The 2025–26 Ukrainian First League is the 35th 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.
Format It was planned to have 16 teams for this season.Перша ліга у наступному сезоні повернеться до традиційного формату. champion.com.ua. 25 March 2025 The format of the competition changed compared with the previous season. Instead of two groups in the fall and the spring, it was decided that clubs would compete in a straightforward double round robin format.ХХХІІ Конференція ПФЛ: прийняли нових членів, формат змагань. pfl.ua. 17 June 2025
Teams This season, the Ukrainian First League consisted of 16 teams.
Newcoming teams Promoted teams One team received direct promotion, and another won a playoff matchup at the end of the 2024–25 Ukrainian Second League. Probiy Horodenka – placed 1st (debut) Chernihiv – 3rd placed, play-off winner (returning after one season)
Relegated teams Four teams were relegated at the end of the 2024–25 Ukrainian Premier League. Chornomorets Odesa – 16th placed (returning after four seasons) Inhulets Petrove – 15th placed (returning after a season) Livyi Bereh Kyiv – lost play-offs (returning after a season) Vorskla Poltava – lost play-offs (returning after 29 seasons)
Outgoing teams Promoted teams Four teams were promoted to the 2025–26 Ukrainian Premier League. Metalist 1925 Kharkiv – promoted after a season in the second tier. Epitsentr Kamianets-Podilskyi – promoted for the first time after three seasons in the second tier. Poltava – promoted for the first time after three seasons in the second tier. Kudrivka – promoted for the first time after a season in the second tier.
Relegated teams Three teams were relegated to the 2025–26 Ukrainian Second League, but one withdrew right after it, and another Metalurh Zaporizhzhia was reinstated after the withdrawal of Mynai. Kremin Kremenchuk – relegated after six seasons in the second tier and later withdrew. Dinaz Vyshhorod – relegated after three seasons in the second tier.
Other administrative issues Withdrawn teams Mynai withdrew less than two weeks before the start of the season in the First League. It was replaced by relegated Metalurh Zaporizhzhia, which was preparing to start in the Second League. The club withdrew after a season (2 total) in the second tier. One more club withdrew right after the previous season, after it was relegated, which is Kremin Kremenchuk.
Renamed teams On 11 July 2025, Prykarpattia Ivano-Frankivsk was renamed as Prykarpattia-Blaho Ivano-Frankivsk.Компанія blago стала генеральним спонсором МФК “Прикарпаття”. sport.if.ua. 11 July 2025 The company's name in the Latin script is "blago". At the same time, in Cyrillic, the club adopted its name as "Blaho".
Location map The following displays the location of teams.
Stadiums
The following stadiums were used as home grounds for the teams in the competition. RankStadiumLocationCapacityClubNotes1ChornomoretsOdesa 34,164Chornomorets Odesa2Vorskla imeni ButovskohoPoltava 23,842Vorskla Poltava 3Miskyi imeni Shukhevycha Ternopil 15,150 Nyva Ternopil 4Bukovyna Chernivtsi 12,000 Bukovyna Chernivtsi Metalurh Zaporizhzhiaused as home ground in 1 match 5Slavutych-Arena Zaporizhzhia 11,883 Metalurh Zaporizhzhia 6Avanhard Uzhhorod 10,383 Metalist Kharkivused as home ground during the season 7Podillia Khmelnytskyi 6,800 Podillia Khmelnytskyi 8Rukh Ivano-Frankivsk 6,500 Prykarpattia-Blaho 9Kolos Boryspil, Kyiv Oblast 5,654 Viktoriya Sumyused as home ground in 2 matches 10Arena Livyi BerehZolocha hromada, Kyiv Oblast 4,700Livyi Bereh KyivVorskla Poltavaused as home ground in 1 match11Inhulets ArenaЩо відбувається в Інгульці? Джерело розкрило всю правду про Кобіна, стадіон, гравців, завдання і гроші. ukrfootball.ua. 28 May 2025Petrove, Kirovohrad Oblast 4,600Inhulets Arena (PFL profile). pfl.uaInhulets Petrove 12Skif Lviv 3,742 Feniks-Mariupolused as home ground during the season 13Yunist Volochysk, Khmelnytskyi Oblast 2,700 Ahrobiznes Volochysk14imeni TonkocheyevaKamianets-Podilskyi, Khmelnytskyi Oblast 2,587Ahrobiznes Volochyskused as home ground in 1 match15Probiy ArenaHorodenka, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast 2,500Probiy Horodenka 16imeni Kutsa Trostianets, Sumy Oblast 1,124 Viktoriya Sumyused as home ground during the season17YuvileinyiBucha, Kyiv Oblast 1,028UCSA Tarasivkaused as home ground during the season 18 MolodizhnyiPoltava 680Vorskla Poltava 19Chernihiv Arena Chernihiv 500 Chernihiv 20FC LNZ training base Heronymivka, Cherkasy Oblast 300 Viktoriya Sumyused as home ground in 2 matches
