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
The Russian Second League (russian: Первенство России II дивизиона ФНЛ), formerly Russian Professional Football League is the third level of Russian professional football (soccer), football.
History
In 1998–2010, it ...
(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
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
, and the bottom four clubs are relegated to the
Russian Professional Football League
The Russian Second League (russian: Первенство России II дивизиона ФНЛ), formerly Russian Professional Football League is the third level of Russian professional football (soccer), football.
History
In 1998–2010, it ...
. Third and fourth team play in home-and-away promotion play-offs against the 13th and 14th Premier League teams. In case one or more clubs are not licensed to participate for the upcoming season, the teams previously relegated are kept in the league instead, in the order of last season's standings. The reserve squads of the Premier League teams (such as
FC Krasnodar-2) are not eligible for promotion, only for relegation.
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. On the same day, the league requested
Russian Football Union to rename the league to its historical name of Russian First League. RFU officially approved the name change on 23 June 2022. On the same date the league announced that the league's title sponsor would be a
bookmaker
A bookmaker, bookie, or turf accountant is an organization or a person that accepts and pays off bets on sporting and other events at agreed-upon odds.
History
The first bookmaker, Ogden, stood at Newmarket in 1795.
Range of events
Book ...
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Melbet
2022–23 clubs
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Akron Tolyatti
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Alania Vladikavkaz
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Arsenal Tula
FC Arsenal Tula (russian: ФК Арсенал Тула) is a Russian professional football club from Tula playing in the second-tier Russian First League.
Originally founded in 1923, FC Arsenal Tula was promoted to the Russian Premier League ...
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Baltika Kaliningrad
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Dynamo Makhachkala
FC Dynamo Makhachkala (russian: ФК Динамо Махачкала) is a Russian football club based in Makhachkala.
Club history
In the 2006 season Dynamo finished 16th in the Russian First Division. However, the club was denied the professio ...
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KAMAZ
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Rubin Kazan
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Krasnodar-2
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Kuban Krasnodar
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Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk
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Rodina Moscow
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SKA-Khabarovsk
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Ufa
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Ulyanovsk
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Veles Moscow
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Volgar Astrakhan
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Yaroslavl
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Yenisey Krasnoyarsk
Winners and top scorers
See also
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List of attendance figures at domestic professional sports leagues
References
External links
Russian First League official website
{{UEFA second leagues
2
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...
Professional sports leagues in Russia