 | |
| Founded | 1991 as Vyshcha Liha 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) | |
| International cup(s) | |
| 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 |
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| Website | UPL.ua |
| Current: 2024–25 Ukrainian Premier League | |
The Ukrainian Premier League (Ukrainian: "Українська Прем'єр-ліга") or UPL is the highest division of Ukrainian annual football championship. Originally known as the Vyshcha Liha (Ukrainian: Вища ліга, lit. 'Higher League') it was formed in 1991 during the 1992[1] Ukrainian football championship upon discontinuation of the 1991 Soviet football championship and included the Ukraine-based clubs that competed previously in the Soviet top three tiers competitions as well as better clubs of the Ukrainian republican competitions. The initial season of the league featured six former Soviet Top League clubs among which were Dynamo, Shakhtar, Chornomorets, Dnipro, Metalist, Metalurh as well as four more clubs that previously also competed at the top league.
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Vyshcha Liha (Top League) clubs became a member of the Professional Football League of Ukraine.[1][2] In 2008[3][4] was withdrawn from Professional Football League of Ukraine and reformed into a separate self-governed entity of the Ukrainian Association of Football (previously Football Federation of Ukraine), officially changing its name to the current one.
As a leading club of the Soviet Top League, Dynamo Kyiv continues to be the league's "flagship club", while since the mid 2000s the league has been dominated by Shakhtar Donetsk. Three of Ukrainian clubs reached the finals of European club competitions: Dynamo (as Soviet club), Shakhtar and Dnipro. Among Ukrainian fans the most popular Ukrainian clubs are Dynamo Kyiv and Shakhtar Donetsk.[5] Other popular clubs include Karpaty Lviv, Metalist Kharkiv, Chornomorets Odesa and Dnipro.[5] Its rank was 12th highest in Europe as rated by UEFA as of 2021.
Since 2014, the operation of the League has been disrupted greatly on account of the Russo-Ukrainian War, worsening with the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The league has been affected by destruction of its sports infrastructure, many Ukrainian players choosing to join their military, and disruption to match attendances and many other facets of the league's operation.
- ^ a b Hunchenko, O., Kazakov, V., Kulikovska, O. Historic and geographic characteristics of football development in Ukraine (ІСТОРИКО-ГЕОГРАФІЧНІ ОСОБЛИВОСТІ РОЗВИТКУ ФУТБОЛУ В УКРАЇНІ)
- ^ Historic profile. Professional Football League of Ukraine
- ^ There was adopted a decision on creation of the football Premier League of Ukraine (Прийнято рішення про створення футбольної Прем'єр-ліги України). Electronic Library of Ukraine.
- ^ In Ukraine was created Premier League (В Україні створено Прем’єр-лігу). Champion (Ukrayinska Pravda). 27 May 2008
- ^ a b Poll: Dynamo is ahead of Shakhtar in popularity (Опитування: "Динамо" випереджає "Шахтар" за популярністю) Archived 9 May 2015 at the Wayback Machine. UNIAN. 12 September 2013.