2026–27 Ukrainian First League
 | |
| Season | 2026–27 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 24 July 2026 – June 2027 (winter break: November 2026 – March 2027) |
| Matches | 40 |
| Goals | 106 (2.65 per match) |
| Biggest home win | Kulykiv-Bilka 5–1 Ahrobiznes (30 August 2026) |
| Biggest away win | Lokomotyv 1–3 Feniks-Mariupol (28 August 2026) |
| Highest scoring | UCSA 4–4 Oleksandriya (31 July 2026) |
| Longest winning run | Viktoriya Sumy |
| Longest unbeaten run | Viktoriya Sumy Poltava Oleksandriya Chernihiv UCSA |
| Longest winless run | Lokomotyv Polissya-2 Probiy Chernihiv |
| Longest losing run | Feniks-Mariupol Kolos-2 |
| Highest attendance | 1,200 Prykarpattya-Blaho 3-0 Probiy (14 August 2026) |
| Lowest attendance | 0 (8 matches) |
| Total attendance | 12,640 |
| Average attendance | 395 |
← 2025–26 2027–28 →
All statistics correct as of 30 August 2026
| |
The 2026–27 Ukrainian First League is the 36th football season of the Ukrainian second-tier competition, PFL Persha Liha (PFL First League or Ukrainian First League), since its establishment. The league competition consisted of 16 teams. The competition is being conducted during the ongoing war with Russia since late February 2022.[1]
It was announced that the new season would start around 25 July 2026 as "base" date,[2] later it was confirmed that some matchweek 1 games take place on 24 and others 26.
Teams
As in the preceding season, this season of the Ukrainian First League consisted of 16 teams.[3][4]
Newcoming teams
Promoted teams
Four teams received direct promotion at the end of the 2025–26 Ukrainian Second League.
- Kulykiv-Bilka – placed 1st in Group A (debut)
- Lokomotyv Kyiv – placed 1st in Group B (debut, previously played in a second tier during the 1940 Soviet Class B)
- Polissya-2 Zhytomyr – placed 2nd in Group A (debut)
- Kolos-2 Kovalivka – placed 2nd in Group B (debut)
Relegated teams
One team was relegated at the end of the 2025–26 Ukrainian Premier League.
- SC Poltava – 16th placed (returning after a season)
- FC Oleksandriya – 15th placed (returning after 11 seasons)
Outgoing teams
Promoted teams
Two teams were promoted to the 2026–27 Ukrainian Premier League.
- Bukovyna Chernivtsi – promoted after four seasons in the second tier.
- Chornomorets Odesa – promoted after a season in the second tier.
- Livyi Bereh Kyiv – promoted after a season in the second tier.
Relegated teams
Two teams were relegated to the 2026–27 Ukrainian Second League.
- Podillya Khmelnytskyi – relegated after four seasons in the second tier.
- Metalurh Zaporizhia – relegated after four seasons in the second tier.
Other administrative issues
Withdrawn teams
- Vorskla Poltava – the club withdrew after one season in the second tier following relegation from the Ukrainian Premier League.
Location map
The following displays the location of teams.
Kyiv
Home venues of teams in the 2026–27 Ukrainian First League.
Home venues of teams in the 2026–27 Ukrainian First League in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast
Stadiums
The following stadiums were used as home grounds for the teams in the competition.
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Notes:
- 1 2 3 4 Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine (2022).
