Ukrainian Premier League facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ukrainian Premier League

Founded	1991; 34 years ago (1991) as Vyshcha Liha 2008; 17 years ago (2008) as Ukrainska Premier Liha
Country	Ukraine
Confederation	UEFA
Number of teams	16
Level on pyramid	1
Relegation to	Ukrainian First League
Domestic cup(s)	Ukrainian Cup Ukrainian Super Cup
International cup(s)	UEFA Champions League UEFA Europa League UEFA Conference League
Current champions	Shakhtar Donetsk (15th title) (2023–24)
Most championships	Dynamo Kyiv (16 titles)
Most appearances	Oleksandr Shovkovskyi (426)
Top goalscorer	Serhii Rebrov, Maksim Shatskikh (123)
TV partners	Ukraine: Setanta Sports International: See list
Website	UPL.ua

The Ukrainian Premier League (UPL) is the top football league in Ukraine. It is where the best football clubs in Ukraine play each year to see who is the champion. The league started in 1991 and was first called the Vyshcha Liha, or "Top League." It was formed after the Soviet football championship ended.

The UPL is also an organization for professional football clubs. In 2008, it became its own group, separate from the Professional Football League of Ukraine. It changed its name to the Ukrainian Premier League then.

Dynamo Kyiv has been a very strong team for a long time. Since the mid-2000s, Shakhtar Donetsk has also become a dominant team. These two clubs are the most popular in Ukraine. Other well-known clubs include Karpaty Lviv, Metalist Kharkiv, Chornomorets Odesa, and Dnipro.

Since 2014, the league has faced challenges because of the Russo-Ukrainian War. The war has damaged stadiums and made it hard for matches to happen. Many players have also joined the military.

How the League Works

The 2023–24 season is the 33rd season of top-level football in Ukraine. Shakhtar Donetsk is the current champion. Only two teams, Dynamo Kyiv and Shakhtar Donetsk, have played in every season of the league. The games between these two teams are very exciting and are known as the Klasychne (Classic).

The Premier League was officially formed in 2008. It has 12 football clubs that manage the league's activities. The league usually has 16 teams, but sometimes it has had 14. Teams play each other twice, once at home and once away.

In 2014, the league changed to 12 teams. After the first half of the season, the league splits into two groups of six teams. The top six teams play for the championship. The bottom six teams play to avoid being moved down to a lower league. Since 2019-20, there are also special play-off games for teams to qualify for European tournaments.

Teams that finish high in the league get to play in big international tournaments. The teams at the bottom of the league usually move down to the First League. New teams from the First League then move up to the Premier League. All Premier League teams also play in the National Cup competition.

The winner of the Premier League plays against the winner of the National Cup for the Ukrainian Super Cup. The league also organizes competitions for younger players, including under-21 and under-19 teams. The champion of the under-19 league can qualify for the UEFA Youth League.

League Emblems

Old emblem

New emblem

Season's emblem in 2016
with Pari-Match as sponsor

Season's emblem of FavBet as sponsor

Season's emblem of VBet as sponsor

The old league emblem showed a football with blue and yellow stripes, which are Ukraine's national colors. It had 16 stars representing the teams. Even when the league had fewer teams, the emblem stayed the same. The new emblem also has 16 stars. Sometimes, the name of a sponsor is added to the emblem for a season.

League Sponsors

A banner with Soyuz(S•V)Viktan in 2007 at Valeriy Lobanovskyi Dynamo Stadium

Since 2006, the league has included sponsors' names in its season titles. The first sponsor was "Soyuz-Viktan" in 2006–07. Later, "Biola" became a sponsor.

In 2008, after the Premier League was formed, "Epicentr K" became a new sponsor. This company sells home improvement products. Their contract was worth $3.6 million.

In 2015, a betting company called Pari-Match became a sponsor for a few seasons. Other sponsors have included FavBet and VBet.

• 2006–07: Soyuz-Viktan.
• 2007–08: Biola.
• 2008–09 – 2011–12: Epicentr K.
• 2015–16 – 2016–17: Pari-Match.
• 2019–20 – 2020–21 FavBet.
• 2021–22 – VBet.

Season Rules and Format

The Premier League sets rules for each season. These rules are approved by the league and the Ukrainian Association of Football. The league organizes games based on fair play.

