2020–21 Ukrainian First League

The 2020–21 Ukrainian First League was the 30th since its establishment. The league competition consists of 16 teams according to the decision of the PFL Council of Leagues.
The season commenced on 5 September 2020. The final composition and regulations of the Professional Football League of Ukraine both leagues were adopted at the PFL Conference on 21 August 2020.

Summary

In this season, the bottom two teams of the First League are to be relegated to the Second League. The top two teams from each group of the Second League will gain promotion to the First League for the next season.
Promotion and/or relegation play-off games that were in place since 2011 were discontinued altogether for the season.
This league's season was expected to have number of team increased to eighteen, however due to financial situation with both FC Karpaty Lviv and FC Balkany Zorya the PFL reinstated the sixteen team competition as per last season.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic attendance restriction in the league is still in effect, but was partially eased. The postponed games that the PFL was not able to reschedule for the later dates of fall half of the season, on 30 November 2020 were rescheduled for the spring half of 2021.

Teams

This season, Ukrainian First League consist of 16 teams, which includes top two teams from the both groups of 2019–20 Ukrainian Second League and two relegation/promotion play-offs winners.

Promoted teams

The following teams have been promoted from the 2019–20 Ukrainian Second League:

Nyva Ternopil – first place in Group A '
Polissia Zhytomyr – second place in Group A '
Veres Rivne – play-off winner '
VPK-Ahro Shevchenkivka – first place in Group B '
Krystal Kherson – second place in Group B
Alians Lypova Dolyna – play-off winner ''''

Relegated teams

None – Karpaty Lviv that placed 12th in the 2019–20 Ukrainian Premier League, were excluded from the league for repeated absence from scheduled games. A possibility was declared at first that the club might be admitted to the First League nonetheless, but later it was announced that Karpaty will be admitted the Second League instead. About a month later on 14 August 2020, Tribuna.ua informed that Karpaty never applied for certification for the next season in first or second leagues.

Legal and other issues

FC Hirnyk-Sport Horishni Plavni was approved by the Ukrainian Association of Football to play, after the UAF Chamber of Dispute Resolution order the club to pay compensation to its former player and the club completely ignored it.
FC Balkany Zorya announced that it was considering withdrawing from the league as it is too expensive for the club.

Renamed teams

FC Obolon-Brovar Kyiv changed its name to FC Obolon Kyiv before the start of the season.FC Veres Rivne changed its name to RNK Veres Rivne before the start of the season.MFC Kremin Kremenchuk changed its name to FC Kremin Kremenchuk before the start of the season.FC Avanhard Kramatorsk changed its name to Avanhard-SK Kramatorsk at the during the latter part of the season.

Location map

The following displays the location of teams.

Stadiums

The following stadiums were used as home grounds for the teams in the competition. The minimum capacity for stadiums of the First League clubs is set at 1,500 spectators.

Rank	Stadium	Location	Capacity	Club	Notes
1	OSC Metalist	Kharkiv	40,003	Metalist 1925 Kharkiv
2	Arena Lviv	Lviv	34,915	Ahrobiznes Volochysk	Round 18
3	Chornomorets Stadium	Odesa	34,164	Chornomorets Odesa
4	Yuvileiny Stadium	Sumy	25,830	Alians Lypova Dolyna	Rounds 1, 3, 14, 5
5	Meteor Stadium	Dnipro	24,381	VPK-Ahro Shevchenkivka
6	Ternopil City Stadium	Ternopil	15,150	Nyva Ternopil
7	Avanhard Stadium	Lutsk	12,080	Volyn Lutsk
7	Avanhard Stadium	Lutsk	12,080	Nyva Ternopil	Round 18
8	MCS Rukh	Ivano-Frankivsk	6,500	Prykarpattia Ivano-Frankivsk	Under passive reconstruction since 1986, only one stand out of four is active
9	Prapor Stadium	Kramatorsk	6,000	Avanhard Kramatorsk
10	Central Stadium	Zhytomyr	5,928	Polissia Zhytomyr	Returned for round 18
11	Naftovyk Stadium	Okhtyrka	5,256	Alians Lypova Dolyna	Rounds 8, 10, 12
12	Obolon Arena	Kyiv	5,100	Obolon Kyiv
13	Metalurh Stadium	Bakhmut	4,000	Avanhard Kramatorsk	Round 12
14	Skif Stadium	Lviv	3,742	Veres Rivne	Rounds 11, 19
14	Skif Stadium	Lviv	3,742	Nyva Ternopil	Round 16
15	Krystal Stadium	Kherson	3,400	Krystal Kherson
16	Enerhetyk Stadium	Burshtyn	3,000	Prykarpattia Ivano-Frankivsk	Round 11
17	Yunist Stadium	Volochysk	2,700	Ahrobiznes Volochysk	home stadium
17	Yunist Stadium	Volochysk	2,700	Nyva Ternopil	Round 15
18	Yunist Stadium	Horishni Plavni	2,500	Hirnyk-Sport Horishni Plavni
19	Spartak-Arena	Zhytomyr	2,500	Polissia Zhytomyr	Round 8
20	Bannikov Stadium	Kyiv	1,678	Polissia Zhytomyr	temporary home stadium
21	Kremin Stadium	Kremenchuk	1,500	Kremin Kremenchuk
22	Vyshnivets Stadium	Vyshnivets	1,500	Nyva Ternopil	Round 10
23	Yuvileynyi Stadium	Bucha	1,028	Polissia Zhytomyr	Round 6
24	Bohdan Markevych Stadium	Vynnyky	900	Ahrobiznes Volochysk	Round 10, 12
25	Kolos Stadium	Mlyniv	850	Veres Rivne	temporary home stadium
26	Alians-Arena	Bairak	520	Alians Lypova Dolyna	Round 19, 21
27	Central Stadium	Mykolaiv	500	MFC Mykolaiv	temporary home stadium
28	Metalist Educational Training Base	Vysokyi	500	Metalist 1925 Kharkiv	Round 8, 10, 12

;Notes

Personnel and sponsorship

Managerial changes

'Notes:'''''

League table

Top goalscorers

Rank

Scorer

Team

Goals