Premier League

The Ukrainian Premier League (Ukrainian: Українська Прем'єр-ліга [ʊkrɐˈjinʲsʲkɐ preˈmjɛr ˈl⁽ʲ⁾iɦɐ]) or UPL is a professional association football league in Ukraine and the highest level of the Ukrainian football league system.

Originally known as the Vyshcha Liha (Вища ліга [ˈwɪʃtʃɐ ˈl⁽ʲ⁾iɦɐ], lit. 'Higher League') it was formed in 1991, after the fall of the Soviet Union, and the consequent discontinuation of the Soviet Top League. In the first season in 1992, the Ukrainian league included the Ukraine-based clubs that competed previously in the Soviet top three tiers competitions, as well as better clubs of the Ukrainian republican competitions. The initial season of the league featured six former Soviet Top League clubs among which were Dynamo Kyiv, Shakhtar Donetsk, Chornomorets Odesa, Dnipro, Metalist Kharkiv, Metalurh Zaporizhzhia, as well as four more clubs that previously also competed at the top league. The first edition was played during the first semester of the year, as it was decided to synchronise the Ukrainian football calendar with most European leagues. That first tournament was won by Tavriya Simferopol, a club based in Crimea. That was the only edition of the league not won by either Dynamo or Shakhtar.