Currently, there are 12 clubs in the league. Each club has a senior team, an under-21 team, and an under-19 team. Clubs must have a registered stadium and a training facility. They also need to support youth sports programs and have at least four youth teams.

All coaches and staff must have proper licenses. The main team roster can have up to 25 players. There is no limit for players under 21 who have professional contracts. Players can be registered during summer and winter breaks.

The league championship for senior teams uses a "round robin" system. This means each team plays every other team twice, once at home and once away. Games are played between 12:00 PM and 10:00 PM local time. Games can only be postponed in emergencies. If a team does not play a game, they can be fined or even removed from the league.

Competition Calendar

The season usually starts in mid-July and ends in mid-June. There is a long winter break from early December to early March. This schedule helps with weather conditions and is similar to most European leagues.

The very first season in 1992 was different. It only lasted half a year because the league changed its schedule. In that first season, 20 clubs were split into two groups. The winners of each group played a final match. Tavriya Simferopol surprisingly won the first championship by beating Dynamo Kyiv 1–0.

After the first season, teams played each other twice. The number of teams in the league changed between 14 and 18, but it settled at 16 teams from the 2002–03 season.

Since the 2005–06 season, a "golden match" rule was added. If the top two teams have the same number of points, they play an extra game to decide the champion. This happened in 2005–06 when Shakhtar Donetsk beat Dynamo Kyiv 2–1 in extra time to win the title.

League History

Before 1992, Ukrainian football teams played in the Soviet Union's leagues. After the Soviet Union broke apart, there was a discussion about creating a separate Ukrainian league. Many Ukrainian clubs, especially Dynamo Kyiv, wanted their own league.

Early Years and Dynamo's Dominance (1992–1999)

The first independent Ukrainian championship started quickly in spring 1992. It included teams from the top Soviet leagues. The 20 teams were divided into two groups. The group winners played for the championship title. Tavriya Simferopol won the first title, which was a big surprise.

After that first season, Dynamo Kyiv became very strong. For the next seven years, Dynamo Kyiv won every championship. During this time, some other strong teams faced difficulties. New teams also started to appear.

Shakhtar's Rise and Premier League Formation (2000–2010)

The 2000s saw a strong rivalry between Dynamo Kyiv and Shakhtar Donetsk. Shakhtar started to challenge Dynamo's dominance. In 2002, Shakhtar won its first national title and the Ukrainian Cup. This was a big moment for the club.

Other clubs like Dnipro and Chornomorets Odesa also competed for European spots. Metalist Kharkiv became a strong team in the late 2000s, often finishing third.

In 2009, Shakhtar Donetsk won the 2008–09 UEFA Cup, which was a huge achievement for an independent Ukrainian club. It was the last UEFA Cup before it became the Europa League.

An aerial duel between players of Shakhtar and Metalist in September 2009.

On November 15, 2007, the clubs decided to create the Premier League. This new league started in the 2008–09 season. There were some disagreements about who should lead the new league, but eventually, Vitaliy Danilov was elected president.

The "Big Four" and Recent Changes (2011–Present)

From 2010 to 2014, Shakhtar Donetsk won five league titles in a row. During this time, a "Big Four" of clubs formed: Shakhtar, Dynamo, Metalist, and Dnipro. These four teams consistently finished in the top spots.

The 2017 Liha Pari-Match champions FC Shakhtar Donetsk with a pennant (Hrayemo Chesno, We Play Fair)

Because of the Russo-Ukrainian War, some clubs faced financial problems. The number of teams in the league was reduced from 16 to 12. The league also changed its format to two stages. After the first round, the league splits into two groups. The top six teams play for the title, and the bottom six play to avoid relegation.

Under this new format, Shakhtar Donetsk won three league titles in a row from 2016–17 to 2018–19. In 2019, the league decided to expand back to 16 teams. In April 2022, the UPL season was stopped because of the war. There were no champions for that season.

League Leadership

Presidents

• Vitaliy Danilov, 2008 – 2016
• Volodymyr Heninson, 2016 – 2018
• Thomas Grimm, 2018 – 2020
• Yevhen Dykyi, 2023 – present

League Competitions

• National championship (Favbet Liha)
• Championship among under-19 teams
• Super Cup (paused since 2021)

Clubs in the League

A total of 47 clubs have played in the Premier League since it started.

Current Teams

The following teams are playing in the 2023–24 season. Some teams play their home games in different cities due to the war.

