Uzbekistan Pro League () is a professional football league in Uzbekistan, and currently the second level after the Uzbekistan Super League.
The second-tier football competition in Uzbekistan was called the Uzbekistan First League from its establishment in 1992 until 2017. In 2018, following the reform of the national championships by the Uzbekistan Professional Football League (UzPFL), the Uzbekistan First League was renamed the Uzbekistan Pro League. Uzbekistan Pro League tournaments are organized by Uzbekistan Professional Football League.Birinchi Liga: 1996 – 1998
The winner and runner-up of Uzbekistan Pro League gain direct promotion to the Uzbekistan Super League, while the third-placed club in the Pro League participates in a playoff match against the team that finished 12th in the Super League. According to Uzbekistan Professional Football League Competition Regulations, this playoff match is held at the home ground of the Pro League team. At the end of the season, the club that finishes last in the Pro League is relegated to the Uzbekistan First League for the following season.
Pro League participants also compete annually in the Uzbekistan Cup and the Uzbekistan League Cup.
History Uzbekistan Football Championship has been held since 1992. The composition and number of teams in the competition have changed over time. In the inaugural season of the championship, 16 teams participated. At the end of the league tournament, "Shifokor" from Gulistan and "Politodel-Ruor" from Tashkent region earned promotion to the Higher League. The number of participants in the competition varied from year to year. In the 1995 season, the league was divided into eastern and western regions for the first time, and the top-ranked teams from each region were combined in the second stage. A total of 26 teams participated throughout the league season. The 1997 season went down in history as the year with the highest number of participating teams in league history. In that season, 27 teams competed in the league.
In 2018, 16 teams participated in the Uzbekistan Pro League in a two-stage system (30 rounds), home and away. In 2019, the Uzbekistan Pro League was divided into leagues A and B, with 24 clubs playing in a 4-round system (28 rounds, 2 home and away). From 2020, the division of the Uzbekistan Pro League into leagues A and B was terminated and transformed into a single league consisting of 10 teams, and the Uzbekistan First League (a 3rd tier league in terms of importance in the football structure) was established in place of the B League. In 2024, the number of participating teams in the Pro League was 6. In 2025, 6 teams will also participate.
On 21 November 2017 according to the UzPFL management decision the Uzbekistan First League was officially renamed to Uzbekistan Pro League starting from the 2018 season. The league has been reduced from 18 (2017) to 16 teams.
Structure of the league Regular season The regulations changed depending on the number of participating teams in each league season. The updated preliminary regulations were first announced in 2017. The number of participants in the 2024 Uzbekistan Super League was reduced to 8 teams, and changes to the regulations were announced. According to the regulations, the clubs that take first and second places will receive a direct ticket to the Uzbekistan Super League. The team that finishes eighth at the end of the season in the LI will be relegated to the First League.
Teams get three points for a win and one point for a draw. Points are not awarded for defeat. The teams are ranked by total points. If the teams have equal points, the rules apply in the following order:
by the results of the mutual match(es); by the results of points earned in matches; by the difference in goals scored and conceded in matches; by the difference in goals scored and conceded in all matches; by the number of goals scored in all matches; by the number of goals scored in the opponent's field in all matches; by the number of wins achieved in all matches; by the inverse of the number of defeats in all matches; by the number of away victories achieved in all matches; by the inverse of the number of home defeats in all matches.
All participating clubs of the Pro League also have a U-19 team in their structure. These teams participate in the overall Uzbekistan U-19 Championship alongside the U-19 squads of Super League clubs.
In 2018 in the Pro League Uzbekistan involved 16 teams in a double round system (30 rounds), home and away. The winner of the Uzbekistan Pro League receives the permit in the Uzbekistan Super League, and the club took second place in the Pro League gets a place in the play-offs, consisting of two matches (home and away) where his opponent will be the Super League club, who took there the penultimate eleventh place. The winner of the playoffs gets a chance in Super League Uzbekistan, and the losing club will start the new season in the Pro League Uzbekistan. The clubs finishing in last place in the Pro League, will start the season in the Uzbekistan Pro-B League — the third level and the importance of football in the country.
Playoffs At the end of the league season, the teams that took third and fourth places will play playoff matches for a spot in the Uzbekistan Super League with the teams that took 12th and 13th places in the 2024 Uzbekistan Super League.
