Ukrainian Premier League
2025 Ukrainian First League play-offs have been set - Metalist and Veres aiming for instant return.
last month - 5/11/2025 6:18 PM GMT-3
The First League's regular season has come to a conclusion, and we knew weeks ago that Volyn Lutsk and Tavryia Simferopol gained promotion automatically. However, six teams from 3rd - 8th will compete for a third and final promotion spot to the Ukrainian Premier League - here's the schedule and the six teams competing.
(5th) Livyi Bereh Kyiv vs Veres Rivne (8th) - The first matchup is Livyi Bereh Kyiv vs Veres Rivne. Veres Rivne will host the first leg as they are the lowest ranked side. Veres were relegated after finishing 15th in the 2023/24 Ukrainian Premier League and are looking to bounce back instantly. However they will be the underdogs of the tournament as they are the lowest ranked team. Livyi Bereh Kyiv were 3rd and in a promotion race with Tavryia for a while before their form dropped. They will go into the tournament as one of the favourites. They have never competed in the UPL before.
(6th) - UCSA Kyiv vs Desna Chernihiv (7th) - The second matchup of the first round will be UCSA Kyiv vs Desna Chernihiv - Desna will host the first leg as the lower ranked side. Desna Chernihiv last competed in the UPL in 2021/22 and were then relegated after finishing 15th in a shortened season. They have since remained in the First League. In 2022/23, they reached the UPL relegation play-offs but lost to FC Mynai on penalties after a draw over two legs. UCSA Kyiv have never competed in the UPL and will be another underdog in the competition.
(4th) - Epicenter - Epicenter have had a rapid rise through Ukrainian football. In 2018/19 they were admitted to the Ukrainian Second League from an amateur level. They have since gone up from the Ukrainian First League for 2020/21 but then went back down and stayed in the Ukrainian Second League until 2023/24 when they gained promotion. They have never competed in the UPL before.
(3rd) - Metalist Kharkiv - A Ukrainian fallen giant are going to go into the tournament as one of the heavy favourites. They have a UPL level squad with an experienced manager. Despite a rocky start to the season, Metalist have had some of the best form in the league and managed to jump from mid table to a play-off bye to the semi-finals. They last competed in the UPL in 2023/24, finishing 16th. They have a rich history in the UPL, qualifying for Europe on several occasions. They are looking for an instant return.
It will be interesting to see which one of the six teams will gain that ticket to the Ukrainian Premier League, the top flight. For some teams, it would be their return after a season or several seasons absence. For other teams, it could be their first ever time competing in the top flight. We will continue to post updates on the play-offs which start on Thursday 15 May 2025 and conclude on Saturday 31 May 2025.
(5th) Livyi Bereh Kyiv vs Veres Rivne (8th) - The first matchup is Livyi Bereh Kyiv vs Veres Rivne. Veres Rivne will host the first leg as they are the lowest ranked side. Veres were relegated after finishing 15th in the 2023/24 Ukrainian Premier League and are looking to bounce back instantly. However they will be the underdogs of the tournament as they are the lowest ranked team. Livyi Bereh Kyiv were 3rd and in a promotion race with Tavryia for a while before their form dropped. They will go into the tournament as one of the favourites. They have never competed in the UPL before.
(6th) - UCSA Kyiv vs Desna Chernihiv (7th) - The second matchup of the first round will be UCSA Kyiv vs Desna Chernihiv - Desna will host the first leg as the lower ranked side. Desna Chernihiv last competed in the UPL in 2021/22 and were then relegated after finishing 15th in a shortened season. They have since remained in the First League. In 2022/23, they reached the UPL relegation play-offs but lost to FC Mynai on penalties after a draw over two legs. UCSA Kyiv have never competed in the UPL and will be another underdog in the competition.
(4th) - Epicenter - Epicenter have had a rapid rise through Ukrainian football. In 2018/19 they were admitted to the Ukrainian Second League from an amateur level. They have since gone up from the Ukrainian First League for 2020/21 but then went back down and stayed in the Ukrainian Second League until 2023/24 when they gained promotion. They have never competed in the UPL before.
(3rd) - Metalist Kharkiv - A Ukrainian fallen giant are going to go into the tournament as one of the heavy favourites. They have a UPL level squad with an experienced manager. Despite a rocky start to the season, Metalist have had some of the best form in the league and managed to jump from mid table to a play-off bye to the semi-finals. They last competed in the UPL in 2023/24, finishing 16th. They have a rich history in the UPL, qualifying for Europe on several occasions. They are looking for an instant return.
It will be interesting to see which one of the six teams will gain that ticket to the Ukrainian Premier League, the top flight. For some teams, it would be their return after a season or several seasons absence. For other teams, it could be their first ever time competing in the top flight. We will continue to post updates on the play-offs which start on Thursday 15 May 2025 and conclude on Saturday 31 May 2025.
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