^a: Team played in every Ukrainian top flight season

Team Locations

Broadcasting Matches

Setanta Sports broadcasts the UPL matches in Ukraine. They show all games on their online platform. At least four matches per week are also shown on their TV channels. Some games are even available for free on their YouTube channel.

The league is also broadcast internationally. For example, Ma Chaîne Sport shows games in France and other European countries. Sport Klub broadcasts in countries that used to be part of Yugoslavia. Other countries like Poland, Azerbaijan, and Romania also have broadcasters.

European Competitions

Shakhtar Donetsk against Arsenal in the 2010–11 UEFA Champions League

Ukrainian clubs have played in European competitions since the 1960s. FC Dynamo Kyiv was the first Soviet club to play in a European competition in 1965. Other Ukrainian clubs like FC Karpaty Lviv, FC Zorya Luhansk, FC Chornomorets Odesa, FC Shakhtar Donetsk, FC Dnipro, and FC Metalist Kharkiv have also played in Europe.

Five Ukrainian clubs have played in the top European tournaments, the European Cup and the UEFA Champions League. These are FC Dynamo Kyiv, FC Dnipro, FC Metalist Kharkiv, FC Shakhtar Donetsk, and SC Tavriya Simferopol.

Two teams, Dynamo and Shakhtar, have won European trophies. Dynamo won two European Cup Winners' Cups and one European Super Cup. Shakhtar won one UEFA Cup. FC Dnipro almost won the Europa League in 2015 but lost in the final.

League Records and Players

Top Goal Scorers

Maksim Shatskikh and Serhii Rebrov, both former Dynamo Kyiv players, hold the record for the most goals in the Ukrainian Premier League with 123 goals each. Shatskikh was the top scorer in two seasons, and Rebrov was once.

Since 1992, 22 different players have been the top scorer. Only five players have won the top scorer title more than once: Tymerlan Huseynov, Maksim Shatskikh, Yevhen Seleznyov, Alex Teixeira, and Júnior Moraes.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan holds the record for the most goals in a single season with 25 goals. Serhii Rebrov and Maksim Shatskikh are the only players to score at least 20 goals in two different seasons.

All-time Premier League scorers

Player	Goals	Games	Years
Maksim Shatskikh	124	341	2000–2015
Serhii Rebrov	123	261	1992–2000, 2006–2008
Yevhen Seleznyov	117	257	2007–2017, 2020–2023
Andriy Vorobey	105	315	1998–2013
Júnior Moraes	103	189	2013–2022
Andriy Yarmolenko	103	234	2008–2018, 2023–
Oleksandr Hladkyy	99	359	2005–2018, 2020–2023
Oleksandr Haydash	95	259	1993–2004
Marko Dević	90	219	2005–2014
Serhiy Mizin	90	342	1993–2008
Players in bold are still playing in Premier League Data as of 21 December 2023

All-time Premier League appearance leaders

Player	Games	Years
Oleksandr Shovkovskyi	426	1994–2017
Oleh Shelayev	412	1994–2014
Vyacheslav Checher	410	1994–2017
Oleksandr Chizhevskiy	400	1992–2006, 2008, 2010
Oleksandr Horyainov	391	1994–2015
Ruslan Rotan	375	2000–2018
Serhiy Nazarenko	373	2000, 2002–2017
Serhiy Shyshchenko	363	1993–2010
Ruslan Kostyshyn	359	1997–2012
Oleksandr Hladkyi	359	2005–2023
Players in bold are still playing in Premier League Data as of 14 November 2023

All-time Premier League goalkeepers

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
Players in bold are still playing in Premier League Data as of 4 January 2024

League Managers

Former Shakhtar Donetsk and current Dynamo Kyiv manager Mircea Lucescu is the most successful manager in Ukrainian Premier League history with 9 championships and the only who won it with multiple clubs.

Myron Markevych has managed the most games in Ukrainian Premier League.

The manager with the most league wins is Mircea Lucescu. He has won 9 titles with Shakhtar Donetsk and Dynamo Kyiv.

Winning managers

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
Serhii 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

The manager with the most games in the league is Myron Markevych.

