The Ukrainian Premier League youth competitions are a set of youth competitions within the Ukrainian Premier League and are part of youth competitions in Ukraine. The events include championships in two age categories: under-19 and under-21. Along with the top-tier competitions (Ukrainian Premier League), the competitions have been held since 2004. These competitions are held separately from the bigger National League of Future (previously the Ukrainian Youth Football League).
Originally, those competitions were designed for reserve teams of the PFL Higher League clubs; since 2008, they have been age-restricted for the under-21 junior teams. The competition was known as the UPL youth competition (molodizhnyi chempionat). In 2012, an additional competition was added for under-19 teams, held in parallel with the under-21 team's competition. Following the 2020–21 season, the competition for under-21 teams was discontinued. In the 2025–26 season, the competition for the under-19 teams was renamed the National League, and the following season, it separated from the Ukrainian Premier League (UPL). In its place, the UPL revived its under-21 competitions as the UPL-2.
Historical background of junior competitions First steps
Soon after establishing the Professional Football League of Ukraine (PFL) in 1996, a discussion arose about developing a younger generation of football players. In 1998, in Ukraine, the academies of the PFL football clubs held their first set of competitions, which were conducted in two age categories. In 2001 there was established a separate organization, Ukrainian Youth Football League (), that took over the administration of those youth competitions. Originally, competitions were conducted in four age groups between 14 and 17. In 2002 in coordination with the PFL there was introduced competition among youth under 19 years of age.In Ukraine started Junior Championship U-19 with PFL teams (В Україні стартував чемпіонат юніорів U-19 з командами ПФЛ ). Footboom. 22 September 2016
Ukrainian Youth Football League championship among junior teams (Unofficial competitions) SeasonChampionRunner-upThird placeMost valuable player2002-03FC Shakhtar DonetskFC Kryvbas Kryvyi RihSC Tavriya Simferopol2003-04SC Tavriya SimferopolFC Shakhtar DonetskMFC Oleksandriya2004-05MFC OleksandriyaFC Kryvbas Kryvyi RihFC Lokomotyv Odessa2005-06FC Obriy NikopolFC Lokomotyv OdessaFC Luzhany
Reserves competitions In 2004, the PFL introduced competition for the PFL Higher League (Vyshcha Liha) clubs' double teams (reserve teams). The reason for the introduction of the PFL Higher League competitions for doubles was partly connected with the necessity to free the PFL lower league competitions from the Higher League clubs' second teams. With the introduction of the double competitions in 2004, professional clubs started to remove their second teams from the 2004-05 Ukrainian Second League and even more in the following season. The age restriction for the PFL Higher League double teams at first was conditional. In 2006, the PFL discontinued joint youth competition among under-19 teams conducted along with the Youth Football League.
Conversion of reserve competitions and addition of other UPL junior competitions In 2008, the Ukrainian Premier League was established, which took over the administration of the PFL Higher League clubs' competitions, including competitions for double teams. Those competitions were renamed as the UPL championship and the UPL youth championship. The UPL youth competition became age-restricted and involved players under 21 years.
In 2012, the Ukrainian Premier League added competitions for under-19 teams. To avoid ambiguity, the UPL youth championship was renamed as the UPL U-21 championship, while the other competition received the name of UPL U-19 championship.
Plans of establishing separate professional junior league competitions In 2016 the competitions among youth teams with age category under 19 years of age were reintroduced in the Professional Football League now for teams of the Persha Liha and Druha Liha (First and Second leagues), as well as amateur level youth football-oriented institutions, i.e. youth football clubs, sports schools. The competitions received the name of Persha Liha U-19 competitions. In 2017 discussions were taking place to expand the UPL to include competitions of the Persha Liha (First League) as well as the Persha Liha U-19 competitions and allowing exchange between Premier League and First League among the youth teams.
The UPL youth competitions are considered as a development league and therefore its participants' performance does not result in the team's relegation from it. The relegation occurs only based on their final league position of their respective senior teams in the Ukrainian Premier League. If the senior team is relegated from the Ukrainian Premier League, then its reserve team is relegated from the Premier Reserve League and replaced by a reserve team of another newly promoted club from the Ukrainian First League.
