# 2018–19 in Ukrainian football

The 2018–19 season was the 28th season of competitive association football in Ukraine since dissolution of the Soviet Union.

## UEFA competitions
### UEFA Champions League
#### Qualifying phase and play-off round
##### Third qualifying round

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Slavia Prague | 1–3 | Dynamo Kyiv | 1–1 | 0–2 |

##### Play-off round

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Ajax | 3–1 | Dynamo Kyiv | 3–1 | 0–0 |

#### Group stage
##### Group F

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | MCI | LYO | SHK | HOF |
| 1 | Manchester City | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 6 | +10 | 13 | Advance to knockout phase | — | 1–2 | 6–0 | 2–1 |
| 2 | Lyon | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 11 | +1 | 8 | Advance to knockout phase | 2–2 | — | 2–2 | 2–2 |
| 3 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 16 | −8 | 6 | Transfer to Europa League | 0–3 | 1–1 | — | 2–2 |
| 4 | TSG Hoffenheim | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 14 | −3 | 3 | | 1–2 | 3–3 | 2–3 | — |

### UEFA Europa League
#### Qualifying phase and play-off round
##### Second qualifying round

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Djurgårdens IF | 2–3 | Mariupol | 1–1 | 1–2 (a.e.t.) |

##### Third qualifying round

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Zorya Luhansk | 3–3 (a) | Braga | 1–1 | 2–2 |
| Mariupol | 2–5 | Bordeaux | 1–3 | 1–2 |

##### Play-off round

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Zorya Luhansk | 2–3 | RB Leipzig | 0–0 | 2–3 |

#### Group stage
##### Group E

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ARS | SPO | VOR | QRB |
| 1 | Arsenal | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 2 | +10 | 16 | Advance to knockout phase | — | 0–0 | 4–2 | 1–0 |
| 2 | Sporting CP | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 3 | +10 | 13 | Advance to knockout phase | 0–1 | — | 3–0 | 2–0 |
| 3 | Vorskla Poltava | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 13 | −9 | 3 | | 0–3 | 1–2 | — | 0–1 |
| 4 | Qarabağ | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 13 | −11 | 3 | | 0–3 | 1–6 | 0–1 | — |
* 1 2 Goal difference in all group matches: Vorskla Poltava –9, Qarabağ –11.

##### Group K

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | DKV | REN | AST | JAB |
| 1 | Dynamo Kyiv | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 11 | Advance to knockout phase | — | 3–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 |
| 2 | Rennes | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 8 | −1 | 9 | Advance to knockout phase | 1–2 | — | 2–0 | 2–1 |
| 3 | Astana | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 8 | | 0–1 | 2–0 | — | 2–1 |
| 4 | Jablonec | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 8 | −2 | 5 | | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | — |

#### Knockout phase
##### Round of 32

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Shakhtar Donetsk | 3–6 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 2–2 | 1–4 |
| Olympiacos | 2–3 | Dynamo Kyiv | 2–2 | 0–1 |

##### Round of 16

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Chelsea | 8–0 | Dynamo Kyiv | 3–0 | 5–0 |

### UEFA Youth League
#### UEFA Champions League Path
##### Group F

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | HOF | LYO | MCI | SHK |
| 1 | TSG Hoffenheim | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 10 | +5 | 11 | Round of 16 | — | 3–1 | 5–2 | 1–1 |
| 2 | Lyon | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 8 | +5 | 11 | Play-offs | 3–3 | — | 2–0 | 2–0 |
| 3 | Manchester City | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 14 | −4 | 7 | | 2–1 | 1–4 | — | 4–1 |
| 4 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 11 | −6 | 3 | | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — |

### UEFA Women's Champions League
## Men's club football

| League | League | Promoted to league | Relegated from league |
| Premier League | Premier League | Arsenal–Kyiv Desna Chernihiv FC Lviv (from League 2) | Zirka Kropyvnytskyi Veres Rivne (to League 2) Stal Kamianske |
| League One | League One | Ahrobiznes Volochysk Prykarpattia Ivano-Frankivsk SC Dnipro-1 Metalist 1925 Kharkiv | Kremin Kremenchuk Cherkaskyi Dnipro Naftovyk-Ukrnafta Okhtyrka Zhemchuzhyna Odesa |
| League Two | Groups | | |
| League Two | A | FC Mynai FC Kalush Chaika Petropavlivska Borshchahivka | Skala Stryi Arsenal-Kyivshchyna Bila Tserkva FC Ternopil |
| League Two | B | Krystal Kherson Metalurh Zaporizhzhia Hirnyk Kryvyi Rih | FC Dnipro Inhulets-2 Petrove Sudnobudivnyk Mykolaiv Metalurh Zaporizhzhia |
Note: For all scratched clubs, see section Clubs removed for more details

