Ukrainian Premier League: history, interesting facts

The Ukrainian Premier League (UPL) is the main football championship of Ukraine, where the best clubs of the country compete. This is the first division, where the fate of the championship title, tickets to the European Cups and the fight for survival are decided.

Football in Ukraine is not just a game, but a part of culture. He was always tough, emotional and unpredictable. There is plenty of intrigue here: from the legendary confrontation between Dynamo Kyiv and Shakhtar Donetsk to the rise of young teams trying to create a sensation.

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\"The championship is constantly changing: it was once one of the top 10 leagues in Europe, but now it is going through difficult times.\"
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But despite all the difficulties, Ukrainian football is alive, and every time you go to the stadium or turn on the broadcast, you understand: here they play not only with their feet, but also with their heart.

History of UPL

Football in Ukraine has ancient roots. Back in the 1920-30s there were local championships, but the real professional level appeared after gaining independence.

UPL started in 1992, when Ukrainian clubs left the USSR Championship and started their own history. The first season was special: as many as 20 teams, divided into two groups, took part in it. The first champion became \"Tavria\" Simferopol, which sensationally beat \"Dynamo\" in the final.

In the 90s Dynamo Kyiv dominated Ukrainian football. The team won championship after championship, and in 1999 reached the Champions League semi-finals. At that time, such legends as Shevchenko, Rebrov, Luzhnyi played.

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\"But in the 2000s, a new challenge appeared - \"Shakhtar\" Donetsk. Under the leadership of Mircea Lucescu, the team changed its style of play, began to sign technical Brazilians.\"
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Gradually intercepted the initiative in \"Dynamo\". This confrontation became the main one in the history of the Ukrainian Premier League.

The championship experienced the most changes after 2014. Due to the military aggression of Russia, \"Shakhtar\" left Donetsk, and the number of teams was reduced. The league has lost some of its financial capabilities, but has not ceased to be competitive.

Today in the UPL new names appear again: \"Zorya\", \"Dnipro-1\", \"Olexandria\" challenge the giants and try to prove that football in Ukraine is not reduced to only two teams.

Competition format

Today 16 teams play in UPL, and the season lasts from August to May.

Classic format:

Victory — 3 points
Die — 1 point
Defeat — 0 points

Each team plays two matches against each opponent — one at home, one away. Total 30 tours in the season.

After the end of the season:

The winner is the champion of Ukraine and a participant in the Champions League qualification.
2nd place — Champions League qualification.
3rd and 4th places — entry to the Europa League or Conference League (depends on the results of the Ukrainian Cup).
Last two places — relegation to First League (second division).
14th place is a survival playoff with a League One team.

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\"The format allows you to keep the intrigue until the last round. Even if the champion is determined in advance, the fight for European cups and survival always adds intensity to the championship.\"
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Famous teams of the Ukrainian Premier League

Ukrainian football has always been based on big clubs. The two main poles of power in the UPL are \"Dynamo\" Kyiv and \"Shakhtar\" Donetsk. But in addition to them, there are other teams in the championship that have written their names in history.

\"Dynamo\" Kyiv is a symbol of Ukrainian football

If we talk about history, \"Dynamo\" is a club that represents Ukrainian football. He dominated the championship in the 90s, gave the country such players as Andrii Shevchenko, Serhii Rebrov, Oleg Gusev. In addition, \"Dynamo\" is the only Ukrainian club that won European trophies back in the days of the USSR.

\"Shakhtar\" Donetsk - Brazilian style on Ukrainian soil

Until the beginning of the 2000s, \"Shakhtar\" was just a strong team. But everything changed when the club began to actively invite Brazilian players and build attacking football. In 2009, Shakhtar won the UEFA Cup, and this became proof that the Ukrainian club can compete on the European arena.

Clubs that made history

\"Dnipro\" is a team that in 2015 reached the final of the Europa League. After financial problems, the club ceased to exist, but \"Dnipro-1\" continues its traditions.
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\"Metalist\" Kharkiv – in the 2010s the team was one of the main competitors of \"Dynamo\" and \"Shakhtar\", but disappeared due to financial difficulties.
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\"Chornomorets\" Odesa is a club with a rich history, which once played in the final of the USSR Cup.
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\"Zorya\" Luhansk is a stable team that regularly plays in European Cups.
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Statistics and records of the Ukrainian Premier League

Football is a game not only about emotions, but also about numbers. The UPL has its own record holders who will remain in history for a long time.