Teams + Club Coach Location Stadium Capacity Kit sponsor Shirt sponsor Dinamo Sergey Lushan Samarkand Dinamo Samarkand Stadium16,000 Joma Agromir Buildings Istiqlol Sergey Lebedev Fergana Fargona Stadium 11,000 Adidas Stroy Montaj Invest Khorazm Maksud Karimov Urgench Xorazm Stadium 13,500 Macron Neftchi Fergana Abdusmad Durmanov Fergana Fargona StadiumIstiklol Stadium 11,000 22,000 Joma FNQIZ Oqtepa Yaroslav Krushelnitskiy Tashkent Stadion Oq-tepa 2,000 Nike Shurtan Asror Aliqulov G‘uzor G'uzor Stadium 7,000 Sport-SallerUzbekneftegaz Turon Islom Ismoilov Yaypan Uzbekistan Stadium 4,500 Adidas Turon Eco Cement Zaamin Jakhongir Jiyamurodov Zaamin Zaamin Stadium 5,000 Kappa
Winners and promotions by season SeasonWinnersRunner-up3rd placeTop scorer1992Shifokor GulistonPolitotdelBakht Oleg Shatskikh (Politotdel, 25 goals)1993FK AtlaschiSurkhan TermezBaghdad Igor Burov (FK Atlaschi, 28 goals)1994Mash'al MubarekFK Samarqand-DinamoKushan Khamza Jabbarov (FK Samarqand-Dinamo, 24 goals)1995Dinamo UrganchKosonsoyZarafshon Navoi Zakir Narzullaev (Diyor Bulungur, 24 goals)1996Первая Лига: 1996 – 1998, 25 Ноября 2008 Zarafshon NavoiChilonzor TashkentProgress Aleksey Zhdanov (Chilonzor Tashkent, 50 goals)1997Temiryo'lchi Qo'qonMetallurg BekabadIstiqlol Tashkent Shavkat Ismailov (Shurtan Guzar, 29 goals) Ghayrat Odilov (Lochin, 29 goals)1998YangiyerFK Samarqand-DinamoKimyogar Chirchiq Bakhtiyor Davlatov (FK Yangiyer, 39 goals)1999Первая Лига: 1999 – 2002, 5 Декабря 2008 Semurg AngrenKimyogar Chirchiq Qizilqum Eldor Kasymov (Semurg Angren, 36 goals)2000Akademiya TashkentMash'al MubarekSementchi Bakhtiyor Davlatov (Mash'al Mubarek, 35 goals)2001Temiryo'lchi Qo'qonMash'al MubarekSementchi Abduvosit Azizov (Mash'al Mubarek, 21 goals)2002FK GulistonSementchiAngren Ulughbek Utarov (Sitora Bukhara, 19 goals)2003Первая Лига: 2003 – 2005, 9 Января 2009 Sogdiana JizzakhLokomotiv TashkentNBU Osiyo Qobil Aliqulov (Sogdiana Jizzakh, 23 goals)2004Shurtan GuzarTopalang SariosiyoNBU Osiyo Ravshan Bozorov (Topalang Sariosiyo, 44 goals)2005AndijanXorazm FK UrganchNBU Osiyo Pavel Pavlov (Sementchi, 29 goals)2006Первая Лига: 2006 – 2008, 12 Января 2009 KuruvchiVobkent FKMashʼal-2 Ilkhom Khamdamov (Vobkent FK, 42 goals)2007Sogdiana JizzakhUz-Dong-Ju AndijonMashʼal-2 Vladimir Gavrilov (Oqtepa, 27 goals)2008Xorazm FK Urganch Dustlik JizzakhSokol Uchkuduk Muiddin Mamazulunov (O.Akbarov, 23 goals)2009"Бунедкор-Коканд" - победитель турнира, 29.10.2009 Bunyodkor Qo'qon 1912Mash'al SportZarafshon Navoi Aziz Asimov (NBU Osiyo, 20 goals) Mansur Abdullaev (Zarafshon NCZ, 20 goals)Первая лига-2009: Кто забивал, 16.11.2009 2010FK BuxoroSogdiana JizzakhGuliston Abdulatif Juraev (Chust-Pakhtakor/FK Buxoro, 27 goals)2011Lokomotiv TashkentGulistonYangiyer Zaynitdin Tadjiyev (Lokomotiv Tashkent, 30 goals)2012Sogdiana JizzakhGulistonNBU Osiyo Khurshid Yuldoshev (Sogdiana Jizzakh, 26 goals)2013Mash’al MubarekAndijanKokand 1912 Firdavs Asadov (Spartak Bukhoro, 21 goals)2014Shurtan GuzarKokand 1912Obod Viktor Klishin (Shurtan Guzar, 40 goals)2015ObodOqtepaUz-Dong-Ju Andijan Alisher Azizov (Obod, 26 goals)2016Dinamo Samarqand