### Premier League

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 22 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 52 | 9 | +43 | 57 | Qualification for the Championship round |
| 2 | Dynamo Kyiv | 22 | 16 | 2 | 4 | 40 | 11 | +29 | 50 | Qualification for the Championship round |
| 3 | FC Oleksandriya | 22 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 31 | 19 | +12 | 41 | Qualification for the Championship round |
| 4 | Zorya Luhansk | 22 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 28 | 20 | +8 | 32 | Qualification for the Championship round |
| 5 | FC Lviv | 22 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 19 | 20 | −1 | 30 | Qualification for the Championship round |
| 6 | FC Mariupol | 22 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 24 | 33 | −9 | 30 | Qualification for the Championship round |
| 7 | Vorskla Poltava | 22 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 18 | 28 | −10 | 29 | Qualification for the Relegation round |
| 8 | Desna Chernihiv | 22 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 23 | 24 | −1 | 28 | Qualification for the Relegation round |
| 9 | Karpaty Lviv | 22 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 26 | 37 | −11 | 21 | Qualification for the Relegation round |
| 10 | Olimpik Donetsk | 22 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 25 | 33 | −8 | 20 | Qualification for the Relegation round |
| 11 | Chornomorets Odesa | 22 | 4 | 4 | 14 | 12 | 34 | −22 | 16 | Qualification for the Relegation round |
| 12 | Arsenal Kyiv | 22 | 3 | 3 | 16 | 12 | 42 | −30 | 12 | Qualification for the Relegation round |
* ↑ Teams play each other twice (22 matches), before the league split into two groups (the top six and the bottom six) for the last 10 matches.
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Shakhtar Donetsk (C) | 32 | 26 | 5 | 1 | 73 | 11 | +62 | 83 | Qualification for the Champions League group stage |
| 2 | Dynamo Kyiv | 32 | 22 | 6 | 4 | 54 | 18 | +36 | 72 | Qualification for the Champions League third qualifying round |
| 3 | FC Oleksandriya | 32 | 14 | 7 | 11 | 39 | 34 | +5 | 49 | Qualification for the Europa League group stage |
| 4 | FC Mariupol | 32 | 12 | 7 | 13 | 36 | 47 | −11 | 43 | Qualification for the Europa League third qualifying round |
| 5 | Zorya Luhansk | 32 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 39 | 34 | +5 | 43 | Qualification for the Europa League second qualifying round |
| 6 | FC Lviv | 32 | 8 | 10 | 14 | 25 | 40 | −15 | 34 | |
* 1 2 3 Since the winners of the 2018–19 Ukrainian Cup, Shakhtar Donetsk, qualified for European competition based on league position, the spot awarded to the cup winners (Europa League group stage) was passed to the third-placed team, the spot awarded to the third-placed team (Europa League third qualifying round) was passed to the fourth-placed team, and the spot awarded to the fourth-placed team (Europa League second qualifying round) was passed to the fifth-placed team.
* 1 2 Head to Head: Mariupol – Zorya +3=0-1, advantage Mariupol.
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 7 | Vorskla Poltava | 32 | 12 | 6 | 14 | 31 | 43 | −12 | 42 | |
| 8 | Desna Chernihiv | 32 | 12 | 5 | 15 | 35 | 41 | −6 | 41 | |
| 9 | Olimpik Donetsk | 32 | 7 | 13 | 12 | 41 | 48 | −7 | 34 | |
| 10 | Karpaty Lviv (O) | 32 | 8 | 9 | 15 | 44 | 53 | −9 | 33 | Qualification for the Relegation play-offs |
| 11 | Chornomorets Odesa (R) | 32 | 8 | 7 | 17 | 31 | 49 | −18 | 31 | Qualification for the Relegation play-offs |
| 12 | Arsenal Kyiv (R, X) | 32 | 7 | 5 | 20 | 26 | 56 | −30 | 26 | Relegated and later withdrawn |
Teams that placed 10th and 11th in the 2018–19 Ukrainian Premier League play two-leg play-off with the second and third teams of the 2018–19 Ukrainian First League. The draw for play-offs took place on 24 May 2019 and the games will be played on 4 and 8 June 2019.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Chornomorets Odesa | 0 – 2 | Kolos Kovalivka | 0 – 0 | 0 – 2 |
| Karpaty Lviv | 3 – 1 | Volyn Lutsk | 0 – 0 | 3 – 1 |