Notes:
Personnel and sponsorship TeamPresidentHead coachCaptainKit manufacturerShirt sponsor Ahrobiznes Volochysk Oleh Sobutskyi Oleksandr Chyzhevskyi Roman Tolochko Nike Агробізнес Bukovyna Chernivtsi Andriy Safronyak Serhiy Shyshchenko Bohdan Boychuk Nike Dmart Chernihiv Yuriy Synytsya Valeriy Chornyi Maksym Tatarenko Jako BETON Chornomorets Odesa Oleksandr Hranovskyi Roman Hryhorchuk Oleksandr Sklyar Kelme Feniks-Mariupol Yuriy Pavlyshyn Volodymyr ZhuravchakMaksym Feshchuk Andriy Bohdanov Kelme GLOBUS Inhulets Petrove Oleksandr Povoroznyuk Vasyl Kobin Stanislav-Nuri Malysh Joma П'ятихатська Livyi Bereh Kyiv Mykola Lavrenko Oleksandr Ryabokon Ruslan Dedukh Nike Метало Гальва України Metalist Kharkiv Yevhen Krasnikov Andriy Anishchenko Vladyslav Rybak Joma betkingМеталіст втратив свого багаторічного титульного спонсора DCH. www.ua-football.com. 5 August 2024 Metalurh Zaporizhzhia Maksym Lupashko Serhiy Kovalets Andriy Bliznichenko Kelme Weltum Nyva Ternopil Oleksandr Stadnyk Yaroslav Matviyiv (caretaker) Maryan Mysyk Kelme Fantazia Group Podillya Khmelnytskyi Yevhen Beiderman Oleksandr Volovyk Vadym Shavrin Kelme Kolvi Probiy Horodenka Vitaliy Shevaha Volodymyr Kovalyuk Roman Borysevych Joma VD Prykarpattia-Blaho Serhiy Ptashnyk Vasyl Yatsurak Vasyl Tsyutsyura Joma blago UCSA Tarasivka Serhiy Lesnyk Anderson Ribeiro Serhiy Petko Kelme — Viktoriya Sumy Serhiy Bondarenko Volodymyr Romanenko (caretaker) Dmytro Ulyanov Puma — Vorskla Poltava Maksym Harus Valeriy Kutsenko (caretaker) Dmytro Prikhna Nike Ferrexpo Notes:
Managerial changes TeamOutgoing head coachManner of departureDate of vacancyTableIncoming head coachDate of appointmentVorskla PoltavaYuriy MaksymovMutual consent9 June 2025Pre-season Željko Ljubenović24 June 2025Livyi Bereh KyivVitaliy PervakMutual consent10 June 2025Andriy Havryushov10 June 2025Bukovyna ChernivtsiHryhoriy Churilov (caretaker)End of caretaker spell20 June 2025Serhiy Shyshchenko20 June 2025MynaiYevhen KalynychenkoMutual consent20 June 2025Team withdrew UCSA TarasivkaIvan Ostapov (caretaker)End of caretaker spell5 July 2025 Anderson Ribeiro5 July 2025Vorskla Poltava Željko LjubenovićMutual consent10 July 2025Oleksandr Babych15 July 2025Metalurh ZaporizhzhiaCoaching crewChange of role1 August 2025Ruslan Halihuzov (caretaker)1 August 2025Feniks-MariupolMaksym FeshchukSharing the role11 September 20258thVolodymyr Zhuravchak and Maksym Feshchuk11 September 2025Livyi Bereh KyivAndriy HavryushovResigned23 September 20257thVyacheslav Nivinskyi (caretaker)23 September 2025Vyacheslav Nivinskyi (caretaker)End of interim7 October 20256thOleksandr Ryabokon7 October 2025Vorskla PoltavaOleksandr BabychSacked10 October 20257thValeriy Kutsenko (caretaker)10 October 2025Podillya KhmelnytskyiSerhiy KovaletsSacked21 October 202515thOleksandr Volovyk (caretaker)21 October 2025Nyva TernopilYuriy VirtMutual consent16 December 20258th Oleg Dulub20 January 2026Chornomorets OdesaOleksandr KucherMutual agreement13 January 20263rdRoman Hryhorchuk14 January 2026Metalurh ZaporizhzhiaRuslan Halihuzov (caretaker)End of caretaker spell15 January 202616thSerhiy Kovalets15 January 2026Podillya KhmelnytskyiOleksandr Volovyk (caretaker)Permanent basis24 February 202615thOleksandr Volovyk24 February 2026Prykarpattya-BlahoOleh RypanChange of role9 April 20268thVasyl Yatsurak9 April 2026Nyva Ternopil Oleg DulubMutual consent11 May 202611thYaroslav Matviyiv (caretaker)17 May 2026Viktoriya SumyAnatoliy BezsmertnyiSigned with Dynamo Kyiv28 May 20268thVolodymyr Romanenko (caretaker)29 May 2026 Notes:
League table
Match results
Match results by week
Statistics Goalscorers Таблиця бомбардирів Першої Ліги 2025/2026. www.ua-football.comPersha Liga. www.soccerway.com