The Persha Liha ( ) or Ukrainian First League is a level of national football competitions (second tier) in Ukraine governed by the Professional Football League at the discretion of the Ukrainian Association of Football. Members of the league also participate in the Ukrainian Cup. The league is the intermediate level within the three-tiered "competition pyramid".
History The league was set up by the newly reorganized Football Federation of Ukraine (a successor of the Football Federation of the Ukrainian SSR) with the falling apart Soviet Union as a second tier, lower than Ukrainian Higher League (Vyshcha Liha) and higher that Ukrainian Transitional League (Perekhidna Liha).
The very first round of games that took place for this league was on 14 March 1992. The league itself was organised just a few months before that and consisted mostly of all the Ukrainian clubs that previously competed in the one of groups of the Soviet Lower Second League (4th tier, see Ukrainian Soviet competitions). To the league were also added some Soviet Top League reserve squads of the Soviet Top League reserve squads competition and the three best performers of the Ukrainian football championship among amateurs, KFK (Fitness clubs).
The Persha Liha (First League) is lower than the Vyshcha Liha (Higher League) (currently known as the Ukrainian Premier League) and is the second division of the Ukrainian professional football league system.
The First League was incorporated into the PFL organisation that combined all the football leagues of non-amateur clubs (Top, First, and Second). On 26 May 1996 the Constituent Conference of non-amateur clubs took place which created the professional league, and confirmed its statute as well as its administration. Most of the clubs that had previously participated in the Ukrainian football league competitions were reorganized as professional, a process that actually started in the late 1980s. On 17 July the professional league signed an agreement with several other national football organizations to organize competitions among the professional clubs (its members). According to the newspaper Halychyna (Ivano-Frankivsk) the annual budget of league's clubs varied between ₴6 million to ₴30 million in 2010.Last one and half months worth several years Original source on August 19, 2010 by Bohdan Biletsky
The League officially became the top league of the Professional Football League (PFL) from 15 April 2008 when the Ukrainian Premier League reorganized itself into a self-governed entity. Usually the top two teams from the First League are promoted to the Premier League, while the two lowest teams from the Premier League are demoted to the First League. Because each club is only allowed to be represented with a single squad per each league, the second squad's promotion often is voided, thus, allowing the promotion of the third placed club during a season. One of the most successful second squads is of Dynamo Kyiv (FC Dynamo-2 Kyiv).
Current composition The following teams are competing in the 2025–26 season. Two teams were spared from relegation from the previous season due to other teams' withdrawal. In addition to each team's name, its home city and stadium are shown.
Team Home city Stadium Capacity Position in2024–25 First seasonin 1L Seasonsin 1L Ahrobiznes Volochysk, Khmelnytskyi Oblast Yunist2,700 5th 2018–19 6Bukovyna Chernivtsi Bukovyna12,076 7th 1994–95 15 Chernihiv Chernihiv Chernihiv Arena500 2L 2022–23 2 Chornomorets Odesa Chornomorets34,164 PL 1998–99 6 Feniks-Mariupol Lviv SKIF3,742 13th 2022–23 3Inhulets Petrove, Kirovohrad Oblast Inhulets1,720 PL 2016–17 5Livyi Bereh Kyiv Arena Livyi Bereh (Hnidyn)4,700 PL 2023–24 1Metalist Kharkiv Avanhard (Uzhhorod)10,383 6th 1994–95 8Metalurh Zaporizhia Slavutych Arena11,883 14th 2019–20 4Nyva Ternopil Ternopil Misky imeni Shukhevycha15,150 11th 2001–02 10Podillya Khmelnytskyi Podillya6,800 15th 1992 10 Probiy Horodenka, Ivano-Frankivsk Probiy Arena2,500 2L 2025–26 debutPrykarpattia Ivano-Frankivsk Rukh6,500 10th 2018–19 7 UCSA Tarasivka, Kyiv Oblast imeni Bannikova (Kyiv)1,678 8th 2024–25 1 Viktoriya Sumy Kolos (Boryspil)5,400 9th 2023–24 2 Vorskla Poltava Vorskla24,795 PL 1992 5
Location map The following displays the location of teams.
Format of competition
General description The league conducts its competition in a regular double round-robin format where each team plays with every other one twice. The league conducts its competitions from fall to spring, however due to climate conditions in Ukraine, a mid-season winter break is usually longer than the summer break between competition seasons. Since 1995 the league also follows the same system of points calculation that is adopted throughout the whole European continent, 3 points for win, one for draw, and none for loss.
Number of participants During its history the number of members in the league has fluctuated. In its first years before 1999 the league consisted of 20 or more participants. Later there was an idea to decrease the number of members in all leagues in order to improve the quality of competition. Until 2013 the number of participants was reduced to 18 except for couple of seasons in 2006–2008. Recently since 2013 the number was reduced further to 16 where it remains since.
Relegation and promotion Traditionally two better teams out of First League are being swapped for two worse teams out of Premier (Higher) League. On more rare occasions a third team gets a chance of promotion, but there were also seasons when only one team would get promoted. Only twice three teams were promoted to the top division, both times happening due to the top tier expansion. The league's winner and usually the second placed runner-up get accepted to the Premier League. However, due to the rule that a second team of the club cannot be promoted when its senior team plays in a higher tier, on few occasions when a second club team finished in top two places the third-placed team was admitted to the top division. In 2013 there was set a precedent when a club on its own will has refused to be promoted. In 2017 there was created another precedent when a club that earned promotion was denied it based on administrative decision.
