The 2013–14 Ukrainian First League was the 23rd since its establishment. The competition commenced on 14 July 2013. Due to sponsorship reasons the league was called Favbet League 1. The competition had a winter break that started on 30 November 2013 and resumed on 28 March 2014. The completion concluded on 31 May 2014.
Group A
Desna Chernihiv – Second League champion (returning after an absence of 3 seasons)
Nyva Ternopil – Promotion/Relegation Play-off winner (returning after an absence of 3 seasons)
Group B
UkrAhroKom Holovkivka – Second League (debut)
No teams were relegated from the 2012–13 Ukrainian Premier League. Originally Hoverla Uzhhorod and Metalurh Zaporizhya were to be relegated from the Ukrainian Premier League after finishing in 15th and 16th places. However, Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih failed attestation and their license was withdrawn by the Ukrainian Premier League. Number of clubs refused promotion leaving two vacant positions in the 2013–14 Ukrainian Premier League which were awarded to the relegating clubs.
The competition was reduced by two teams to sixteen at the PFL Conference on 26 June 2013. Krymteplytsia Molodizhne withdrew from the PFL after the previous season and Shakhtar Sverdlovsk bid for promotion was refused.
The following displays the location of teams.
The following stadiums are considered home grounds for the teams in the competition.
Notes:
^(1) UkrAhroKom Holovkivka to play their home games at CSC Nika Stadium due to limited capacity and lighting at their traditional home ground, Holovkivskiy Stadium, Holovkivka. (28 June 2013)
^(2) Zirka Kirovohrad to play their spring session home games at Holovkivskyy Stadium, Holovkivka due to reconstruction of their home ground, Zirka Stadium. (29 December 2013)
As of 31 May 2014
Notes:
^(3) PFC Oleksandriya were to be promoted after finishing second but the president of the club refused promotion citing instability in the country and business reasons with the cost of keeping a team in the Premier League.
^(4) FC Tytan Armyansk completed the season but the team was dissolved due to annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation.
^(5) FC Avanhard Kramatorsk completed the season but the team's participation in competitions was suspended due to the situation in the East Ukraine.
^(6) Relegation to the Ukrainian Second League for the next season was canceled. The Central Council of Professional Football League of Ukraine considered the force majeure circumstances that were created due to war conditions in Kramatorsk as the reason for the cancellation. With the goal to preserve the maximum integrity of the League, considering that a direct threat to the life of footballers, coaching staff, and club's administration, those games, that were to be conducted with participation of Avanhard Kramatorsk to the end of the season, were recognized that they were not going to take place because of those unforeseen events. (21 May 2014)
As of 31 May 2014
Source: Calendar (Ukrainian)
1 ^ The home team is listed in the left-hand column.
Colours: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Notes:
^(7) Dynamo-2 Kyiv postpones their Round 14 away match against Stal Alchevsk since several players were called for international duty. Match was played after Round 25.
^(8) Administration of FC Poltava informed that the club would not travel to their Round 16 match against Nyva Ternopil as a protest against unobjective decisions by referees against the team. Control Disciplinary Committee of the Football Federation of Ukraine award a 3–0 technical victory to Nyva.
^(9) PFL reschedules the Round 19 match between MFC Mykolaiv and Dynamo-2 Kyiv to after Round 20, since several Dynamo-2 Kyiv players were called for international duty.
^(10) Round 25 match between Avanhard Kramatorsk and Helios Kharkiv is postponed due to unrest in the region. The game was to be played after Round 29 but was abandoned as a technical loss for Avanhard due to war conditions. (22 May 2014)
^(11) Round 27 match between Avanhard Kramatorsk and FC Poltava is rescheduled due to blocked access to the city of Kramatorsk following unrest in the region. The match was to be played at Karlivka but was abandoned as a technical loss for Avanhard due to war conditions. (22 May 2014)
^(12) Round 27 match between Helios Kharkiv and Nyva Ternopil is moved due to decisions made by the FFU of not conducting matches in Donetsk, Kharkiv, Luhansk and Odessa oblasts because of unrest in the region. The match was played at Karlivka. Match was not completed. Nyva Ternopil players walked off the pitch as a protest to a penalty awarded against them in 90+5' of the game. Score was 1–1 at the time. Control Disciplinary Committee of the Football Federation of Ukraine award a 3–0 technical victory to Helios .
^(13) Round 27 match between MFC Mykolaiv and Stal Alchevsk rescheduled until after Round 29 due to unrest in the region.
^(14) Round 28 match between Stal Alchevsk and Naftovyk-Ukrnafta Okhtyrka is moved due to decisions made by the FFU of not conducting matches in Donetsk, Kharkiv, Luhansk and Odessa oblasts because of unrest in the region. The match to be played at Karlivka.
^(15) Administration of Olimpik Donetsk informed their opponent Tytan Armyansk that the club would not travel to their Round 29 match due to instability in the region. Later the PFL administration awarded a technical win (3:0) to Tytan Armyansk and a technical loss (3:0) to Olimpik Donetsk.
^(16) FC Poltava play their Round 22 and 24 matches at their Educational Sport Training Base Stadium in Kopyly, Poltava Oblast due to construction of their Lokomotiv Stadium in Poltava.
^(17) Initially the PFL ruled that matches involving Avanhard Kramatorsk were abandoned as a technical loss for both teams due to war conditions. Next day it was changed to a technical loss to Avanhard Kramatorsk in all games. (22 May 2014)
^(18) Round 30 match between Olimpik Donetsk and Helios Kharkiv is moved due to decisions made by the FFU of not conducting matches in Donetsk, Kharkiv, Luhansk and Odessa oblasts because of unrest in the region. The match to be played at Enerhiya Stadium in Berdyansk, Zaporizhia Oblast.
^(19) Administration of Bukovyna Chernivtsi informed that the club would not travel to their Round 8 match against Stal Alchevsk due to financial issues. Control Disciplinary Committee of the Football Federation of Ukraine award a 3–0 technical victory to Stal.
^(20) Bukovyna Chernivtsi postpones their Round 9 match home match against Nyva Ternopil due to their financial situation. Match was played after Round 19.
^(21) Dynamo-2 Kyiv postpones their Round 9 match at home against Helios Kharkiv since five players were called for international duty. The match was rescheduled after Round 15.
The following table represents the teams position after each round in the competition.
Last updated: 27 May 2014
Source: pfl.ua
As of 31 May 2014
Notes:
^(30) Ukrainian Premier League club Karpaty Lviv signed Mykhaylo Serhiychuk during the winter break.