Under-21 results
PFL Higher League (Vyshcha Liha) championship for reserve teams SeasonChampionRunner-upThird placeTop goalscorer2004–05Dynamo KyivMetalist KharkivIllichivets Mariupol Roberto Nanni (Dynamo Kyiv, 9 goals) Syarhey Karnilenka (Dynamo Kyiv, 9 goals)2005–06Dynamo KyivMetalist KharkivIllichivets Mariupol Serhiy Davydov (Metalist Kharkiv, 21 goals)2006–07Dynamo KyivShakhtar DonetskChornomorets Odesa Oleksandr Aliyev (Dynamo Kyiv, 21 goals)2007–08Dynamo KyivMetalurh ZaporizhyaMetalist Kharkiv Oleksandr Aliyev (Dynamo Kyiv, 18 goals)
Ukrainian Premier League youth's (U-21) championship SeasonChampionRunner-upThird placeTop goalscorer2008–09Shakhtar DonetskDynamo KyivChornomorets Odesa Roman Zozulya (Dynamo Kyiv, 19 goals)2009–10Karpaty LvivShakhtar DonetskDynamo Kyiv Yuriy Furta (Karpaty Lviv, 15 goals) Artem Hromov (Vorskla Poltava, 15 goals)2010–11Shakhtar DonetskMetalist KharkivDnipro Dnipropetrovsk Yevhen Budnik (Metalist Kharkiv, 13 goals) Oleh Barannik (Vorskla Poltava, 13 goals)2011–12Shakhtar DonetskZorya LuhanskObolon Kyiv Vladyslav Kulach (Shakhtar Donetsk, 14 goals)2012–13Zorya LuhanskDynamo KyivShakhtar Donetsk Yevhen Troyanovskyi (Metalurh Donetsk, 16 goals)2013–14Illichivets MariupolShakhtar DonetskDnipro Dnipropetrovsk Oleh Barannik (Vorskla Poltava, 18 goals)2014–15Dnipro DnipropetrovskDynamo KyivVorskla Poltava Artur Zahorulko (Shakhtar Donetsk, 17 goals)2015–16Dynamo KyivShakhtar DonetskDnipro Dnipropetrovsk Andriy Boryachuk (Shakhtar Donetsk, 20 goals)2016–17Dynamo KyivShakhtar DonetskKarpaty Lviv Stanislav Bilenkyi (Olimpik Donetsk, 16 goals)2017–18Shakhtar DonetskDynamo KyivFC Oleksandriya Bohdan Lyednyev (Dynamo Kyiv, 16 goals)2018–19Dynamo KyivFC OleksandriyaShakhtar Donetsk Andriy Kulakov (Shakhtar Donetsk, 14 goals)2019–20()()()( ())2020–21Dynamo KyivShakhtar DonetskRukh Lviv Vladyslav Vanat (Dynamo Kyiv, 26 goals)
Top three +All-time U-21 UPL scorersRankPlayerGoalsGames1 Oleksandr Aliev682 Oleh Barannik583 Serhiy Davydov504 Yevhen Bokhashvili495 Oleksandr Antonenko416 Artur Zahorulko407 Yuriy Furta378 Andriy Boryachuk369 Yevhen Budnik35 Yevhen Troyanovskyi35Players in bold are still playing in UPL under-21Data as of 31 October 2018top scorer. UPL
ClubWinnerRunner-upWinning yearsDynamo U-21842005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021Shakhtar U-21462009, 2011, 2012, 2018, (2020)Zorya U-21112013Dnipro U-21102015Mariupol U-21102014Karpaty U-21102010Metalist U-2103Oleksandriya U-2101Metalurh U-2101
All-time table There was a total of 17 seasons in the UPL competitions among under-21 teams.