### Second leg

Kolos Kovalivka won 2–0 on aggregate and were promoted to the 2019–20 Ukrainian Premier League. Chornomorets Odesa were relegated to the 2019–20 Ukrainian First League
Karpaty Lviv won 3–0 on aggregate and retained their spot in the 2019–20 Ukrainian Premier League. Volyn Lutsk remained in the 2019–20 Ukrainian First League
Due to fan violence at the game and attack on referee, the original score 1–3 was scratched and replaced with technical score 0–3 loss to Volyn and win for Karpaty. Additionally, the Lutsk department of police started criminal proceedings on the fact of intentional damage to property during the game by the Karpaty fans.

### League 1

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | SC Dnipro-1 (C, P) | 28 | 21 | 4 | 3 | 72 | 21 | +51 | 67 | Promotion to Ukrainian Premier League |
| 2 | Kolos Kovalivka (O, P) | 28 | 15 | 9 | 4 | 45 | 18 | +27 | 54 | Qualification to promotion play-offs |
| 3 | Volyn Lutsk | 28 | 17 | 7 | 4 | 55 | 30 | +25 | 52 | Qualification to promotion play-offs |
| 4 | Metalist 1925 Kharkiv | 28 | 15 | 6 | 7 | 35 | 20 | +15 | 51 | |
| 5 | Avanhard Kramatorsk | 28 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 44 | 26 | +18 | 48 | |
| 6 | Obolon-Brovar Kyiv | 28 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 35 | 28 | +7 | 47 | |
| 7 | Inhulets Petrove | 28 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 35 | 32 | +3 | 42 | |
| 8 | Balkany Zorya | 28 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 28 | 31 | −3 | 38 | |
| 9 | MFC Mykolaiv | 28 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 34 | 32 | +2 | 37 | |
| 10 | Prykarpattia Ivano-Frankivsk | 28 | 10 | 4 | 14 | 41 | 39 | +2 | 34 | |
| 11 | Rukh Vynnyky | 28 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 35 | 35 | 0 | 34 | |
| 12 | Hirnyk-Sport Horishni Plavni | 28 | 5 | 12 | 11 | 24 | 43 | −19 | 27 | |
| 13 | Ahrobiznes Volochysk (O) | 28 | 3 | 10 | 15 | 17 | 36 | −19 | 19 | Qualification to relegation play-offs |
| 14 | PFC Sumy (D, R) | 28 | 3 | 7 | 18 | 21 | 91 | −70 | 16 | Qualification to relegation play-offs |
| 15 | Zirka Kropyvnytskyi (D) | 28 | 1 | 1 | 26 | 10 | 49 | −39 | 4 | Withdrawn |
| – | Kobra Kharkiv (D) | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | — | 0 | Results annulled |
* ↑ Volyn Lutsk was deducted six points according to a decision by FIFA Disciplinary Committee for a debt to a Serbian club FK Rad related to the transfer of Ivan Rogac.
* ↑ PFC Sumy received new ownership during winter break in the face of Serhiy Vashchenko who earlier this season was supposed to become the owner of Kobra Kharkiv. The new head coach was announced also former head coach of Kobra, Oleksandr Oliynyk. According to the former club's director Anatoliy Boiko, on 1 December 2018 PFC Sumy did not have any players on contract. On 11 April 2019, the FFU Control and Disciplinary Committee adopted its decision to strip the club of professional status and exclude the club from any competitions that it is participating currently or in the future. However the club has a right to file an appeal. Additional separate sanctions will be also applied against the club's playing and administrative personnel. On 14 April 2019, the chairman of the FFU committee of ethics and fair play Francesco Baranka noted that PFC Sumy has earned some 10 million euros in match fixing. More to it, Ukrainian coach Oleksandr Sevidov who held post of head coach consultant in PFC Sumy and previously managed FC Illichivets Mariupol received a lifetime disqualification.
* ↑ On 17 February 2019, president of FC Zirka Kropyvnytskyi commented on his club's withdrawal from further participation in competitions of the Ukrainian First League. The president accused the newly formed NABU and law enforcement authorities in pressure against him. The president of the league expressed his surprise claiming that there seemed no real reason why the club had to withdraw. On 5 April 2019, the PFL council of leagues adopted its decision to remove FC Zirka Kropyvnytskyi from the League as it officially withdrew on 14 March 2019. On 22 April 2019, the club's vice-president announced that the club will restart from regional competitions with intention to return the club's pro-status in the future.
* ↑ Kobra Kharkiv (former Helios) after failing to field a team for their Round 4 home match against Hirnyk-Sport Horishni Plavni informed the PFL that they are withdrawing from the competition. The club played three matches in the competition with a record of 3 losses scoring one goals and allowing eight goals scored against them. The PFL annulled their results as per league regulations and removed them from the official standings on the decision of the FFU Control and Disciplinary Committee of 23 August 2018. Note, last year the club competed as FC Helios Kharkiv and was supposed to be merged with another Kharkiv club which continued to compete at amateur level.
The drawing for relegation playoff took place on 20 May 2019.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| FC Metalurh Zaporizhya | 1–4 | FC Ahrobiznes Volochysk | 0–4 | 1–0 |
| PFC Sumy | 1–7 | FC Cherkashchyna-Akademiya | 0–4 | 1–3 |