Personnel and sponsorship
Notes:
- ↑ Given the fact that the company continues to cooperate with Russian clubs, the logo of Joma on the game uniform is disguised by the logo of another sponsor of the club
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing head coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Table | Incoming head coach | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FC Chernihiv | Valeriy Chornyi | Change of role | 14 June 2026[5][6] | Pre-season | Vasyl Baranov | 15 June 2026[7] |
| FC Nyva Ternopil | Yaroslav Matviyiv (caretaker) | End of interim | 17 June 2026 | Ivan Fedyk | 17 June 2026[8] | |
| SC Poltava | Pavlo Matviychenko (interim) | End of interim spell & contract | 8 July 2026 | Ihor Tymchenko | 8 July 2026 | |
| Feniks-Mariupol | Maksym Feshchuk | Mutual consent | 17 August 2026 | 12th | Volodymyr Zhuravchak | 17 August 2026 |
| Volodymyr Zhuravchak | Change of role | 18 August 2026 | Bohdan Blavatskyi | 18 August 2026 | ||
| FC Chernihiv | Vasyl Baranov | Mutual consent | 24 August 2026 | 10th | Andriy Polyanytsya (caretaker) | 24 August 2026 |
Notes:
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Viktoriya Sumy | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | +8 | 15 | Promotion to Ukrainian Premier League |
| 2 | Poltava | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 1 | +7 | 11 | |
| 3 | Oleksandriya | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 5 | +6 | 11 | Qualification to promotion play-offs |
| 4 | Kulykiv-Bilka | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 6 | +5 | 10 | |
| 5 | Prykarpattia-Blaho | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 7 | |
| 6 | Metalist Kharkiv | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 7 | |
| 7 | Inhulets Petrove | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 9 | −2 | 7 | |
| 8 | Ahrobiznes Volochysk | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 9 | −4 | 7 | |
| 9 | UCSA Tarasivka | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 6[a] | |
| 10 | Feniks-Mariupol | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 8 | −2 | 6[a] | |
| 11 | Nyva Ternopil | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 6[a] | |
| 12 | Chernihiv | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 6 | −1 | 4 | |
| 13 | Lokomotyv Kyiv | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 3 | Qualification to relegation play-off |
| 14 | Kolos-2 Kovalivka | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 3 | |
| 15 | Polissya-2 Zhytomyr | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 9 | −3 | 2 | Relegation to Ukrainian Second League |
| 16 | Probiy Horodenka | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 12 | −8 | 2 |
Updated to match(es) played on 30 August 2026. Source:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Goal difference in all games; 6) Goals scored in all games (Note: calculation by criteria indicated in rules 2, 3, 4 is conducted with consideration of all teams that have an equal number of tournament points at the moment of calculation and not only among those which after preliminary criteria have appeared more successful).[9]
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Goal difference in all games; 6) Goals scored in all games (Note: calculation by criteria indicated in rules 2, 3, 4 is conducted with consideration of all teams that have an equal number of tournament points at the moment of calculation and not only among those which after preliminary criteria have appeared more successful).[9]
Notes:
Match results
Match results by week
Position by round
| League leaders/Promotion to Ukrainian Premier League | |
| Promotion to Ukrainian Premier League | |
| Qualification to Promotion play-offs | |
| Qualification for the Relegation play-offs | |
| Relegation to Ukrainian Second League |
Statistics
Goalscorers
|
As of 16 August 2026
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
- Own goal(s):
- Vasyl Burtnyk (Nyva Ternopil for Oleksandriya)
- Stanislav-Nuri Malysh (Inhulets Petrove for Oleksandriya)
Hat-tricks
As of 31 July 2026
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Pablo Castro |
UCSA Tarasivka | Oleksandriya | 4–4 (H) | 31 July 2026 |
Clean sheets
As of 16 August 2026
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vladyslav Kucheruk | Viktoriya Sumy | 3 |
| Mykyta Minchev | Poltava | ||
| 3 | Danylo Khmelovskyi | Ahrobiznes Volochysk | 2 |
| Andriy Klishchuk | Oleksandriya | ||
| Vadym Yushchyshyn | UCSA Tarasivka | ||
| 6 | 4 player(s) | 1 | |
Awards
Monthly awards
| Month | Player of the Month | Awarded by | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Club | |||
| August 2026 | ||||
| September 2026 | ||||
| October 2026 | ||||
| November 2026 | ||||
| April 2027 | ||||
| May 2027 | ||||
Round awards
| Round | Player | Coach | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Club | Reference | Coach | Club | Reference | |
| Round 1 |  Dmytro Haladey |
Kulykiv-Bilka | [13] | Ihor Tymchenko |
SC Poltava | [13] |
| Round 2 | Pablo Castro |
UCSA Tarasivka | [14] | Vasyl Kobin |
Inhulets Petrove | [14] |
| Round 3 | Valeriy Sad |
SC Poltava | [15] | Volodymyr Romanenko |
Viktoriya Sumy | [15] |
| Round 4 |  Jhonatan Da Silva |
FC Oleksandriya | [16] | Vasyl Yatsurak |
Prykarpattya-Blaho | [16] |
| Round 5 | ||||||
| Round 6 | ||||||
| Round 7 | ||||||
| Round 8 | ||||||
| Round 9 | ||||||
| Round 10 | ||||||
| Round 11 | ||||||
| Round 12 | ||||||
| Round 13 | ||||||
| Round 14 | ||||||
| Round 15 | ||||||
| Round 16 | ||||||
| Round 17 | ||||||
| Round 18 | ||||||
| winter break | ||||||
| Round 19 | ||||||
| Round 20 | ||||||
| Round 21 | ||||||
| Round 22 | ||||||
| Round 23 | ||||||
| Round 24 | ||||||
| Round 25 | ||||||
| Round 26 | ||||||
| Round 27 | ||||||
| Round 28 | ||||||
| Round 29 | ||||||
| Round 30 | ||||||
Post-season play-offs
Relegation play-offs
The relegation–promotion play-off games were expected to be scheduled to take place between the 13th and 14th-placed teams with the third and fourth-placed teams of the Second League.