RankTeamSeasonsPWDLGFGAPtsAchievementOther names used1Dynamo Kyiv1544427682761059430940champions (7)2Shakhtar Donetsk1544426079105971521859champions (4)3Vorskla Poltava15444201801637025736833rd (1)4Dnipro1338019072118691475642champions (1)5Metalist Kharkiv1234817959110587436596vice champions (3)6Karpaty Lviv1338417474136632536596champions (1)7Chornomorets Odesa14414168751716326365793rd (2)8FC Mariupol1235616468124569497560champions (1)9Zorya Luhansk1338416064160534550544champions (1)10Metalurh Zaporizhia1131912668125470456446vice champions (1)11Metalurh Donetsk1132211957146489495414 5th (1)12Arsenal Kyiv103029051161343537321 6th (1)13Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih92708247141313473293 8th (1)14Volyn Lutsk92607943138377578280 9th (1)15Tavriya Simferopol102976960168327597267 10th (1)16FC Oleksandriya5152534257185187201vice champions (1)17Obolon Kyiv41205024461651681743rd (1)18FC Kharkiv4120441858168222150 6th (1)19Olimpik Donetsk5148412384174281146 4th (1)20Hoverla Uzhhorod82283439155179597141 12th (1)21Stal Kamianske390312534133166118 4th (1)22Stal Alchevsk2601711327210662 14th (1)23FC Sevastopol256195328912662 10th (1)24FC Lviv262148406414050 11th (1)25Zirka Kropyvnytskyi264814425414338 12th (1)26Naftovyk Okhtyrka13010614384636 11th (1)27Borysfen Boryspil1307914294130 14th (1)28Desna Chernihiv1328420418128 10th (1)29Veres Rivne1326917316027 10th (1)
Under-19 results
Premier League junior (U-19) championship SeasonChampionRunner-upThird placeTop goalscorer2012–13Dynamo KyivIllichivets MariupolShakhtar Donetsk Roman Yaremchuk (Dynamo Kyiv, 14 goals)2013–14Metalist KharkivShakhtar DonetskKarpaty Lviv Artur Miranyan (Shakhtar Donetsk, 12 goals)2014–15Shakhtar DonetskDynamo KyivKarpaty Lviv Ihor Karpenko (Karpaty Lviv, 16 goals)2015–16Dynamo KyivOlimpik DonetskShakhtar Donetsk Vladyslav Khomutov (Olimpik Donetsk, 15 goals)2016–17Dynamo KyivOleksandriyaShakhtar Donetsk Mykhailo Plokhotnyuk (Chornomorets Odesa, 19 goals)2017–18Dynamo KyivShakhtar DonetskKarpaty Lviv Yevhen Isayenko (Dynamo Kyiv, 17 goals)2018–19Dynamo KyivShakhtar DonetskKarpaty Lviv Artem Bondarenko (Shakhtar Donetsk, 20 goals)2019–20()()()( ())2020–21Shakhtar DonetskDynamo KyivZorya Luhansk Kiril Popov (Dynamo Kyiv, 19 goals)2021–22()()() Daniel Kivinda (SC Dnipro-1, 14 goals)2022–23Rukh LvivDynamo KyivShakhtar Donetsk Vladyslav Pohorilyi (Shakhtar Donetsk, 16 goals)2023–24Dynamo KyivShakhtar DonetskSC Dnipro-1 Matviy Ponomarenko (Dynamo Kyiv, 24 goals)2024–25Dynamo KyivShakhtar DonetskKarpaty Lviv Dmytriy Kremchanin (Dynamo Kyiv, 23 goals)2025–26Shakhtar DonetskDynamo KyivVeres Rivne Muhamadou Kanteh (Shakhtar Donetsk, 28 goals)
Top three ClubWinnerRunner-upWinning yearsDynamo U-19752013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, (2020), 2024, 2025Shakhtar U-19352015, 2021, 2026Rukh U-1910(2022), 2023Metalist U-19102014Mariupol U-1901FC Oleksandriya U-1901Olimpik U-1901
All-time table At the end of the 2018–19 season
RankTeamSeasonsPWDLGFGAPtsAchievementOther names used1Dynamo Kyiv71881392029495168437champions (5)2Shakhtar Donetsk71881282832472171412champions (1)3Karpaty Lviv718810426583622563383rd (4)4Zorya Luhansk7185763772264246265 5th (2)5Chornomorets Odesa7188733481254265253 4th (2)6Vorskla Poltava7184684472259271248 5th (1)7FC Mariupol6157603067228260210vice champions (1)8Volyn Lutsk6157611878249269201 4th (1)9Dnipro5136602056232220200 4th (1)10Metalurh Zaporizhia5134561367215225175 7th (1)11Olimpik Donetsk5132462858171188166vice champions (1)12FC Oleksandriya4108432045141140149vice champions (1)13Metalist Kharkiv4110431552162166144champions (1)14Skala Stryi4108382248130178136 6th (1)15Arsenal Kyiv5130322167168274117 7th (1)16Metalurh Donetsk378321036122139106 6th (1)17Stal Kamianske38227163910615297 5th (1)18Hoverla Uzhhorod410422117110326377 12th (1)19Tavriya Simferopol251151026649355 9th (1)20Veres Rivne1261466493248 4th (1)21FC Lviv1269413305031 10th (1)22Zirka Kropyvnytskyi25269373012427 14th (2)23Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih1286814325626 16th (1)24FC Sevastopol1204412184316 15th (1)25Desna Chernihiv1261025161243 14th (1)
People of the Under-19 competitions