### Second leg

Ahrobiznes Volochysk won 4–1 on aggregate and has preserved its berth for the 2019–20 Ukrainian First League. Metalurh Zaporizhia has kept its berth for the 2019–20 Ukrainian Second League, but later gained promotion due to withdrawal of Arsenal-Kyiv from professional ranks.
Cherkashchyna-Akademiya won 7–1 on aggregate and was promoted to the 2019–20 Ukrainian First League. PFC Sumy was relegated to the 2019–20 Ukrainian Second League. Later following the PFL Conference PFC Sumy were excluded from professional competitions.

### League 2

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | FC Mynai (C, P) | 27 | 15 | 4 | 8 | 41 | 26 | +15 | 49 | Promotion to Ukrainian First League |
| 2 | Cherkashchyna-Akademiya Bilozirya (P) | 27 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 43 | 23 | +20 | 48 | Qualification to promotion play-offs |
| 3 | Polissya Zhytomyr | 27 | 13 | 6 | 8 | 23 | 21 | +2 | 45 | |
| 4 | Nyva Vinnytsia | 27 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 29 | 23 | +6 | 42 | |
| 5 | Veres Rivne | 27 | 12 | 5 | 10 | 24 | 22 | +2 | 41 | |
| 6 | Nyva Ternopil | 27 | 10 | 6 | 11 | 28 | 29 | −1 | 36 | |
| 7 | FC Kalush | 27 | 10 | 6 | 11 | 30 | 33 | −3 | 36 | |
| 8 | Chaika Petropavlivska Borshchahivka | 27 | 8 | 7 | 12 | 25 | 28 | −3 | 31 | |
| 9 | Podillya Khmelnytskyi | 27 | 6 | 7 | 14 | 20 | 34 | −14 | 25 | |
| 10 | Bukovyna Chernivtsi | 27 | 5 | 6 | 16 | 19 | 43 | −24 | 21 | Avoided relegation |
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Kremin Kremenchuk (P, C) | 27 | 18 | 7 | 2 | 48 | 17 | +31 | 61 | Promotion to Ukrainian First League |
| 2 | Metalurh Zaporizhya (P) | 27 | 18 | 2 | 7 | 54 | 24 | +30 | 56 | Qualification to promotion play-offs |
| 3 | Hirnyk Kryvyi Rih | 27 | 15 | 6 | 6 | 53 | 33 | +20 | 51 | |
| 4 | Krystal Kherson | 27 | 15 | 2 | 10 | 43 | 29 | +14 | 47 | |
| 5 | Myr Hornostayivka | 27 | 14 | 3 | 10 | 41 | 30 | +11 | 45 | Withdrawn after the season |
| 6 | Enerhiya Nova Kakhovka | 27 | 8 | 7 | 12 | 26 | 31 | −5 | 31 | |
| 7 | Tavriya Simferopol | 27 | 6 | 12 | 9 | 30 | 35 | −5 | 30 | |
| 8 | Real Pharma Odesa | 27 | 5 | 8 | 14 | 23 | 50 | −27 | 23 | |
| 9 | MFC Mykolaiv-2 | 27 | 5 | 5 | 17 | 22 | 52 | −30 | 20 | |
| 10 | FC Nikopol | 27 | 3 | 4 | 20 | 15 | 54 | −39 | 13 | Avoided relegation |
On 7 May 2019 it was announced that the final game between group winners of the Second League will take place in Kropyvnytskyi.
Kremin Kremenchuk are crowned Champions of the Ukrainian Second League for the 2018–19 season
Notes:

