Ukrainian Premier League

The Ukrainian Premier League is the highest level of professional football in Ukraine. It was first founded in 1991 under the name “Vyshcha Liha” before its name was changed to the “Ukrainska Premier Liha” (Ukrainian Premier League) in 2008.

Organized by the Football Federation of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Premier League (or UPL) operates on a relegation-promotion system in which a set number of worst-performing teams are demoted to the Persha Liha (First League) at the end of each season, while a set number of top-performing teams from the Persha Liha are promoted to the Premier League. The league operates on a double round robin format in which each team plays each other twice (both home and away), while there is also a relegation play-off match at the end of the term for teams not automatically demoted.

Teams competing in the Ukrainian Premier League are also eligible to participate in the Ukrainian Cup. Depending on a team’s finish, it also can qualify for several different UEFA competitions, including the UEFA Champions League, the Europa League, or the Europa Conference League.

Dynamo Kyiv and Shakhtar Donetsk are by far the most successful teams in Premier League history. The duo have dominated the Ukrainian football landscape since the league’s creation back in 1991, and to date, are the only two Ukrainian clubs to have ever won a UEFA competition.

Media coverage for the Premier League in Ukraine has varied over the past decades. Initially, the TV broadcast rights to the Premier League were owned by UT-1, the country’s public broadcasting channel. However, in the latter part of the 2000s, a series of paid-TV providers secured TV broadcast rights, including Football 1/2 and Setanta Sports.

In the early part of the 2020s, Setanta Sports renewed their TV broadcast and live-streaming rights in a multi-year deal. The broadcaster also shares media rights with public provider Suspilne Sport, which broadcasts specific Premier League matches on its free-to-air TV channels.