Russian First League

Russian First League
Founded1992 (1992)
CountryRussia
ConfederationUEFA
Number of clubs18
Level on pyramid2
Promotion toPremier League
Relegation toSecond League
Domestic cup(s)Russian Cup
Current championsKhimki (2nd title)
(2023–24)
Most championshipsChernomorets
Tyumen
Luch-Energiya
Shinnik
Anzhi
Mordovia
Orenburg
Krylia Sovetov
Rubin
Khimki (2 titles)
Websitefnl.pro/melbet
Current: 2024–25 Russian First League

The Russian First League (Russian: Первая лига, Pervaya liga), formerly called Russian First Division (Russian: Первый дивизион) and Russian Football National League (FNL) (Russian: Первенство Футбольной Национальной Лиги, Pervenstvo Futbol'noy Natsional'noy Ligi) is the second level of the Russian football league system.

The Russian Professional Football League (PFL) used to run the division. Since 2011, it has been managed by the Football National League.

The league consists of 18 clubs. After each season the two top clubs are promoted to the Premier League, and the bottom three clubs are relegated to the Second League. Third and fourth team play in home-and-away promotion play-offs against the 13th and 14th Premier League teams. Should one or more clubs not possess the required licence to participate for the upcoming season, the teams previously relegated are kept in the league instead, in the order of last season's standings.

History

Due to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, all Russian clubs of the former Soviet Top League and Soviet First League unified into the Russian Top Division, which meant that the new second tier of Russian football would remain regionalized.

On 10 June 2022, the number of teams in the league was reduced from 20 to 18 for the 2022–23 season.[1] On the same day, the league requested Russian Football Union to rename the league to its historical name of Russian First League.[2] RFU officially approved the name change on 23 June 2022.[3] On the same date the league announced that the league's title sponsor would be a bookmaker Melbet.[4]

Current clubs

Location of teams in 2025–26 First League.[5]

The following teams are competing in the 2024–25 season:

Team Home city Stadium Capacity Head coach
Alania Vladikavkaz Vladikavkaz Republican Spartak Stadium 10,250 Soslan Beteev
Arsenal Tula Tula Arsenal Stadium 19,241 Aleksandr Storozhuk
Chayka Peschanokopskoye Peschanokopskoye Chayka Central Stadium 3,445 Dmitri Pyatibratov
Fakel Voronezh Voronezh Tsentralnyi Profsoyuz Stadion 32,750 Dmitri Pyatibratov
Chernomorets Novorossiysk Novorossiysk Central Stadium (Trud) 12,500 Vadim Garanin
KAMAZ Naberezhnye Chelny KAMAZ stadium 6,248 Vladimir Klontsak
Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk Nizhnekamsk Neftekhimik Stadium 3,100 Kirill Novikov
Rodina Moscow Moscow Spartakovets Stadium 5,000 Vladimir Gazzayev
Rotor Volgograd Volgograd Volgograd Arena 45,316 Denis Boyarintsev
Shinnik Yaroslavl Yaroslavl Shinnik Stadium 22,990 Dmitri Cheryshev
SKA-Khabarovsk Khabarovsk Lenin Stadium 14,800 Dmitri Voyetskiy
Sokol Saratov Saratov Lokomotiv Stadium 15,000 Aleksey Baga
FC Orenburg Orenburg Gazovik Stadium 10,046 Vladimir Slišković
Tyumen Tyumen Geolog Stadium 13,057 Igor Menshchikov
Ufa Ufa BetBoom Arena 15,234 Yevgeni Kharlachyov
Ural Yekaterinburg Yekaterinburg Yekaterinburg Arena 35,696 Yevgeni Averyanov
Yenisey Krasnoyarsk Krasnoyarsk Central Stadium 15,000 Andrey Tikhonov