### Cup competitions
#### Super Cup
## Women's club football

| League | League | Promoted to league | Relegated from league |
| Higher League | Higher League | Voskhod Stara Maiachka | Lehenda-ShVSM Chernihiv Ateks SDIuShOR-16 Kyiv |
Note: For all scratched clubs, see section Clubs removed for more details

### Higher League

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Zhytlobud-1 Kharkiv (C, Q) | 18 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 110 | 1 | +109 | 54 | Qualification to Champions League |
| 2 | Zhytlobud-2 Kharkiv | 18 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 115 | 6 | +109 | 48 | |
| 3 | Voskhod Stara Maiachka | 18 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 31 | 31 | 0 | 32 | |
| 4 | WFC Lviv | 18 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 39 | 38 | +1 | 29 | Withdrew after the season |
| 5 | Iednist Plysky | 18 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 39 | 35 | +4 | 29 | |
| 6 | Ladomyr Volodymyr-Volynskyi | 18 | 7 | 1 | 10 | 24 | 45 | −21 | 22 | |
| 7 | Iatran Berestivets | 18 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 16 | 25 | −9 | 17 | |
| 8 | Rodyna Kostopil | 18 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 59 | −45 | 14 | |
| 9 | Pantery Uman | 18 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 14 | 83 | −69 | 10 | |
| 10 | Zlahoda-Dnipro-1 (O) | 18 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 18 | 97 | −79 | 7 | Qualification to relegation play-offs |
The drawing for relegation playoff took place on 13 June 2019.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| SC Vyshneve | w/o | Zlahoda-Dnipro-1 | | |
Zlahoda-Dnipro-1 won on walkover and has preserved its berth in the Ukrainian Women's League. SC Vyshneve withdrew from league competitions. Later SC Dnipro-1 informed the Ukrainian Association of Football that it will not field its female team next season.

