---
title: "UHF reveals format and participant list for the 2026/2027 Ukrainian Hockey Championship: five clubs, 28 rounds, and a playoff for the top four"
description: "The UHF announced the parameters of the 2026/2027 Ukrainian Hockey Championship: five professional clubs, a 28-round regular season, and a playoff for the top four. The start is set for the third week of September, and the Ukrainian Cup will be hosted by Kremenchuk."
date: 2026-08-24T18:02:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/uhf-2026-2027-ukrainian-hockey-championship-format-and-participants
tags: [hockey, ukraine, fhu, championship-2026-2027, playoffs]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# UHF reveals format and participant list for the 2026/2027 Ukrainian Hockey Championship: five clubs, 28 rounds, and a playoff for the top four

![Ukrainian hockey championship match: players from two clubs battling for the puck on the ice](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/24/fhu-chempionat-ukrainy-po-hokkeju-2026-2027-format-i-uchastniki/fhu-chempionat-ukrainy-po-hokkeju-2026-2027-format-i-uchastniki-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- In the 2026/2027 Ukrainian Hockey Championship, five clubs will play at the professional level, with the top four teams advancing to the playoff.
- Participants: Sokol, Kremenchuk, Odesina, newcomer Boguslavski Sherшни (coach Vadim Shakhraychuk), and the returning Kherson-based Dnipro.
- The regular season consists of 28 rounds, starting in the third week of September 2026; the fifth-placed team misses the playoff.
- The Ukrainian Cup will be hosted by Kremenchuk, tentatively in mid-September; Storm failed accreditation, and Kryzhynka Capitals did not file an application.

The Ukrainian Hockey Federation has published the key parameters of the new professional season. According to data released on the UHF's official website and reported by Sport RBC.UA, the 2026/2027 championship will feature five clubs competing at the professional level, with the four best teams after the regular tournament advancing to the medal playoff. The regular season is scheduled for 28 rounds, and the championship is set to kick off in the third week of September 2026.

### Participant lineup: familiar faces and two newcomers

In the new season, the title will be contested by the Kyiv-based Sokol and Kremenchuk, familiar to Ukrainian fans, as well as last year's debutant Odesina. Among the new participants is the Boguslavski Sherшни (Boguslav Hornets) team, led by Vadim Shakhraychuk, former head coach of the Ukraine national team and Kyiv Capitals. In addition, the Kherson-based Dnipro is returning to the professional level. Thus, the five-team championship combines experienced squads with fresh forces, which should boost competition in the regular season.

### Tournament format and calendar

The championship will be held in two stages. The first is a regular season of 28 rounds, at the end of which only the team finishing fifth will miss the playoff. The top four clubs will continue the fight for gold in the playoff. The approximate start of the championship is the third week of September 2026. This format, with a short regular season and a wide playoff (four out of five teams), makes every regular-season match significant in the race for a postseason spot.

### Ukrainian Cup and team preparation

Traditionally, the championship is preceded by the Ukrainian Cup. In the new season, the tournament will be hosted by Kremenchuk, with the approximate dates of mid-September 2026. It is separately noted that Kyiv's Sokol has already begun preparing for the season, in which the team intends to compete in two championships — the Ukrainian Championship and the Polish Championship — which underscores the international nature of its sports program.

### Who dropped out of the professional championship

Not all previously announced teams made it into the new season. The Storm team failed the accreditation, having not submitted the required documents, while Kryzhynka Capitals did not even file an application to participate in the tournament. As a result, the professional level is formed by five clubs, which will compete for the championship title in the 2026/2027 season.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Debutant and familiar faces: UHF shares details of the new Ukrainian championship](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/othersport/debyutant-ta-stari-znayomi-fhu-rozpovili-1787594252.html) - Первичный источник: детали формата (5 команд, 28 туров, плей-офф для 4), состав участников, выбывшие клубы, даты старта и Кубка Украины. Соответствует тексту ФХУ.
- [2026/2027 Ukrainian Football Championship, Round 1, July 31 — August 3: match results and video reviews](https://fakty.ua/ru/476204-chempionat-ukrainy-po-futbolu-2026-2027-1-j-tur-31-iyulya-3-avgusta-rezultaty-i-videoobzory-matchej) - Материал о футболе, не касается хоккейного чемпионата; для фактчекинга хоккейных данных не использован.
- [2026/2027 Ukrainian Football Championship, Round 2, August 8 — 10: match results and video reviews ...](https://fakty.ua/ru/476645-chempionat-ukrainy-po-futbolu-2026-2027-2-j-tur-8-10-avgusta-rezultaty-i-videoobzory-matchej-polozhenie-komand) - Материал о футболе, не касается хоккейного чемпионата; для фактчекинга хоккейных данных не использован.
- [2026/2027 Ukrainian Cup: participants and the draw date for the qualifying round are known](https://www.ua-football.com/ukrainian/cup/1785307553-kubok-ukrainy-2026-2027-izvestny-uchastniki-i-data-zherebevki-kvalifikacionnogo-raunda.html) - Материал о футбольном Кубке Украины, не относится к хоккейному Кубку Украины в Кременчуге.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: How many teams will play in the 2026/2027 Ukrainian Hockey Championship?
**A:** Five clubs will compete at the professional level: Sokol, Kremenchuk, Odesina, Boguslavski Sherшни, and Dnipro (Kherson).

### Q: What is the tournament format?
**A:** A regular season of 28 rounds, after which the top four teams advance to the playoff; the team finishing fifth does not play in the playoff.

### Q: When will the championship and the Ukrainian Cup begin?
**A:** The championship start is scheduled for the third week of September 2026, while the Ukrainian Cup will be hosted by Kremenchuk, tentatively in mid-September.

### Q: Who did not make it into the professional championship and why?
**A:** Storm failed accreditation due to the non-submission of documents, while Kryzhynka Capitals did not file an application to participate.