NorinSementchi Navruz Khaipov (Orol Nukus, 30 goals)2017SementchiIstiqlol FerganaFC Andijon Shakhboz Ubaydullaev (Mashʼal-2, 33 goals)2018AndijonMash'al MubarekIstiqlol Fergana Shakhboz Jumabayev (FC Andijon, 16 goals)2019Mash'al MubarekIstiqlol FerganaOqtepa Pavel Purishkin (FC Oqtepa, 19 goals)2020TuronNeftchi FerganaDinamo Samarqand Doston Toshmatov (Neftchi Fergana, 12 goals)2021Neftchi FerganaDinamo SamarqandOlympic Marko Obradović Neftchi Fergana/ Ruzimboy Akhmedov Dinamo Samarqand (12 goals)2022AndijonBuxoroTuron Ruzimboy Akhmedov (Buxoro, 23 goals)2023LokomotivDinamoKokand 1912 Anvar Khojimirzaev (Dinamo, 23 goals)2024Mash'alBuxoroKokand 1912 Khumoyun Murtozoyev (Dinamo, 16 goals)2025Lokomotiv TashkentAral NukusOlimpik-Farm Muhriddin Zoirov (Lokomotiv Tashkent, 11 goals) 1:In the season 1999 additionally to the first second teams also promoted to Uzbek League: Qizilqum Zarafshon and Aral Nukus. 2:The winner and runner-up team of season 2009 did not promoted to Uzbek League because the number of teams of Top League was reduced from 16 to 14 for upcoming 2010 season. 3:FK Guliston could not enter the 2012 Uzbek League as runner-up team and was replaced by Qizilqum Zarafshon because of financial problems.
Coaches of promoted teams
SeasonTeamCoach1992Shifokor GulistonRiza Mallaev Politotdel Vladimir Bondarenko1993 FK Atlaschi Aleksey Stepanov Surkhon Termez Batyr Kashkenbaev1994 Mash'al Mubarek Boris Serostanov FK Samarqand-Dinamo Rustam Istamov1995 Dinamo Urganch Bahodyr Mirzaev FK Kosonsoy Vladimir Desyatchikov1996 Zarafshan Navoi Usmon Asqaraliev Chilonzor Tashkent Rauf Inileev1997 Temiryo'lchi Qo'qon Bakhrom Khakimov Metallurg Bekabad Yakov Kaprov1998 Yangiyer Bakhrom Davlatov FK Samarqand-Dinamo Berador Abduraimov1999 Semurg Angren Rafael Fabarisov Kimyogar Chirchiq Alexander Ivankov Qizilqum Zarafshon Vladimir Desyatchikov Aral Nukus Quvvat Tureev2000 Akademiya Tashkent Vladimir Zhukovkiy2001 Temiryo'lchi Qo'qon Avhat Abdulin Mash'al Mubarek Bakhtiyor Babaev In the season 1999 four teams promoted to Uzbek League
SeasonTeamCoach2002 FK Guliston Vladimir Zhukovkiy Sementchi Kuvasoy Tokhir Kapadze2003 Sogdiana Jizzakh Suyun Murtazaev Lokomotiv Tashkent Andrey Miklyaev2004 Shurtan Guzar Shamil Tolibov Topalang Sariosiyo Vladimir Bordyuzha2005 FK Andijan Islam Akhmedov Xorazm FK Urganch Quvvat Tureev2006 Kuruvchi Khikmat Irgashev Vobkent FK Genadiy Kochnev2007 Sogdiana Jizzakh Furqat Esanbaev Uz-Dong-Ju Andijon Islam Akhmedov2008 Xorazm FK Urganch Valijon Sultanov Dustlik Jizzakh Sirojiddin Ergashev2009 Bunyodkor Qo'qon 1912 Mash'al-Sport 2010 FK Buxoro Genadiy Kochnev Sogdiana Jizzakh 2011 Lokomotiv Tashkent Rustam Muqimov FK Guliston Alexandr Lushin
SeasonTeamCoach2012 Sogdiana Jizzakh Davron Fayziev FK Guliston Bakhtiyor Ashurmatov 2013 Mash'al Mubarek Alexander Khomyakov FK Andijan Azamat Abduraimov2014 Shurtan Guzar Mukhtor Kurbonov Kokand 1912 Rustam Abdullaev2015 Obod Tashkent Khayrulla Abdiev2016 Dinamo Samarqand Ilkhom Sharipov
References
External links
Championat.uz: Standings and results pfl.uz: First league results Soccerway.com; Standings, Fixtures & Results