Club records

The most championships – \"Dynamo\" Kyiv (17 titles).
The longest unbeaten streak is Shakhtar (55 matches in 2019-2021).
The most points in a season – \"Shakhtar\" (90 points in 2001/02).
Most successful season – 2007/08, when teams scored over 700 goals.

Record players

The best scorer in the history of the Ukrainian Premier League – Maxim Shatskikh (124 goals).
The most matches in the championship – Olexandr Shovkovskyi (426 games).
The youngest debutant – Vladislav Supryaga (17 years old, 2018).

Greatest victories and defeats

The biggest score in UPL history – Dynamo - Illichivets 9:0 (1997).
Most goals in a match – \"Metalist\" – \"Karpaty\" 7:4 (1999).

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\"The Ukrainian championship has always been physically tough, so scoring 30 goals in a season here is a rarity. But those who did it became legends.\"
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Current state of UPL

Today, Ukrainian football is going through a difficult period. The war affected the league, with many teams leaving their cities and some ceasing to exist altogether. But, despite all difficulties, the championship continues to live.

Favorites of the season

As always, the fight for the title is between Shakhtar and Dynamo. But \"Dnipro-1\", \"Zorya\", \"Aleksandria\" are increasingly interfering in the game.

How the war changed the championship

Matches are played without spectators due to security risks.
Clubs are forced to play not in their cities — many teams play their \"home\" matches in Kyiv or Lviv.
Due to the difficult financial situation, top players often go to other championships.

Despite everything, football lives on in Ukraine

Even in such difficult conditions UPL remains a league that brings up talents. It was from the Ukrainian championship that such players went to Europe as:

Mykhailo Mudryk (\"Chelsea\")
Ruslan Malinovsky (\"Genoa\")
Ilya Zabarny (\"Bournemouth\")
Olexandr Zinchenko (\"Arsenal\")

Interesting stories and facts from the Ukrainian Premier League

Ukrainian football is not only about points, tables and transfers. There is always something going on here: a last-minute sensation, the debut of a 16-year-old boy, or a full stadium during a downpour.

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\"UPL has its legends, its curiosities and moments that are remembered even decades later.\"
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The first champion is not \"Dynamo\" or \"Shakhtar\"**

\"Tavria\" Simferopol won the first season of the independent championship of Ukraine. It happened in 1992. In the final, they defeated \"Dynamo\" — and it is still considered one of the biggest sensations in the history of the UPL. Since that time, \"Tavria\" has never come close to the title.

Final of the championship

In 2006, Shakhtar\" and \"Dynamo\" scored the same number of points. We had to hold a golden match on a neutral field. The victory was won by Donetsk, and the match became historic - there was no such format either before or after.

A team that exists without a home

Since 2014, \"Shakhtar\" has not been able to play in its hometown. For more than 10 years, the club has been holding home matches in various cities: Lviv, Kharkiv, Kyiv. Despite this, the team continues to stay at the top and fight for the title every season.

The stadium where they played at -15°

Matches in Ukraine often take place in extreme conditions. One of the most famous examples is the match between Karpaty and Dynamo, which took place at -15 degrees. The field was as hard as concrete, but the players still fought to the last.

The fastest goal in UPL history

In 2019, striker \"Olympic\" Maxim Degtyarev scored a goal in the 8th second of the match. This ball still remains the fastest in the history of the Ukrainian championship.

Incredible return of \"Vorskla\"

In the 2017/18 season, \"Vorskla\" from Poltava sensationally broke into the top-3 and entered the group stage of the Europa League. For a club with a small budget, it was a real breakthrough and a victory of system work.

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\"The Ukrainian Premier League continues its existence despite all the challenges, proving that football is stronger than any obstacles.\"
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It is worth noting that UPL remains an important part of Ukrainian sports, continuing to nurture talents and support football traditions even in the most difficult times. Can the league return to its former glory? One thing can be said for sure — the spirit of Ukrainian football remains unbreakable, and every UPL match is written with heart and character.

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Oleksandr Smitiukh: Profile