---
title: "FC Kharkiv instead of Metalist 1925: Major rebranding and transfer ambitions of the Kharkiv club"
description: "\"Metalist 1925\" is a thing of the past: the Kharkiv club changes its name to FC Kharkiv 🏙️. A change of logo, colors, and squad reinforcement for €3 million is expected. Find out the details of the massive rebranding! ⚽️🔄"
date: 2026-06-07T09:52:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/fc-kharkiv-instead-of-metalist-1925-rebranding-and-transfer-ambitions
tags: []
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# FC Kharkiv instead of Metalist 1925: Major rebranding and transfer ambitions of the Kharkiv club

![FC Kharkiv team in yellow kits with mascot against 'Metalist 1925' scoreboard — symbol of rebranding transition](https://xab.info/media/2026/06/07/fk-harkov-vmesto-metalista-1925-rebranding-i-transfernye-ambitsii/fk-harkov-vmesto-metalista-1925-rebranding-i-transfernye-ambitsii-1.webp)

The Ukrainian football world is preparing for a major event: one of the leading clubs of the Premier League, which finished the season in the top five, will radically change its image. The management of the Kharkiv team has made a strategic decision to abandon the name "Metalist 1925" and bring the name FC Kharkiv back to the map of Ukrainian football.

### The end of confusion and a return to roots

According to insiders, the main goal of the rebranding is to clearly position the club as the city's main team. For a long time, fans and the media were confused by the parallel existence of two Kharkiv teams with similar names: "Metalist 1925" in the Premier League and "Metalist" in the First League. The name change is intended to eliminate this confusion once and for all.

The official presentation of the new brand and visual style is expected in mid-June. Currently, the club's management is coordinating all legal and procedural details with the Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF) and the Premier League (UPL).

### History and symbolism: what will change

It is important to emphasize that the rebranding does not mean abandoning history. On the contrary, this step is timed to coincide with the significant 10th anniversary of the club's founding. The team, created on August 17, 2016, by graduates of the "old" Metalist academy, is not legally its successor but carefully preserves traditions.

The new brand is also unrelated to FC Kharkiv, which competed in the elite division from 2005 to 2009 and lost its status in 2010 due to financial problems. Along with the name, the visual concept is changing completely: new colors, a logo, and symbolism are being developed. The only legacy of the old emblem will likely be the yellow color scheme.

### Personnel restructuring and ambitious goals

Global changes in branding are accompanied by a major restructuring of the squad. Mladen Bartulović's charges showed a confident result in the 2025/26 season, taking 5th place in the UPL and reaching the semi-finals of the Ukrainian Cup. The management sees potential for even higher achievements and plans to strengthen the team.

The list of players leaving the club already includes experienced veterans: Vladislav Kalitvintsev, Vyacheslav Churko, Yevhen Pasych, and Denys Mozhyly. Due to the expiration of contracts for several footballers, the transformation of the squad will continue.

### Aggressive market: who will come to the team

The club is conducting an active transfer campaign. The main target for the summer is named as the Argentine defensive midfielder Rafael Profini. His transfer fee is estimated at 3 million euros, which could be a real sensation for the Ukrainian market. In addition, scouts are focused on finding quality wingers to strengthen the wing attack.

Against the backdrop of the war and security issues, the team is based in Kyiv, and official matches are played in Zhytomyr. However, the management's ambitions remain unchanged: to return the club to the European competition zone and establish the new status of FC Kharkiv at the top of Ukrainian football.