2024–25 Ukrainian Premier League
34th season of top-tier football league in Ukrainian football
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The 2024–25 Ukrainian Premier League season, referred to as the Ukrainian Premier League VBET for sponsorship reasons, was the 34th top-level football club competition since the fall of the Soviet Union and the 17th since the establishment of the Ukrainian Premier League (UPL). The competition took place during the ongoing war with the Russia since late February 2022.
17 December 2024 – 21 February 2025
(winter break)
Official logo[1] | |
| Season | 2024–25 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 3 August 2024 – 25 May 2025 17 December 2024 – 21 February 2025 (winter break) |
| Champions | Dynamo Kyiv (17th title) |
| Relegated | Chornomorets Odesa Inhulets Petrove Livyi Bereh Kyiv Vorskla Poltava |
| Champions League | Dynamo Kyiv |
| Europa League | Shakhtar Donetsk |
| Conference League | Oleksandriya Polissya Zhytomyr |
| Matches | 240 |
| Goals | 544 (2.27 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Vladyslav Vanat (Dynamo) (17 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Shakhtar 6–0 Inhulets (23 November 2024) |
| Biggest away win | Vorskla 0–5 Shakhtar (4 August 2024) |
| Highest scoring | Oleksandriya 4–3 Shakhtar (24 August 2024) Shakhtar 5–2 Karpaty (14 September 2024) Dynamo 5–2 Inhulets (3 November 2024) |
| Longest winning run | 5 matches Dynamo |
| Longest unbeaten run | 30 matches Dynamo |
| Longest winless run | 14 matches Inhulets |
| Longest losing run | 7 matches Chornomorets |
| Highest attendance | 6,500 Karpaty 1–3 Zorya (25 May 2025) |
| Lowest attendance | 0 12 matches |
| Total attendance | 234,284 |
| Average attendance | 1,090 |
← 2023–24 2025–26 →
All statistics correct as of 25 May 2025. | |
Shakhtar Donetsk entered the season as the defending champions and the leading club in the last three seasons. Shakhtar were "dethroned" by Dynamo, which finished the season with no losses for the first time since the 2014–15 season.
The season started earlier than expected due to the sudden withdrawal of SC Dnipro-1, which forced the UPL to organize a mini-tournament of four teams for the extra spot in late July. The tournament included teams that were relegated to the second tier and those that lost promotion/relegation play-offs. Due to the withdrawal of SC Dnipro-1, Ukraine's spot for the club was forfeited at the 2024–25 continental competitions.
The season kicked off on 3 August 2024, with games in Rivne and Kryvyi Rih. With the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, the league's fixtures are being suspended or postponed due to anti-strike air sirens.
Teams
This season the Ukrainian Premier League remained at 16 teams.
Promoted teams
- Inhulets Petrove – first-placed team of the 2023–24 Ukrainian First League (returning after a season)
- Karpaty Lviv – second-placed team of the 2023–24 Ukrainian First League (returning, last competed in 2019–20, for the first time since its reorganization in 2020)
- Livyi Bereh Kyiv – winner of pre-season Mini-tournament. Third-placed team of the 2023–24 Ukrainian First League (debut)
Relegated teams
- FC Mynai – relegated after four seasons in the top flight.
- Metalist 1925 Kharkiv – relegated after three seasons in the top flight.
