About Belarus Premier League
History, Format, Organization, Media Coverage
The Belarusian Premier League, also known as Vysheyshaya Liga, saw the light in 1992.
This league experienced a number of changes before reaching stability, mainly in the number of teams that play the tournament. There were seasons where 17 teams played for the title, while some others were played by just eleven sides. The league now operates under a promotion-relegation system, with two teams losing their category as top-tier teams every year. Two teams are promoted from the Belarusian First Division to complete the number of teams needed to play each campaign. The league is played between March and December to avoid extreme weather conditions.
All sixteen teams face each other twice every season to determine the champion. Added to that, this league offers the right to play in European competitions, with the champion getting to play the preliminary rounds of the UEFA Champions League. Meanwhile, the second, third and fourth-ranked teams enter the preliminary stages of the UEFA Europa League.
During March 2020, football was all but suspended in Europe due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, the Belarusian Premier League decided to carry on with the 2020 season despite the COVID-19 crisis and was the only active top-flight league in the continent by the end of the month. This choice earned tons of criticism as it was deemed incomprehensible by FIFPro, the global players union. Nonetheless, this move proved beneficial financially as it helped land new broadcasting deals for the Belarus Football Federation in countries such as Israel, India, and Russia. Additionally, Vysheyshaya Liga saw an increase in viewership due to the lack of live football in the rest of Europe.