With relegation, the league's policy is a bit different, although originally it also was two for two. In 1996 the Second League (lower tier) was converted into a de facto regional league with two (three) regional groups. The league has also decreased its number of participants from originally 22-24 to only 16-18. There were also number of withdrawals which triggered sometime additional number in rotation.
The relegation or promotion play-offs were previously usually organized under unforeseen circumstances such as a team's withdrawal from the league and often were not scheduled until after the season had concluded. Since 2011 relegation play-offs have become a well established tradition.
Since the turn of the millennium the frequency of withdrawals in the First League has increased among the competing clubs. In order to fight this, the league has been applying a stricter approach to every club's financial situation to avoid withdrawals during a season.
Season 92/9393/9494/9595/9696/9797/9898/9999/0000/0101/0202/0303/0404/0505/0606/0707/0808/0909/10LeaguePremier League2222122212322222226 2232213211122222Second League 24232233352344423102223x44*5*5*331x24*2x4x43x
Season 10/1111/1212/1313/1414/1515/1616/1717/1818/1919/2020/2121/2222/2323/2424/2525/2626/2727/2828/2929/30LeaguePremier League22211212223 222 1 121 Second League323343*64446 3*2*3x4*3*2*3x35*3x3
League's popularity Since the 2009–10 season the First League has started to broadcast selected matches over the internet in order to increase its popularity.
The most successful clubs in the league are FC Dynamo-2 Kyiv, FC Hoverla Uzhhorod, and FC Zirka Kropyvnytskyi. All of those teams were either disbanded or went through some sort of reorganizations. In 2016 Dynamo Kyiv withdrew its second team from professional competitions, while FC Hoverla was refused in attestation. Previously in 2008 FC Zirka that went through reorganization was re-established based on a local youth football club FC Olimpik Kropyvnytskyi and in 2016 won its third championship in the league.
Past winners and runners Promoted teams are indicated in bold.
SeasonGroupWinnerRunner-upThird placeNo. of teams1992AVeres RivnePryladyst MukachevePolihraftekhnika Oleksandria2 groups14 eachBKryvbas Kryvyi RihMetalurh NikopolArtania Ochakiv1992–93Nyva VinnytsiaTemp ShepetivkaNaftovyk Okhtyrka221993–94Prykarpattya Ivano-FrankivskEvis MykolaivPolihraftekhnika Oleksandria201994–95Zirka-NIBAS KirovohradCSKA-Borysfen BoryspilMetalurh Nikopol221995–96Vorskla PoltavaBukovyna ChernivtsiStal Alchevsk221996–97Metalurh DonetskDynamo-2 KyivMetalurh Mariupol241997–98SC MykolaivDynamo-2 KyivMetalist Kharkiv221998–99Dynamo-2 KyivChornomorets OdesaTorpedo Zaporizhia201999–00Dynamo-2 KyivStal AlchevskFC Cherkasy182000–01Dynamo-2 KyivZakarpattia UzhhorodPolihraftekhnika Oleksandria182001–02SC Volyn-1 LutskChornomorets OdesaObolon Kyiv182002–03Zirka KirovohradBorysfen BoryspilDynamo-2 Kyiv182003–04Zakarpattia UzhhorodMetalist KharkivNaftovyk Okhtyrka182004–05Stal AlchevskArsenal KharkivZorya Luhansk182005–06Zorya LuhanskKarpaty LvivObolon Kyiv182006–07Naftovyk-Ukrnafta OkhtyrkaZakarpattia UzhhorodObolon Kyiv202007–08Illichivets Mariupol FC LvivObolon Kyiv202008–09Zakarpattia Uzhhorod Obolon KyivPFC Oleksandria182009–10PFC SevastopolVolyn LutskStal Alchevsk182010–11PFC OleksandriaChornomorets OdesaStal Alchevsk182011–12Hoverla-Zakarpattia UzhhorodMetalurh ZaporizhyaFC Sevastopol182012–13FC SevastopolStal Alchevsk PFC Oleksandria182013–14FC Olimpik DonetskPFC OleksandriaStal Alchevsk162014–15FC OleksandriyaStal DniprodzerzhynskHirnyk-Sport Komsomolsk162015–16Zirka KirovohradCherkaskyi DniproObolon-Brovar Kyiv162016–17Illichivets MariupolDesna ChernihivVeres Rivne182017–18Arsenal KyivFC Poltava Desna Chernihiv182018–19SC Dnipro-1Kolos KovalivkaVolyn Lutsk162019–20FC MynaiRukh LvivInhulets Petrove162020–21Veres RivneChornomorets OdesaMetalist 1925 Kharkiv16162022–23Polissia ZhytomyrObolon KyivLNZ Cherkasy2 groups 8 each2023–24Inhulets PetroveKarpaty LvivLivyi Bereh Kyiv2 groups 10 each2024–25Epitsentr Kamianets-PodilskyiSC PoltavaMetalist 1925 Kharkiv2 groups 9 each2025–26Bukovyna ChernivtsiChornomorets OdesaLivyi Bereh Kyiv162026–27 16
Post-season play-offs Post-season play-offs are not common feature of the First League competition. Over the years there were several instances when clubs contested promotion or relegation berths. The first post-season feature consisted of a relegation mini tournament that took place in July 1998 in Kyiv and Boryspil. It involved three group winners of the Second League and Bukovyna that placed 18th place in the First League. The tournament identified clubs which would qualify for the 1998–99 Ukrainian First League. The next year the league featured its first promotion play-off.
Promotion play-offs see Ukrainian Premier League#Relegation play-offs
Relegation play-offs