Withdrawn teams
Location map
Stadiums
The minimum threshold for the stadium's capacity in the UPL is 4,500 (Article 10, paragraph 8.3).[3]
The following stadiums are regarded as home grounds:
Personnel and sponsorship
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polissya Zhytomyr | End of caretaker | 26 May 2024[4] | Pre-season | 26 May 2024 | ||
| Inhulets Petrove | Mutual agreement | 5 June 2024 | 15 June 2024[5] | |||
| LNZ Cherkasy | End of the contract | 10 June 2024[6] | 11 June 2024[7] | |||
| Chornomorets Odesa | Mutual consent[8] | 26 June 2024[8] | 26 June 2024 | |||
| End of the contract | 30 June 2024 | 1 July 2024[9][10] | ||||
| End of caretaker spell[A] | 13 July 2024 | 9 July 2024[11] | ||||
| Karpaty Lviv | Mutual consent[12] | 17 July 2024 | 19 July 2024 | |||
| Zorya Luhansk | Return to previous position | 26 August 2024 | 8th | 26 August 2024 | ||
| Obolon Kyiv | Fired | 4 September 2024[13] | 16th | 4 September 2024 | ||
| End of interim | 5 September 2024 | 5 September 2024 | ||||
| Vorskla Poltava | Return to previous coaching role | 23 October 2024 | 12th | 24 October 2024 | ||
| LNZ Cherkasy | Suspended | 11 December 2024 | 10th | 11 December 2024 | ||
| Sacked after suspended | 12 December 2024 | 12 December 2024 | ||||
| End of caretaker spell | 18 December 2024 | 18 December 2024 | ||||
| Kolos Kovalivka | Fired | 10 March 2025 | 12th | 10 March 2025 | ||
| Chornomorets Odesa | Change of role | 24 March 2025[14] | 15th | 24 March 2025[15] | ||
| Polissya Zhytomyr | Sacked | 12 May 2025[16][17] | 5th | 12 May 2025 |
Notes:
- The match of 16th matchday between Inhulets Petrove and Zorya Luhansk was started on 8 December 2024 at the stadium Hirnyk in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region
- The match of 16th matchday between Inhulets Petrove and Zorya Luhansk was resumed after air alerts on 30 April 2025, at the CSC Nika Stadium in Oleksandria, Kirovohrad region
- The stadium was announced as the home ground of the Inhulets Petrove in the 2nd part of the season 2024-25, but the club decided to held home matches at the CSC Nika Stadium in Oleksandria
- 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
- Since 27th matchweek
- Since 14th matchweek
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dynamo Kyiv (C) | 30 | 20 | 10 | 0 | 61 | 19 | +42 | 70 | Qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round |
| 2 | Oleksandriya | 30 | 20 | 7 | 3 | 46 | 22 | +24 | 67 | Qualification for the Conference League second qualifying round |
| 3 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 30 | 18 | 8 | 4 | 69 | 26 | +43 | 62 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round[a] |
| 4 | Polissya Zhytomyr | 30 | 12 | 12 | 6 | 38 | 28 | +10 | 48 | Qualification for the Conference League second qualifying round |
| 5 | Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih | 30 | 13 | 8 | 9 | 34 | 26 | +8 | 47 | |
| 6 | Karpaty Lviv | 30 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 42 | 36 | +6 | 46 | |
| 7 | Zorya Luhansk | 30 | 12 | 4 | 14 | 34 | 39 | −5 | 40 | |
| 8 | Rukh Lviv | 30 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 30 | 27 | +3 | 38 | |
| 9 | Veres Rivne | 30 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 33 | 44 | −11 | 36[b] | |
| 10 | Kolos Kovalivka | 30 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 27 | 25 | +2 | 36[b] | |
| 11 | Obolon Kyiv | 30 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 19 | 43 | −24 | 32 | |
| 12 | LNZ Cherkasy | 30 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 25 | 37 | −12 | 31 | |
| 13 | Vorskla Poltava (R) | 30 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 38 | −14 | 27 | Qualification for the Relegation play-off |
| 14 | Livyi Bereh Kyiv (R) | 30 | 7 | 5 | 18 | 18 | 39 | −21 | 26 | |
| 15 | Inhulets Petrove (R) | 30 | 5 | 9 | 16 | 21 | 47 | −26 | 24 | Relegation to Ukrainian First League |
| 16 | Chornomorets Odesa (R) | 30 | 6 | 5 | 19 | 20 | 45 | −25 | 23 |
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; 6) Goals scored; 7) Draw or "Golden match" if two teams tied for title (Article 22, paragraph 3).[18]
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- Shakhtar Donetsk qualified for the Europa League first qualifying round by winning the 2024–25 Ukrainian Cup; the second Conference League spot was passed to the fourth-placed team.
- Head-to-head points: Veres Rivne 6, Kolos Kovalivka 0.
Results
Teams play each other twice on a home and away basis.
Matches affected by air alerts
Round 2.
Shakhtar vs Polissia. The match had been interrupted in the 61st minute for 30 minutes.[19]
Round 3.
Vorskla vs Obolon. Kick off time was delayed for 35 minutes. The match had been interrupted in the 16th minute.[20]
Zorya vs Oleksandriya. Kick off time was delayed for 45 minutes.[21]
Round 4.
Livyi Bereh vs Chornomorets. Kick off time was delayed for 90 minutes.[22]
LNZ vs Karpaty. Kick off time was postponed for 6 hours.[23]
Round 5.
Kryvbas vs Shakhtar. The match, which kicked off on 1 September 2024, has been interrupted in the 50th minute.[24] After resumed, 16 April 2025, the match was firstly delayed for 45 minutes and then interrupted again, in 63th minute.[25]
Round 6.
