The 2023–24 Ukrainian Premier League season, referred to as the VBet Liha for sponsorship reasons, was the 33rd top-level football club competition since the fall of the Soviet Union and the 16th since the establishment of the Ukrainian Premier League. The competition took place during the ongoing war with the Russia since late February 2022. On 7 June 2023 the UPL published highlights of the next season regulation draft announcing that preliminary the next season is expected to start on 29 July 2023.Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine (2022), the matches of the autumn part were held without spectators. On December 1, 2023, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine instructed to develop recommendations on the admission of fans to the stands,"Уряд розглядає повернення вболівальників на стадіони" as a result of which spectators were allowed to be admitted to some of the matches held in 2024."Мінспорту та МВС розробили порядок допуску глядачів на трибуни""Понад 20 тисяч: скільки глядачів повернулося на трибуни в УПЛ" Also, this season had the national cup competitions restored which started on 16 August. The season regulation draft is yet to be approved by the General Assembly of the UPL participants.Старт Чемпіонату України сезону-2023/24 заплановано на 29 липня. Ukrainian Premier League. 7 June 2023
Teams This season the Ukrainian Premier League remained at 16 teams. Two teams had their status suspended due to the Russian occupation and/or destruction of their sports infrastructure. If one or both of Desna and Mariupol decide to return to the league competitions next season, it has been determined that the league would be increased to 18 teams.РЕГЛАМЕНТ Чемпіонату України з футболу серед команд клубів Української Прем’єр-Ліги сезону 2022/23 . upl.ua On 9 June 2023 the president of FC Desna stated that the club would return to professional football the next season in 2024 and would start from the Second League due to issues with player transfers.Десна может вернуться в чемпионат Украины: заявление президента, пострадавшего от войны клуба. fanday.net. 9 June 2023«Вперед, чернігівська Десна!»: чи чекати на повернення флагмана?. http://www.0462.ua. 9 June 2023
Promoted teams Polissia Zhytomyr – first-placed team of the 2022–23 Ukrainian First League (debut) Obolon Kyiv – second-placed team of the 2022–23 Ukrainian First League (returning, last competed in 2011–12, for the first time since its reorganization in 2013) LNZ Cherkasy – winner of promotion/relegation play-off (debut)
Relegated teams Inhulets Petrove – Relegated after three seasons in the top flight. Metalist Kharkiv – Relegated after one season in the top flight FC Lviv – Relegated after five seasons in the top flight.
Location map
Stadiums
The minimum threshold for the stadium's capacity in the UPL is 4,500 (Article 10, paragraph 7.3).Places of holding competitions (Місця проведення змагань). 2023–24 Ukrainian Premier League regulations.
The following stadiums are regarded as home grounds:
RankStadiumPlaceClubCapacityNotes1Arena Lviv Lviv Rukh Lviv 34,915Shakhtar Donetskused as home ground during the season2Chornomorets StadiumOdesaChornomorets Odesa 34,1643Dnipro-ArenaDniproDnipro-1 31,0034Ukraina Stadium Lviv Rukh Lviv 27,925 used as home ground in 1 matchZorya Luhanskused as home ground in 1 match5Butovsky Vorskla StadiumPoltavaVorskla Poltava 24,7956Lobanovskyi Dynamo StadiumKyivDynamo Kyiv 16,873Metalist 1925 Kharkivused as home ground in 1 matchFC Mynaiused as home ground in 1 matchZorya Luhanskused as home ground in 1 match7Avanhard StadiumUzhhorodDnipro-1 12,000used as home ground in 3 matchesZorya Luhanskused as home ground in 1 match 8Tsentralnyi Stadion Cherkasy LNZ Cherkasy 10,321 9CSC Nika Stadium Oleksandriya FC Oleksandriya 7,000 10Tsentralnyi Stadion ZhytomyrPolissya Zhytomyr 5,928Zorya Luhanskused as home ground in 1 match 11Obolon Arena Kyiv Obolon Kyiv 5,100 12Kolos StadiumKovalivkaKolos Kovalivka 5,050 LNZ Cherkasyused as home ground in 2 matchesZorya Luhanskused as home ground in 1 match 13Arena Livyi Bereh Zolochivska hromada Metalist 1925 Kharkiv 4,700 used as home ground during the seasonZorya Luhanskused as home ground during the seasonShakhtar Donetskused as home ground in 2 matchesChornomorets Odesaused as home ground in 1 match 14Avanhard Stadium Rivne Veres Rivne 4,65015Skif StadiumLvivZorya Luhansk 4,033used as home ground in 1 match16Hirnyk StadiumKryvyi RihKryvbas Kryvyi Rih 2,50017Mynai ArenaMynaiFC Mynai 1,312
