Start of the National League U-19: First Season After Tournament Update
National League U-19: Matches of the First Round Played
The updated tournament has started — ahead is the first season under the new format
5 August 2026 marked the start of the U-19 National League season 2026/2027. This edition will be the first after a major overhaul of the tournament: changes were made to the format of matches, the composition of participants, and the principles of exchange between leagues.
Follow match results, tournament tables, and broadcast schedules on the official U-19 Championship website:https://u19.uaf.ua/
Results of the first round matches:
What has changed in the U-19 Championship?
At the end of July, UAF approved the revised format for the national and regional U-19 leagues. The reform's focus is to enhance the competitiveness of youth competitions so that participant teams are selected based on sporting merit and team strength rather than geographical or administrative decisions. Under these conditions, young footballers can fully develop their skills. Similar changes have already been implemented in children’s and youth leagues.
National U-19 League. The tournament features 14 teams, with the championship held in two rounds under an "autumn-spring" system.
Regional U-19 League. Clubs and DYSH are distributed into four groups of 8 to 10 teams based on a territorial principle. In the first stage, teams compete in two rounds within their respective groups. The winners of these groups advance to the playoffs: semi-final pairs are determined by a draw, each match consists of two games, and teams that lose in the semi-finals play for third place.
Exchange between leagues. The key idea of the reform is an open sports rotation. A team that finishes 14th in the National League descends to the Regional League. The winner of the Regional League advances to a higher class—subject to meeting the requirements of the regulations and having a professional or semi-professional certificate. Three more teams get a chance through tie-break matches: the second-place team from RL plays against the 13th-place team in NL, the third-place team plays against the 12th-place team, and the fourth-place team plays against the 11th-place team. Each pair conducts two games, with the winner determined by their aggregate score. Thus, each participant of the Regional League has a real sporting path to the elite level.
Semi-professional status. Alongside the new format, a semi-professional status is introduced for clubs after certification. It allows for labor contracts with players on part-time terms, legally binding relationships between the club and player, and protection of club investments in youth training.
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