Vorskla vs Rukh. Beginning of the second half was delayed for 20 minutes.[26]
Round 7.
Kryvbas vs Vorskla. Kick off time was delayed for 30 minutes. The match had been interrupted in the 6th minute. Beginning of the second half was delayed for 18 minutes.[27]
Round 8.
Veres vs Shakhtar. Kick off time was delayed for 27 minutes.[28]
Round 10.
Oleksandriya vs Vorskla. Kick off time was delayed for 40 minutes.[29]
Round 11.
Kryvbas vs LNZ. Kick off time was delayed for 80 minutes.[30]
Round 13.
Livyi Bereh vs Inhulets. Kick off time was delayed for 25 minutes.[31]
Kolos vs Kryvbas. Kick off time was delayed for 80 minutes.[32]
Round 14.
Veres vs Oleksandriya. Kick off time was delayed for 90 minutes.[33]
Round 16.
Inhulets vs Zorya. The match, which kicked off on 8 December 2024 (kick off time was delayed for 141 minute), has been interrupted during half-time.[34][35] It was resumed on 30 April 2025, at another stadium.[36]
Kolos vs Obolon. Kick off time was delayed for 110 minutes. Beginning of the second half was delayed for 35 minutes.[37]
Dynamo vs Oleksandriya. The match had been interrupted in the 58th minute for 38 minutes.[38]
Round 17.
Vorskla vs Livyi Bereh. Beginning of the second half was delayed for 100 minutes.[39]
Oleksandriya vs LNZ. The match had been interrupted in the 30th minute. Beginning of the second half was delayed for 40 minutes.[40]
Kryvbas vs Karpaty. Kick off time was delayed for 30 minutes.[41]
Round 21.
Kryvbas vs Livyi Bereh. The match, which kicked off on 15 March 2025 (kick off time was delayed for 107 minutes), has been interrupted in the 2nd minute. The match was resumed on 7 May 2025.[42]
Round 22.
Inhulets vs Veres. Kick off time was delayed for 20 minutes.
Livyi Bereh vs Oleksandriya. Beginning of the second half was delayed for 64 minutes.
Vorskla vs Kryvbas. Kick off time was delayed for 10 minutes.
Round 23.
Vorskla vs Zorya. Kick off time was delayed for 45 minutes.
Round 24.
Kryvbas vs Dynamo. Kick off time was delayed for 15 minutes and then postponed for 55 minutes.
Vorskla vs Polissya. The match had been interrupted in the 23rd minute for 12 minutes.
Round 25.
Vorskla vs Oleksandria. Kick off the time was delayed for 65 minutes and had been interrupted in the 6th minute for 18 minutes.
Livyi Bereh vs Polissya. Kick off the time was delayed for 30 minutes
Round 27
LNZ vs Zorya. Kick off the time was delayed for 60 minutes.
Round 28
Kryvbas vs Kolos. Kick of the time was delayed for 65 minutes.
Round 30
Inhulets vs Vorskla. The match had been interrupted in the 9th minute for 19 minutes.
Obolon vs Livyi Bereh. The match had been interrupted in the 6th minute for 30 minutes.
Mini tournament
On 22 July 2024 the UAF executive committee approved that the club which will replace SC Dnipro-1 should be the winner of the transitional tournament, organization of which was awarded to the UPL. The draw of the tournament was scheduled for the same date.[43] The tournament was decided to include three games (two semifinals and a final) on 26 and 30 July 2024.[44] The tournament was won by Livyi Bereh that gained promotion to the 2024–25 Ukrainian Premier League.