## Managerial changes

This is a list of managerial changes among Ukrainian professional football clubs (top two leagues):
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment | Table |
| Volyn Lutsk | Viktor Bohatyr | Contract ended | 31 May 2018 | Pre-season | Andriy Tlumak | 1 June 2018 | Pre-season |
| Obolon-Brovar Kyiv | Volodymyr Pyatenko | Resigned | 31 May 2018 | Pre-season | Serhiy Kovalets | 13 June 2018 | Pre-season |
| Zirka Kropyvnytskyi | Roman Monaryov | Resigned | 6 June 2018 | Pre-season | Andriy Horban (interim) | 13 June 2018 | Pre-season |
| FC Lviv | Andriy Khanas (interim) | Club reorganized (in place of NK Veres Rivne) | unannounced | Pre-season | Andriy Demchenko (interim) | 8 June 2018 | Pre-season |
| Chornomorets Odesa | Kostyantyn Frolov | Dismissed (w/o details) | 13 June 2018 | Pre-season | Angel Chervenkov | 13 June 2018 | Pre-season |
| Arsenal Kyiv | Serhiy Litovchenko | "Laid off" | 22 June 2018 | Pre-season | Fabrizio Ravanelli | 22 June 2018 | Pre-season |
| FC Lviv | Andriy Demchenko | End of interim | 29 June 2018 | Pre-season | Gilmar | 3 July 2018 | Pre-season |
| FC Lviv | Gilmar | Resigned | 14 August 2018 | 7th | Yuriy Bakalov | 16 August 2018 | 7th |
| Karpaty Lviv | Oleh Boychyshyn | Sacked | 16 August 2018 | 8th | José Morais | 16 August 2018 | 8th |
| Rukh Vynnyky | Andriy Kikot | Resigned | 9 September 2018 | 15th | Vitaliy Romanyuk (caretaker) | 11 September 2018 | 15th |
| Metalist 1925 Kharkiv | Serhiy Valyayev | Fired | 11 September 2018 | 7th | Oleksandr Horyainov (caretaker) | 11 September 2018 | 7th |
| Arsenal Kyiv | Fabrizio Ravanelli | Resigned | 22 September 2018 | 12th | Vladyslav Humenyuk | 22 September 2018 | 12th |
| Arsenal Kyiv | Vladyslav Humenyuk | End of interim | 1 October 2018 | 12th | Vyacheslav Hroznyi | 1 October 2018 | 12th |
| Rukh Vynnyky | Vitaliy Romanyuk (caretaker) | End of caretaker spell | 26 September 2018 | 14th | Yuriy Virt | 26 September 2018 | 14th |
| Rukh Vynnyky | Yuriy Virt | Resigns | 14 November 2018 | 13th | Leonid Kuchuk | 1 January 2019 | 13th |
| Olimpik Donetsk | Roman Sanzhar | Mutual consent | 3 October 2018 | 7th | Vyacheslav Shevchuk | 3 October 2018 | 7th |
| MFC Mykolaiv | Ruslan Zabranskyi | Mutual consent | 23 November 2018 | 9th | Serhiy Shyshchenko | 6 December 2018 | 9th |
| Karpaty Lviv | José Morais | Contract terminated | 28 November 2018 | 10th | Oleh Boychyshyn (interim) | 28 November 2018 | 10th |
| Metalist 1925 Kharkiv | Oleksandr Horyainov (caretaker) | End of caretaker spell | 10 December 2018 | 2nd | Oleksandr Horyainov | 10 December 2018 | 2nd |
| Hirnyk-Sport Horishni Plavni | Serhiy Puchkov | End of contract | 1 January 2019 | 12th | Volodymyr Mazyar | 1 January 2019 | 12th |
| PFC Sumy | Serhiy Zolotnytskyi | Resigned | 4 January 2019 | 11th | Oleksandr Oliynyk (interim) | 3 February 2019 | 11th |
| PFC Sumy | Oleksandr Oliynyk (interim) | End of interim | 19 March 2019 | 11th | Oleh Lutkov | 19 March 2019 | 11th |
| Arsenal Kyiv | Vyacheslav Hroznyi | Mutual agreement | 9 January 2019 | 12th | Ihor Leonov | 16 January 2019 | 12th |
| Karpaty Lviv | Oleh Boychyshyn | End of interim | 13 January 2019 | 10th | Fabri | 13 January 2019 | 10th |
| Vorskla Poltava | Vasyl Sachko | Contract terminated | 27 March 2019 | 7th | Vitaliy Kosovskyi (interim) | 28 March 2019 | 7th |
| FC Lviv | Yuriy Bakalov | Mutual consent | 8 April 2019 | 6th | Taras Hrebenyuk (interim) | 8 April 2019 | 6th |
| FC Lviv | Taras Hrebenyuk | End of interim | 16 April 2019 | 5th | Bohdan Blavatskyi | 16 April 2019 | 5th |
| Ahrobiznes Volochysk | Andriy Donets | admin. punishment | 9 April 2019 | 14th | Andriy Donets (acting) | 9 April 2019 | 14th |
| Olimpik Donetsk | Vyacheslav Shevchuk | Mutual consent | 17 April 2019 | 10th | Ihor Klymovskyi (interim) | 17 April 2019 | 10th |
| Karpaty Lviv | Fabri | Resigned (heath concerns) | 27 May 2019 | 10th | Oleksandr Chyzhevskyi (interim) | 27 May 2019 | 10th |