Personnel and sponsorship TeamPresidentHead coachCaptainKit manufacturerShirt sponsor Chornomorets Odesa Leonid Klimov Roman Hryhorchuk Illya PutryaKelme Vbet Dnipro-1 Maksym Bereza Yuriy Maksymov Oleksandr Svatok Nike Windrose Dynamo Kyiv Ihor Surkis Oleksandr Shovkovskyi Vitaliy Buyalskyi New Balance A-Bank Kolos Kovalivka Andriy Zasukha Oleksandr Pozdeyev Vadym Milko Nike ATTP Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih Kostyantyn Karamanits Yuriy Vernydub Dmytro Khomchenovskyi Joma Rudomain LNZ Cherkasy Andriy Poltavets Oleg Dulub Oleh Tarasenko Macron Vbet Metalist 1925 Kharkiv Yaroslav Vdovenko Viktor Skrypnyk Artem Habelok Puma AES group Mynai Valeriy Peresolyak Željko Ljubenović Oleksandr Bandura Kelme FavBet Obolon Kyiv Oleksandr Slobodian Valeriy Ivashchenko Nazariy Fedorivskyi Jako FavBet Oleksandriya Serhiy Kuzmenko Ruslan Rotan Vladyslav Kalitvintsev Nike AhroVista Polissya Zhytomyr Volodymyr Zahurskyi Serhiy Shyshchenko (caretaker) Vladyslav Ohirya Nike BGV Group Rukh Lviv Hryhoriy Kozlovskyi Vitaliy Ponomaryov Marko Sapuha Macron Emily Resort Shakhtar Donetsk Rinat Akhmetov Marino Pušić Taras Stepanenko Puma FavBet Veres Rivne Ivan Nadieyin Oleh Shandruk Bohdan Kohut Kelme Vbet Vorskla Poltava Kostyantyn Zhevago Serhiy Dolhanskyi (caretaker) Volodymyr Chesnakov Nike Ferrexpo Zorya Luhansk Yevhen Heller Yuriy Koval (caretaker) Vyacheslav Churko Puma —
Managerial changes TeamOutgoing managerManner of departureDate of vacancyTableIncoming managerDate of appointmentShakhtar Donetsk Igor Jovićević Fired8 June 2023Pre-season Patrick van Leeuwen3 July 2023Veres Rivne Yuriy VirtResigned14 June 2023 Serhiy Lavrynenko16 June 2023Zorya Luhansk Patrick van LeeuwenSigned with Shakhtar3 July 2023 Nenad Lalatović4 July 2023SC Dnipro-1 Oleksandr KucherResigned20 August 202311th Valeriy Horodov (interim)21 August 2023LNZ Cherkasy Oleksandr KovpakFired23 August 202313th Yuriy Dudnyk (caretaker)25 August 2023 Yuriy Dudnyk (caretaker)End of interim30 August 202315th Oleg Dulub30 August 2023Zorya Luhansk Nenad LalatovićResigned27 August 202311th Mladen Bartulović (caretaker)27 August 2023 Mladen Bartulović (caretaker)End of interim9 September 202312th Valeriy Kryventsov9 September 2023SC Dnipro-1 Valeriy Horodov (interim)14 September 202311th Yuriy Maksymov14 September 2023Shakhtar Donetsk Patrick van LeeuwenFired16 October 20232nd Darijo Srna (interim)16 October 2023 Darijo Srna (interim)Returned to previous position24 October 20233rd Marino Pušić24 October 2023Dynamo Kyiv Mircea LucescuResigned3 November 20237th Oleksandr Shovkovskyi (caretaker)4 November 2023Metalist 1925 Kharkiv Edmar (caretaker)5 November 20239th Oleh Holodyuk (caretaker)5 November 2023Zorya Luhansk Valeriy Kryventsov11 November 202313th Yuriy Koval (caretaker)11 November 2023FC Mynai Volodymyr SharanMutual agreement17 November 202316th Željko Ljubenović18 November 2023Dynamo Kyiv Oleksandr Shovkovskyi (caretaker) Made a head coach12 December 20235th Oleksandr Shovkovskyi12 December 2023Veres Rivne Serhiy LavrynenkoSacked12 December 202315th Oleh Shandruk12 December 2023Metalist 1925 Kharkiv Oleh Holodyuk (caretaker)Change of role20 December 202312th Viktor Skrypnyk20 December 2023Vorskla Poltava Viktor SkrypnykMutual agreement20 December 20237th Serhiy Dolhanskyi (caretaker)4 January 2024Polissya Zhytomyr Yuriy KalitvintsevResigned11 March 20246th Serhiy Shyshchenko (caretaker)12 March 2024Kolos Kovalivka Yaroslav VyshnyakChange of role28 April 202412th Oleksandr Pozdeyev (caretaker)28 April 2024 Oleksandr Pozdeyev (caretaker)End of interim12 May 202412th Oleksandr Pozdeyev 12 May 2024 Notes:
League table
Results Teams play each other twice on a home and away basis.
