Ukrainian Premier League Betting Markets & Odds

For most of us, the first introduction to Ukraine’s top flight came with the free-flowing football of Dynamo Kyiv in the 90s and early 2000s. The sight of Andriy Shevchenko and Sergei Rebrov destroying defences at home and on the continent was a thing of beauty.

Whilst football from this part of the world might not be as dominant as it once was, that doesn’t mean there isn’t still value in the Ukrainian Premier League betting markets. And as you always expect from us at BetVictor we’ll bring you the best Ukrainian Premier League betting odds throughout the season.

As with much of the history of this part of the world, everything changed with the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 90s.

The league was first formed in 1991, first as the Vyshcha Liha and now as the Ukrayinska Premier Liha, following a change in 2008. Since 2008, the top tier of Ukrainian football has seen 12 clubs do battle over the season, playing each other twice in the first stage. Following this the structure changes to the Championship round (top six) and the Relegation round (bottom six).

Teams again play each other twice to determine the champions (as well as European qualifying) and relegation. The bottom team is automatically relegated, with the 10th and 11th placed teams entering the relegation play-off.

Now this is a league that epitomises the term “the top two”. Since the formation of the league in 1991, only three teams have ever taken the title. In the inaugural season, top billing went to Tavriya Simferopol. However, since this point, it’s been complete domination by the big two: Dynamo Kyiv and Shakhtar Donetsk.

Shakhtar finally broke the Kyiv hegemony by taking their first title in 2002, halting Kyiv’s nine-season winning streak, and have since been playing catch-up. Kyiv are out in front on 15, with Shakhtar on 12. The team from Donetsk have been the ones to beat since the league change in 2008, however, taking a total of eight titles out of a possible 11. The last time Kyiv were victorious was in 2016, with Shakhtar having taken the last three on the bounce, doing the league and cup double in each of those seasons.

Unsurprisingly all eyes are on the Klasychne derby whenever they meet.

At BetVictor, we’re not just about the big two in this neck of the woods, as our Ukrainian Premier League betting markets include Match Betting, Both Teams To Score, Correct Score, Total Goals and Half Time/Full Time across all the domestic games in Ukraine.