Winners and top scorers

Season Winners Also promoted Top scorer
1992 Zhemchuzhina-Amerus (West)
KAMAZ Naberezhnye Chelny (Centre)
Luch Vladivostok (East) 		 – Gocha Gogrichiani (Zhemchuzhina-Amerus, West) – 26
Oleg Teryokhin (Sokol Saratov, Centre) – 27
Vyacheslav Kartashov (Irtysh Omsk, East) – 19
1993 Chernomorets Novorossiysk (West, not promoted)
Lada Togliatti (Centre)
Dinamo-Gazovik Tyumen (East) 		 – Sergey Burdin (Chernomorets Novorossiysk, West) – 25
Vladimir Filimonov (Zvezda Perm, Centre) – 37
Vyacheslav Kamoltsev (Dinamo-Gazovik Tyumen, East) – 22
1994 Chernomorets Novorossiysk Rostselmash Rostov-on-Don Dmitri Silin (Baltika Kaliningrad) – 35
1995 Baltika Kaliningrad Lada Togliatti
Zenit Saint Petersburg 		Sergei Bulatov (Baltika Kaliningrad) – 29
1996 Dinamo-Gazovik Tyumen Shinnik Yaroslavl
Fakel Voronezh 		Varlam Kilasonia (Lokomotiv Saint Petersburg) – 22
1997 Uralan Elista  – Aleksei Chernov (Lada-Grad Dimitrovgrad) – 29
1998 Saturn Moscow Region Lokomotiv Nizhny Novgorod Andradina (Arsenal Tula) – 27
1999 Anzhi Makhachkala Fakel Voronezh Konstantin Paramonov (Amkar Perm) – 23
2000 Sokol Saratov Torpedo-ZIL Moscow Andrei Fedkov (Sokol Saratov) – 26
2001 Shinnik Yaroslavl Uralan Elista Vitaly Kakunin (Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk) – 20
2002 Rubin Kazan Chernomorets Novorossiysk Vyacheslav Kamoltsev (Chernomorets Novorossiysk) – 20
David Chaladze (Rubin Kazan) – 20
2003 Amkar Perm Kuban Krasnodar Aleksandr Panov (Dynamo Saint Petersburg) – 23
2004 Terek Grozny Tom Tomsk Andrei Fedkov (Terek Grozny) – 38
2005 Luch-Energia Vladivostok Spartak Nalchik Yevgeni Alkhimov (Lokomotiv Chita) – 24
2006 Khimki Kuban Krasnodar Yevgeni Alkhimov (Ural Sverdlovsk Oblast) – 25
2007 Shinnik Yaroslavl Terek Grozny Dmitri Akimov (Sibir Novosibirsk) – 34
2008 FC Rostov Kuban Krasnodar Denis Popov (Torpedo Moscow/Chernomorets Novorossiysk) – 24
2009 Anzhi Makhachkala Sibir Novosibirsk
Alania Vladikavkaz 		Aleksei Medvedev (Sibir Novosibirsk) – 18
2010 Kuban Krasnodar Volga Nizhny Novgorod
Krasnodar 		Otar Martsvaladze (Volga Nizhny Novgorod) – 21
2011–12 Mordovia Saransk Alania Vladikavkaz Ruslan Mukhametshin (Mordovia Saransk) – 31
2012–13 Ural Sverdlovsk Oblast Tom Tomsk Spartak Gogniyev (Ural Sverdlovsk Oblast) – 17
2013–14 Mordovia Saransk Arsenal Tula
Torpedo Moscow
Ufa 		Aleksandr Kutyin (Arsenal Tula) – 19
2014–15 Krylia Sovetov Samara Anzhi Makhachkala Yannick Boli (Anzhi Makhachkala) – 15
2015–16 Gazovik Orenburg Arsenal Tula
Tom Tomsk 		Artyom Delkin (Gazovik Orenburg) – 16
Khasan Mamtov (Tyumen) – 16
Maksim Zhitnev (Sibir Novosibirsk) – 16
2016–17 Dynamo Moscow Tosno
SKA-Khabarovsk 		Kirill Panchenko (Dynamo Moscow) – 24
2017–18 Orenburg Krylia Sovetov Samara
Yenisey Krasnoyarsk 		Artyom Kulishev (Dynamo Saint Petersburg) – 17
2018–19 Tambov Sochi Maksim Barsov (Sochi) – 19
2019–20 Rotor Volgograd Khimki Aleksandr Rudenko (Spartak-2 Moscow/Torpedo Moscow) – 14
Ivan Sergeyev (Torpedo Moscow) – 14
2020–21 Krylia Sovetov Samara Nizhny Novgorod Ivan Sergeyev (Krylia Sovetov Samara) – 40
2021–22 Torpedo Moscow Fakel Voronezh
Orenburg 		Maksim Maksimov (Fakel Voronezh) – 22
2022–23 Rubin Kazan Baltika Kaliningrad
2023–24 Khimki Dynamo Makhachkala
Akron Tolyatti
2024–25 Baltika Kaliningrad Torpedo Moscow
Sochi 		Martin Sekulić (Ural) – 14

See also

References

  1. ^ "18 КОМАНД ПРИМУТ УЧАСТИЕ В ОЛИМП-ФНЛ-1 В СЕЗОНЕ-2022/23" (in Russian). Russian Football National League. 10 June 2022. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  2. ^ "ПРЕЗИДИУМ ФНЛ ПРИНЯЛ РЕШЕНИЕ ОБ УЧАСТИИ 18 КОМАНД В СЕЗОНЕ-2022/23, СТАРТ ТУРНИРА ЗАПЛАНИРОВАН НА 17 ИЮЛЯ" (in Russian). Russian First League. 10 June 2022. Archived from the original on 23 June 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  3. ^ "Первая лига" (in Russian). Russian Football Union. 23 June 2022. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  4. ^ "КОМПАНИЯ "МЕЛБЕТ" СТАЛА ТИТУЛЬНЫМ ПАРТНЁРОМ ПЕРВОЙ ЛИГИ" (in Russian). Russian First League. 23 June 2022. Archived from the original on 23 June 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  5. ^ "TEAMS". 1fnl.ru. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
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