Matches affected by air alerts Round 1. Veres vs Polissia. The match had been interrupted in the 89th minute for 30 minutes. Oleksandriya vs Kryvbas. Kick off time was delayed for 30 minutes. Round 2. Oleksandriya vs Metalist 1925. Kick off time was delayed for 75 minutes. Round 3. Kryvbas vs LNZ. Kick off time was delayed for 45 minutes. Round 4. Kryvbas vs Shakhtar. Kick off time was delayed for 10 minutes. Round 9. Kryvbas vs Rukh. Kick off time was delayed for 30 minutes. Round 10. Dnipro-1 vs Veres. Kick off time was delayed for 15 minutes. LNZ vs Oleksandriya. Kick off time was delayed for 75 minutes. Round 12. Kryvbas vs Dnipro-1. Kick off time was delayed for 80 minutes. Round 13. LNZ vs Kolos. Kick off time was delayed for 170 minutes. Polissia vs Kryvbas. The match had been interrupted in the 4th minute for almost 2 hours. Dnipro-1 vs Oleksandriya. Kick off time was delayed for 17 minutes. The match had been interrupted three times (in 57th, 69th, 90th minute). Round 14. Kolos vs Mynai. The match had been interrupted in the 43rd minute for 3 minutes. Polissia vs Metalist 1925. Kick off time was delayed for 80 minutes. Obolon vs Vorskla. Kick off time was delayed for 195 minutes. Kryvbas vs Dynamo. Kick off time was delayed for 40 minutes. Round 15. Kolos vs Zorya. Kick off time was delayed for 35 minutes. Round 16. Kolos vs Obolon. Kick off time was delayed for 120 minutes. Chornomorets vs LNZ. Kick off time was delayed for 30 minutes. Mynai vs Dynamo. The match, which kicked off on 3 December 2023 at the Mynai Arena, has been interrupted in the 2nd minute, then resumed on 17 April 2024 at the Lobanovskyi Dynamo Stadium. Round 18. Dnipro-1 vs Mynai. Kick off time was delayed for 40 minutes. The match had been interrupted twice (in the 14th, 27th minute). Zorya vs Vorskla. Kick off time was delayed for 55 minutes. Oleksandriya vs Shakhtar. Kick off time was delayed for 105 minutes. The match had been interrupted in the 78th minute. Round 20. Veres vs Dynamo. Kick off time was delayed for 40 minutes. Dnipro-1 vs Rukh. Beginning of the second half was delayed for 30 minutes. The match had been interrupted twice (in the 66th, 78th minute). Kryvbas vs Obolon. The match had been interrupted in the 54th minute for 15 minutes. Round 21. Chornomorets vs Veres. Beginning of the second half was delayed for 55 minutes. Round 22. Zorya vs Metalist 1925. Beginning of the second half was delayed for 35 minutes. The match had been interrupted in the 83rd minute. Vorskla vs Dynamo. The match had been interrupted in the 36th minute for 144 minutes. Kolos vs Dnipro-1. Kick off time was delayed for 35 minutes. Round 23. Mynai vs Polissia. The match had been interrupted in the 21st minute for 55 minutes. Kryvbas vs Vorskla. Kick off time was delayed for 30 minutes. Dnipro-1 vs Zorya. The match had been interrupted twice (in the 75th, 86th minute). Round 24. Oleksandriya vs Dynamo. The match had been interrupted twice (in the 33rd, 60th minute). LNZ vs Veres. Beginning of the second half was delayed for 45 minutes. Round 25. Chornomorets vs Kryvbas. Beginning of the second half was delayed for 18 minutes. Vorskla vs Kolos. Kick off time was delayed for 20 minutes. Round 26. Dnipro-1 vs Dynamo. The match had been interrupted in the 13th minute for 40 minutes. Kryvbas vs Metalist 1925. Kick off time was delayed for 30 minutes. Round 27. Obolon vs LNZ. Kick off time was delayed for 18 minutes. Dnipro-1 vs Kryvbas. Kick off time was delayed for 40 minutes. Beginning of the second half was delayed for 30 minutes. The match had been interrupted in the 79th minute. Round 28. Vorskla vs Mynai. The match had been interrupted in the 64th minute for 40 minutes.