| Semi-finals 26 July 2024 | Final 30 July 2024 | ||||||||
| 1L | Livyi Bereh Kyiv (p) | 1 (5) | |||||||
| PL | Metalist 1925 Kharkiv | 1 (4) | |||||||
| 1L | Livyi Bereh Kyiv | 3 | |||||||
| PL | FC Mynai | 0 | |||||||
| 1L | Epitsentr Kamianets-Podilskyi | 3 (3) | |||||||
| PL | FC Mynai (p) | 3 (5) | |||||||
Semi-finals
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Livyi Bereh Kyiv | 1–1 (5–4 p) | Metalist 1925 Kharkiv |
| Epitsentr Kamianets-Podilskyi | 3–3 (3–5 p) | FC Mynai |
| 26 July 2024 | Livyi Bereh Kyiv | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (5–4 p) | Metalist 1925 Kharkiv | Zolocha community, Kyiv Oblast |
| 15:30 UTC+3 | Voytsekhovskyi |
Report | Kravets |
Stadium: Livyi Bereh Arena Attendance: 1,280 Referee: Andriy Kovalenko, Poltava |
| Penalties | ||||
| 26 July 2024 | Epitsentr Kamianets-Podilskyi | 3–3 (a.e.t.) (3–5 p) | FC Mynai | Rivne |
| 18:00 UTC+3 | Report | Stadium: Avanhard Attendance: 310 Referee: Oleksandr Omelchenko, Slovyansk | ||
| Penalties | ||||
|
||||
Final
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Livyi Bereh Kyiv | 3–0 | FC Mynai |
| 30 July 2024 | Livyi Bereh Kyiv | 3–0 | FC Mynai | Rivne |
| 18:00 UTC+3 |
|
Report | Stadium: Avanhard Attendance: 300 Referee: Oleksandr Shandor, Lviv |
Livyi Bereh Kyiv won the Mini tournament by beating in its final game Mynai, thus gaining promotion in place of SC Dnipro-1. Epitsentr Kamianets-Podilskyi remained in the Ukrainian First League, while Mynai and Metalist 1925 Kharkiv both were relegated to the Ukrainian First League.
Relegation play-offs
Teams that placed 13th and 14th in the 2024–25 Ukrainian Premier League played two-leg play-off with the third and fourth teams of the 2024–25 Ukrainian First League. As a result, both the Ukrainian First League teams (Metalist 1925 and Kudrivka) received promotion after beating the Ukrainian Premier League teams (Vorskla and Livyi Bereh), which in turn were relegated. Due to the Russian 2025 summer escalation and the Russian ballistic missile attack warnings, on 1 June 2025, both matches were suspended but later renewed.[45][46]
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kudrivka | 2–2 (4–3 p) | Vorskla Poltava | 1–2 | 1–0 |
| Livyi Bereh Kyiv | 0–2 | Metalist 1925 Kharkiv | 0–1 | 0–1 |
First Semi-final
| 29 May 2025 | Kudrivka | 1–2 | Vorskla Poltava | Kyiv |
| 15:30 |
|
Report | Stadium: Obolon Arena Attendance: 1,100 Referee: Dmytro Panchyshyn (Kharkiv) |
| 1 June 2025 | Vorskla Poltava | 0–1 (3–4 p) | Kudrivka | Poltava |
| 13:00 | Report | Lytovchenko |
Stadium: Vorskla Attendance: 2,204 Referee: Mykola Balakin (Kyiv oblast) | |
| Penalties | ||||
2–2 on aggregate; Kudrivka won 4–3 on penalties and promotion to Premier League. While, Vorskla lost 3–4 on penalties and relegation to First League
Second Semi-final
| 29 May 2025 | Livyi Bereh Kyiv | 0–1 | Metalist 1925 Kharkiv | Hnidyn, Kyiv Oblast |
| 18:00 | Report |
|
Stadium: Arena Livyi Bereh Attendance: 1,167 Referee: Viktor Kopiyevskyi (Kropyvnytskyi) |
| 1 June 2025 | Metalist 1925 Kharkiv | 1–0 | Livyi Bereh Kyiv | Hnidyn, Kyiv Oblast |
| 15:30 |
|
Report | Stadium: Arena Livyi Bereh Attendance: 1,800 Referee: Vitaliy Romanov (Dnipro) |
Metalist 1925 Kharkiv won 2–0 on aggregate and promotion to Premier League. While, Livyi Bereh Kyiv lost 0–2 on aggregate and relegation to First League.
Season statistics
Awards
Monthly awards
| Month | Player of the Month | Coach of the Month | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Club | Coach | Club | ||
| August 2024 | Polissya Zhytomyr | FC Oleksandriya | [49] | ||
| September 2024 | Dynamo Kyiv | Polissya Zhytomyr | [50] | ||
| October 2024 | Polissya Zhytomyr | Karpaty Lviv | [51] | ||
| November 2024 | Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih | Veres Rivne | [52] | ||
| December 2024 | Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih | Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih | [53] | ||
| February 2025 March 2025 |
Karpaty Lviv | Karpaty Lviv | [54] | ||
| April 2025 | Dynamo Kyiv | Dynamo Kyiv | [55] | ||
| May 2025 | Karpaty Lviv | FC Oleksandriya | [56] | ||
Round awards
The list includes winners of the Round by the Ukrainian Premier League as well as the Ukrainian internet publisher "SportArena".
