The Ukrainian football calendar has been updated: the organizers have finalized the dates for the opening round of the 2026/27 Premier League season. The season will officially open on July 31, with the first round program spread over four days. However, fans of the capital's teams should be prepared for a surprise: the key Kyiv derby will take place only in December.
Season Opener: Zorya vs Kolos
The first official match of the new season will take place on Friday, July 31. Notably, the opening match will be held in Kyiv, but without the participation of Kyiv-based clubs. At the Valeriy Lobanovskyi Arena at 18:00, Luhansk's Zorya will host Kovalivka's Kolos. This game will signal the start of the new football year.
Saturday Program: Three Regional Matches
On Saturday, August 1, spectators will see three matches covering different regions of the country. The day will begin at 13:00 in Kryvyi Rih, where the local Kryvbass will play against Lviv's Karpaty. A bit later, at 15:30, at the "Livyi Bereh" stadium in the Kyiv region, Kharkiv will host Rivne's Veres.
Sunday and Monday: Finale of the Opening Round
Sunday, August 2, will be the day of two important confrontations. In Odesa, Chornomorets will meet Zhytomyr's Polissia at 13:00. At 15:30, a match will start in Kamianets-Podilskyi, where Epitsentr will battle the capital's Obolon.
The first round program will conclude on Monday, August 3. Both matches of the day will take place in Lviv. First, at 15:30 at the "Ukraine" stadium, the UPL newcomer — Chernivtsi's Bukovyna — will host Cherkasy's LNZ. At 18:00 at the "Arena Lviv", the defending champion — Donetsk's Shakhtar — will enter the game to face Kudrivka.
Kyiv Derby Postponed to December
One of the main events of the first round was supposed to be the derby of the two capital teams — Dynamo and Livyi Bereh. However, the organizers decided to postpone this match to December 2. The reason for the delay lies in the schedule of European tournaments: the Ukrainian Cup holders will be busy in international competitions in August, making it impossible to hold the match at the scheduled time.
Where to Watch UPL Matches
All matches of the first round will be broadcast on the UPL.TV platform. The service is available on most popular OTT platforms: MEGOGO, Kyivstar TV, Volia TV, Setanta Sports, SWEET.TV, Vodafone TV, Youtv, and OmegaTV. Additionally, the channel will be retransmitted by the satellite TV operator VIASAT and a number of national and local cable operators.