All-time top-10 managers with league games

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
Coaches in bold are still active in the League Data as of 8 January 2024

Current managers (2023–24 season)

Nat.	Name	Club	Appointed	Time as manager
	Ivashchenko, ValeriyValeriy Ivashchenko	Obolon Kyiv	5 May 2021	4 years, 51 days
	Kalitvintsev, YuriyYuriy Kalitvintsev	Polissya Zhytomyr	13 June 2021	4 years, 12 days
	Vyshnyak, YaroslavYaroslav Vyshnyak	Kolos Kovalivka	28 November 2021	3 years, 209 days
	Hryhorchuk, RomanRoman Hryhorchuk	Chornomorets Odesa	30 December 2021	3 years, 177 days
	Vernydub, YuriyYuriy Vernydub	Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih	21 June 2022	3 years, 4 days
	Rotan, RuslanRuslan Rotan	FC Oleksandriya	21 December 2022	2 years, 186 days
	Ponomaryov, VitaliyVitaliy Ponomaryov	Rukh Lviv	20 March 2023	2 years, 97 days
	Dulub, OlegOleg Dulub	LNZ Cherkasy	30 August 2023	1 year, 299 days
	Maksymov, YuriyYuriy Maksymov	SC Dnipro-1	14 September 2023	1 year, 284 days
	Pušić, MarinoMarino Pušić	Shakhtar Donetsk	24 October 2023	1 year, 244 days
	Shovkovskyi, OleksandrOleksandr Shovkovskyi	Dynamo Kyiv	4 November 2023	1 year, 233 days
	Koval, YuriyYuriy Koval (caretaker)	Zorya Luhansk	11 November 2023	1 year, 226 days
	Ljubenović, ŽeljkoŽeljko Ljubenović	FC Mynai	18 November 2023	1 year, 219 days
	Shandruk, OlehOleh Shandruk	Veres Rivne	12 December 2023	1 year, 195 days
	Skrypnyk, ViktorViktor Skrypnyk	Metalist 1925 Kharkiv	20 December 2023	1 year, 187 days
	Dolhanskyi, SerhiySerhiy Dolhanskyi (caretaker)	Vorskla Poltava	4 January 2024	1 year, 172 days

Rivalries and Derbies

Klasychne Derby

The biggest rivalry in the league is the Klasychne derby between Shakhtar Donetsk and Dynamo Kyiv. This rivalry became very strong in the late 1990s when both teams consistently finished in the top two spots. It became even more intense after Shakhtar won its first national title in 2002.

Other Rivalries

There are also smaller regional rivalries, such as between Karpaty and Volyn, Metalist and Dnipro, and Zorya and Shakhtar.

City derbies, where two teams from the same city play each other, have also existed. Some notable past city derbies include the Zaporizhzhia derby (Metalurh vs. Torpedo), the Kyiv derby (Dynamo vs. Arsenal), and the Donetsk derby (Shakhtar vs. Metalurh).

Stadiums and Attendance

Ukraine has several large stadiums. Some can hold over 30,000 people, and two can hold over 50,000. These larger stadiums are considered "elite" by UEFA. Many stadiums were improved for the Euro 2012 football tournament. However, since 2014, access to some stadiums has been limited due to the war.

UEFA Elite Stadiums

Other Major Stadiums

Other large stadiums that can hold over 30,000 fans include Arena Lviv, Chornomorets Stadium, Dnipro-Arena, and Metalist Stadium.

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
4	Dnipro-Arena	31,003	Dnipro	Dnipro Dnipro-1	1940
5	Butovsky Vorskla Stadium	24,795	Poltava	Vorskla Poltava	1951
6	Slavutych-Arena	11,883	Zaporizhzhia	Metalurh Zaporizhya Zorya Luhansk	1938

Fan Attendance

Source:

Images for kids

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  A banner with Soyuz(S•V)Viktan in 2007 at Valeriy Lobanovskyi Dynamo Stadium

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  Aerial duel between players of Shakhtar and Metalist in September 2009 including Fernandinho and Marko Devic

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  The 2017 Liha Pari-Match champions FC Shakhtar Donetsk with a pennant (Hrayemo Chesno, We Play Fair)

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  Former Shakhtar Donetsk and current Dynamo Kyiv manager Mircea Lucescu is the most successful manager in Ukrainian Premier League history with 9 championships and the only who won it with multiple clubs.

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  Myron Markevych has managed the most games in Ukrainian Premier League, participating in every season from the inaugurational 1992 to 2015–16 (with the exception of 2004–05).

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  Shakhtar Donetsk against Arsenal in the 2010–11 UEFA Champions League