tavriya Simferopol has never turned the club into a real contender for another title and the club was not always successful to secure a place among the top five. In the beginning of the 1990s,FC Chornomorets Odesa and the two-time Soviet championsFC Dnipro were also among the main contenders. The 1972 Soviet championsFC Zorya Luhansk until 2013 really struggled to stay in the top league. Among other contenders there wereFC Metalist Kharkiv that were the league's runners-up in 2012–13 andFC Metalurh Donetsk that showed some consistent form in the early 2000s.
There are few smaller regional rivalries such between Karpaty and Volyn, Metalist and Dnipro, Zorya and Shakhtar.
Among city derbies, there were no running city derbies in the league for the 2017–18 season. Among the most notable previously there wereZaporizhzhia derby between Metalurh and Torpedo,Kyiv derby between Dynamo and Arsenal (CSKA),Donetsk derby between Shakhtar and Metalurh. Other derbies existed in Lviv, Odesa, Kharkiv,West Ukrainian football derby and others.
Ukraine has several big stadiums with capacity of 30,000+ spectators and at least two stadiums with capacity of over 50,000 which also are considered to be by UEFA the elite stadiums. Since the 2014 Russian aggression against Ukraine, the access to some stadiums was restricted. Many stadiums in Ukraine and their surrounding infrastructure were renovated in preparation to theEuro 2012.
| # | Stadium | Capacity | City | Club | Opened |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Olimpiysky National Sports Complex | 70,050 | Kyiv | Ukraine,Dynamo Kyiv | 1923, 2011 |
| 2 | Donbass Arena | 52,518 | Donetsk | Shakhtar Donetsk | 2009 |
Among 30,000+ football stadiums or multi-use stadiums adopted for football areArena Lviv,Chornomorets Stadium,Dnipro-Arena,Metalist Stadium and others.
Other UEFA 4-category stadiums in the league:
| # | Stadium | Capacity | City | Club | Opened | UEFA category |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Metalist Stadium | 40,003 | Kharkiv | Metalist Kharkiv Metalist 1925 Kharkiv | 1926 |  |
| 2 | Arena Lviv | 34,915 | Lviv | Lviv Rukh Lviv | 2011 | |
| 3 | Chornomorets Stadium | 34,164 | Odesa | Chornomorets Odesa | 1935[af] | |
| 4 | Dnipro-Arena | 31,003 | Dnipro | Dnipro Dnipro-1 | 1940[ag] | |
| 5 | Butovsky Vorskla Stadium | 24,795 | Poltava | Vorskla Poltava | 1951 | |
| 6 | Slavutych-Arena | 11,883 | Zaporizhzhia | Metalurh Zaporizhya Zorya Luhansk | 1938[ah] | |
Source:[citation needed]
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