## Clubs removed
### Before the season

* Stal Kamianske, 12th place of the 2017–18 Ukrainian Premier League, was originally relegated, but later withdraw from the First League. The same day the PFL president confirmed that the league will consist of 16 teams. Originally, FC Stal Kamianske that were located in Kamianske played its games of the 2017–18 Ukrainian Premier League season in Kyiv. After relegation the club was admitted to the First League representing Bucha, Kyiv Oblast. Prior to the season commencing the club was renamed to FC Feniks Bucha.
* Naftovyk-Ukrnafta Okhtyrka, the Professional Football League allowed the club to keep its berth in the second tier even after its main sponsor announced that it will discontinue to fund the club. After the season completed, Ukrnafta (related to the Privat Group) who sponsored Naftovyk-Ukrnafta Okhtyrka decided to liquidate the club since it was a tax liability.
* Zhemchuzhyna Odesa withdrew after Round 31 during 2017–18 season. Technical losses were adjudged against the team in the last three matches. At time of withdrawal, Zhemchuzhyna's had played 31 matches, with a record of 7 wins, 6 draws and 18 losses, scoring 33 goals and having conceded 54 goals.
* Arsenal-Kyivshchyna Bila Tserkva failed attestation for the season and was removed from the league
* FC Ternopil after failing to arrive for their Round 6 away match against Polissya Zhytomyr, several days later informed the PFL that they are withdrawing from the competition. The club played four matches in the competition with a record of 4 losses scoring two goals and allowing nine goals scored against them. The PFL annulled their results as per league regulations and removed them from the official standings on the decision of the FFU Control and Disciplinary Committee of 7 September 2017.
* FC Metalurh Zaporizhzhia – prior to attestation, the club merged with FC Spartak-KPU Zaporizhzhia (a team of local university, KPU), but on 6 June 2018, the club failed attestation for the season and the club's administration decided to dissolve the team
* Inhulets-2 Petrove – the main club's administration of Inhulets Petrove decided to dissolve the second team
* Sudnobudivnyk Mykolaiv – failed attestation
* Skala Stryi – passed attestation, but dissolved its senior team protesting the FFU accusations in gambling. On 14 June 2018, there appeared information that the club will merge its academy with FC Volyn Lutsk.

### During or after the season

* Arsenal–Kyiv withdrew from professional competitions after being relegated from the Premier League.
* PFC Sumy received new ownership during winter break in the face of Serhiy Vashchenko who earlier this season was supposed to become the owner of Kobra Kharkiv. The new head coach of the Sumy club who had been announced was also former head coach of Kobra, Oleksandr Oliynyk. At the same time according to the former club's director Anatoliy Boiko, on 1 December 2018 PFC Sumy did not have any players on contract. On 11 April 2019, the FFU Control and Disciplinary Committee adopted its decision to strip the club of professional status and exclude the club from any competitions that it is participating currently or in the future. However the club has a right to file an appeal. Additional separate sanctions were to be also applied against the club's playing and administrative personnel. On 14 April 2019, the chairman of the FFU committee of ethics and fair play Francesco Baranka noted in regards to additional sanctions that PFC Sumy has earned some 10 million euros in match fixing. More to it, Ukrainian coach Oleksandr Sevidov who held post of head coach consultant in PFC Sumy and previously managed FC Illichivets Mariupol received a lifetime disqualification.
* On 17 February 2019, president of FC Zirka Kropyvnytskyi commented on his club's withdrawal from further participation in competitions of the Ukrainian First League. The president accused the newly formed NABU and law enforcement authorities in pressure against him. The president of the league expressed his surprise claiming that there seemed no real reason why the club had to withdraw. On 5 April 2019, the PFL council of leagues adopted its decision to remove FC Zirka Kropyvnytskyi from the League as it officially withdrew on 14 March 2019. On 22 April 2019, the club's vice-president announced that the club will restart from regional competitions with intention to return the club's pro-status in the future.
* Helios Kharkiv, the club reorganized under new management under a new name as FC Kobra Kharkiv. The club merged with another amateur club called the Kobra Football Academy which was playing in the Kharkiv Oblast Football Championship. On 15 August 2018 the club informed the Professional Football League of Ukraine about withdrawal from professional competitions, and were later officially expelled from the league.
* FC Myr Hornostayivka withdrew from competitions in protest.
* Zlahoda-Dnipro-1 (dissolved)
* WFC Lviv (dissolved)