| Round | Player | Coach | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Club | Reference | Coach | Club | Reference | |
| Round 1 | Shakhtar Donetsk | [57][58] | Shakhtar Donetsk | [57][58] | ||
| Round 2 | Polissya Zhytomyr | [59] | Polissya Zhytomyr | [59] | ||
| Dynamo Kyiv | [60] | Polissya Zhytomyr | [60] | |||
| Round 3 | Dynamo Kyiv | [61][62] | FC Oleksandriya | [63][62] | ||
| Round 4 | FC Oleksandriya | [64] | FC Oleksandriya | [64] | ||
| Round 5 | Rukh Lviv | [65] | Livyi Bereh Kyiv | [65] | ||
| Round 6 | Shakhtar Donetsk | [66][67] | Shakhtar Donetsk | [66][67] | ||
| Round 7 | Shakhtar Donetsk | [68] | Rukh Lviv | [68] | ||
| FC Oleksandriya | [69] | Kolos Kovalivka | [69] | |||
| Round 8 | Polissya Zhytomyr | [70] | Veres Rivne | [70] | ||
| Polissya Zhytomyr | [71] | FC Oleksandriya | [71] | |||
| Round 9 | Shakhtar Donetsk | [72] | Shakhtar Donetsk | [72] | ||
| Shakhtar Donetsk | [73] | Chornomorets Odesa | [73] | |||
| Round 10 | Dynamo Kyiv | [74] | Karpaty Lviv | [74] | ||
| LNZ Cherkasy | [75] | Dynamo Kyiv | [75] | |||
| Round 11 | Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih | [76][77] | Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih | [76][77] | ||
| Round 12 | Dynamo Kyiv | [78] | FC Oleksandriya | [78] | ||
| Dynamo Kyiv | [79] | FC Oleksandriya | [79] | |||
| Round 13 | FC Oleksandriya | [80] | FC Oleksandriya | [80] | ||
| FC Oleksandriya | [81] | Veres Rivne | [81] | |||
| Round 14 | Dynamo Kyiv | [82] | Vorskla Poltava | [83] | ||
| Shakhtar Donetsk | [83] | Vorskla Poltava | [83] | |||
| Round 15 | Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih | [84][85] | Inhulets Petrove | [84][85] | ||
| Round 16 | Dynamo Kyiv | [86] | Dynamo Kyiv | [86] | ||
| Round 17 | Obolon Kyiv | [87] | Polissya Zhytomyr | [87] | ||
| Polissya Zhytomyr | [88] | Obolon Kyiv | [88] | |||
| winter break | ||||||
| Round 18 | FC Oleksandriya | [89][90] | Veres Rivne | [89][90] | ||
| Round 19 | Shakhtar Donetsk | [91] | Inhulets Petrove | [91] | ||
| Shakhtar Donetsk | [92] | Shakhtar Donetsk | [92] | |||
| Round 20 | Zorya Luhansk | [93][94] | Livyi Bereh Kyiv | [93][94] | ||
| Round 21 | Veres Rivne | [95] | Veres Rivne | [95] | ||
| Round 22 | Karpaty Lviv | [96][97] | Kolos Kovalivka | [96][97] | ||
| Round 23 | Shakhtar Donetsk | [98] | Chornomorets Odesa | [98] | ||
| Shakhtar Donetsk | [99] | Chornomorets Odesa | [99] | |||
| Round 24 | Shakhtar Donetsk | [100] | Veres Rivne | [100] | ||
| Shakhtar Donetsk | [101] | Karpaty Lviv | [101] | |||
| Round 25 | Kolos Kovalivka | [102][103] | Kolos Kovalivka | [102][103] | ||
| Round 26 | Zorya Luhansk | [104] | Vorskla Poltava | [104] | ||
| Dynamo Kyiv | [105] | Vorskla Poltava | [105] | |||
| Round 27 | Karpaty Lviv | [106] | FC Oleksandriya | [106] | ||
| FC Oleksandriya | [107] | FC Oleksandriya | [107] | |||
| Round 28 | Karpaty Lviv | [108] | Karpaty Lviv | [108] | ||
| Chornomorets Odesa | [109] | Karpaty Lviv | [109] | |||
| Round 29 | FC Oleksandriya | [110] | Kolos Kovalivka | [110] | ||
| Livyi Bereh Kyiv | [111] | Kolos Kovalivka | [111] | |||
| Round 30 | Zorya Luhansk | [112] | Zorya Luhansk | [112] | ||
| Polissya Zhytomyr | [113] | Zorya Luhansk | [113] | |||
See also
Notes
- Despite the appointment to the position of head coach, Oleksandr Babych has not yet taken up his duties, so the team was led by Anatoliy Didenko