March 22 marks the start of the spring season in the first league. Today, two matches will take place — "Prykarpattia" vs "Ingulets" (championship group) and "Hirnyk-Sport" vs "Niva" (relegation group).

Tomorrow, there will be games between "Kudriavka-Niva" vs "Left Bank", "Epitsentr" vs "Mariupol", "Karpaty" vs "Poltava" (championship group) and "Chernihiv-SVSM" vs "Podillia", "Metallurg" vs "Hust" (relegation group).

The tour will conclude on March 24 with matches between "Agrobusiness" vs "Victoria" (championship group) and "Kremenchuk" vs "Metalist", "Dinaz" vs "Bucovina" (relegation group).

As a reminder, the top two teams from the championship group will be promoted to a higher league, while those finishing third and fourth will face off in playoff matches against clubs that finished 14th and 13th respectively in the UPL.

The bottom three teams from the relegation group will be relegated, with those finishing 16th and 17th playing playoff matches against clubs finishing third and second respectively in the second league.

Lviv's "Karpaty" is the main contender for the title of best team in the first league. During winter break, Lvivans not only strengthened their coaching staff by hiring Volodymyr Yezersky from "Oleksandria", but also reinforced their squad with Arielson from Brazil, Frenchman Jared Hasa, and loaned players Andriy Bulizhur, Eduard Kozik, Mykhailo Khromey from "Shakhtar" as well as Yuri Tlumach back from "Zorya". Head coach Miron Markevych can rely on almost two equally strong squads.

The closest pursuers of Lvivans, "Ingulets" and "Left Bank", signed Brazilian Alvaro, who previously played for "Lviv", and Mariyan Misik from "Rukh" respectively before the transfer window closed.

In the relegation group, "Metallurg" leads, but the future of this once formidable team is worrying. Zaporizhzhya has lost 17 players recently. It will be difficult for acting head coach Anton Hau with his young charges to stay in the first league. Especially since their pursuers are strengthening their squads, notably "Dinaz" has loaned several players from elite "Metalist 1925".

Match results and league standings of the first league

Distribution of participants after the first stage into groups "Championship" and "Relegation"