Promotion play-offs
| Premier League teams | Agg. | First League teams | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| x–x | ||||
| x–x |
First Semi-final
| v | ||
|---|---|---|
| v | ||
|---|---|---|
Second Semi-final
| v | ||
|---|---|---|
| v | ||
|---|---|---|
Number of teams by region
See also
- 2026–27 Ukrainian Cup
- 2026–27 Ukrainian Premier League
- 2026–27 Ukrainian Second League
- 2026–27 Ukrainian Football Amateur League
- 2026–27 Ukrainian Premier League Under-21
- 2026–27 Ukrainian Women's Prime League
- 2026–27 Ukrainian Women's Higher League
- List of Ukrainian football transfers summer 2026
- List of Ukrainian football transfers winter 2026–27
Notes
References
- ↑ "Додаткові заходи безпеки для організації та проведення футбольних матчів в Україні в умовах воєнного стану" [Extra security measures for organizations and carrying out football games in Ukraine under the martial law conditions] (PDF). uaf.ua (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 July 2026. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
- ↑ "Перша ліга визначилась з датою старту нового чемпіонату". sport.ua. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
- ↑ "Визначилися всі учасники Першої ліги у сезоні 2026/27". www.ua-football.com. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
- ↑ "ОФІЦІЙНО. Затверджено склад Першої та Другої ліг України 2026/27". sport.ua. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
- ↑ "«Сделал выбор в пользу своей семьи». Черный покинул пост главного тренера «Чернигова»". ua.tribuna.com. Retrieved 14 June 2026.
- ↑ "Валерій Чорний перейде на іншу посаду у клубі". ua-football.com. Retrieved 14 June 2026.
- ↑ "Василий Баранов и финалист Кубка Украины договорились о сотрудничестве на один год". sport.ua. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
- ↑ "Творитиме дива. Досвідчений тренер УПЛ очолив одного з аутсайдерів Першої ліги". www.ua-football.com. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
- ↑ "РЕГЛАМЕНТ Всеукраїнських змагань з футболу серед команд клубів Професіональної футбольної ліги сезону 2026/27" (PDF) (in Ukrainian). 30 June 2026. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2026-07-25. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ↑ Вирвали перемогу. Агробізнес у гостях здолав Колос-2. sport.ua. 8 August 2026
- ↑ Олександрія – Інгулець – 3:0. Розгром у дербі. Відео голів та огляд матчу. sport.ua. 8 August 2026
- ↑ Нічия з автоголом. Олександрія та тернопільська Нива розійшлися миром. sport.ua. 24 July 2026
- 1 2 "Гол прямо з кутового, яскравий дебют колишніх збірників України, вольові нічиї та дія нового правила. Особистості та цифри 1-го туру Першої ліги". 26 July 2026.
- 1 2 "8 голів за матч, 4 голи за тайм! Особистості та цифри 2-го туру Першої ліги – Кобін, Мальський, Приходько, Бойко, Кастро". 4 August 2026.
- 1 2 "Сад, Козак, Семотюк, Яде та один із воротарів-пенальтистів: уся збірна 3-го туру Першої ліги". 10 August 2026.
- 1 2 "Жонатан, Яде, Руніч: уся збірна 4-го туру Першої ліги з прикарпатським дербі та кількома сенсаціями". 16 August 2026.
External links
- Professional Football League. pfl.ua
- The season's regulations. uaf.ua
- Про Всеукраїнські змагання з футболу серед команд клубів Професіональної футбольної ліги сезону 2026/2027 (Циркуляр No.4/2026). uaf.ua. [About the All-Ukrainian football competitions for the 2026/27 Professional Football League clubs' teams season (Circular No.4/2026)]