How LNZ Cherkasy become a wartime success story with few modern parallels
LNZ Cherkasy, a Ukrainian club that was playing fourth-tier football as recently as 2021, will make its European debut this week when it faces Belgian side Gent in the second qualifying round of the Conference League. The achievement is remarkable given the wider disruption to Ukrainian football since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022, making LNZ's rapid rise an unusual and morale-boosting story for the country's game.
LNZ, based in the city of Cherkasy and named after the local agribusiness that owns the club, turned professional only in 2020 and earned their European qualification by finishing runners-up in Ukraine's top flight last season, having been 12th the year before. The team, led by 26-year-old chief executive Vasyl Kayuk and manager Vitaliy Ponomaryov, briefly topped the league at the halfway point of the 2025-26 season and beat champions Shakhtar Donetsk 4-1 away last October, before eventually finishing behind Shakhtar. Club figures describe a long-term, deliberately paced project rather than a one-off success, with the aim of establishing LNZ as a stable force in Ukrainian and European football.
In short
- LNZ Cherkasy make European debut against Gent in Conference League qualifying.
- Club rose from fourth-tier football to Ukraine's top flight runners-up since 2021.
- Success seen as rare bright spot amid wartime disruption to Ukrainian football.
Explained simply
LNZ Cherkasy is a Ukrainian football club that has risen from the fourth tier to European competition in just a few years, an achievement that stands out because it has happened against the backdrop of Russia's full-scale invasion that began in February 2022. The club, based in the city of Cherkasy and backed by a local agribusiness company, turned professional only in 2020, making its rapid rise particularly striking.
The club's ascent has been steady. Last season, LNZ finished as runners-up in Ukraine's top flight, up from 12th place the year before, and briefly topped the league during the 2025-26 campaign. In October, the team defeated the defending champions Shakhtar Donetsk 4-1 away, though it ultimately finished second to Shakhtar.
The club's achievement is significant partly because Ukrainian football has faced severe disruption since the invasion began, with teams displaced, fixtures cancelled and many players forced to leave. LNZ's success story offers rare positive developments for the sport in the country and demonstrates that progress can still be made despite the wider challenges Ukraine faces.
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