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. History In 1998–2010, it was run by the Pr ...

(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 Fo ...

, and the bottom four clubs are relegated to the

. 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 FC Krasnodar-2 (russian: ФК «Краснодар-2» Краснодар) is a Russian football team from Krasnodar, founded in 2013. From 2013 to 2018, it played in the third-tier Russian Professional Football League. It made its debut in the se ...

) are not eligible for promotion, only for relegation.

History

Due to the

dissolution of the Soviet Union The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...

, all Russian clubs of the former Soviet Top League and Soviet First League unified into the

Russian Top Division The Russian Premier League (RPL; russian: Российская премьер-лига; РПЛ), also written as Russian Premier Liga, is the top division professional association football league in Russia. It was established at the end of 200 ...

, 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 The Russian Football Union (russian: Российский Футбольный Союз, ''Rossiyskiy Futbolnyy Soyuz'' or RFS) is the official governing body of association football in the Russian Federation. With headquarters in Moscow, it org ...

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 bookmakerbr>Melbet

2022–23 clubs

* Akron Tolyatti *

Alania Vladikavkaz FC Alania Vladikavkaz (russian: "Алания" (Владикавказ), os, Футболон клуб "Алани" (Дзæуджыхъæу)) is a Russian football team from Vladikavkaz. Founded in 1921, the club played in the Soviet Top League ...

* Arsenal Tula * Baltika Kaliningrad *

Dynamo Makhachkala FC Dynamo Makhachkala (russian: ФК Динамо Махачкала) is a Russian Association football, football club based in Makhachkala. Club history In the 2006 in Russian football, 2006 season Dynamo finished 16th in the Russian First Divisi ...

* KAMAZ * Rubin Kazan * Krasnodar-2 * Kuban Krasnodar * Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk * Rodina Moscow * SKA-Khabarovsk * Ufa *

Ulyanovsk Ulyanovsk, known until 1924 as Simbirsk, is a city and the administrative center of Ulyanovsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Volga River east of Moscow. Population: The city, founded as Simbirsk (), was the birthplace of Vladimir Lenin (born ...

* Veles Moscow * Volgar Astrakhan *

Yaroslavl Yaroslavl ( rus, Ярослáвль, p=jɪrɐˈsɫavlʲ) is a city and the administrative center of Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, located northeast of Moscow. The historic part of the city is a World Heritage Site, and is located at the confluenc ...

* Yenisey Krasnoyarsk

Winners and top scorers

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-ei ...

Professional sports leagues in Russia

History

2022–23 clubs

Winners and top scorers

See also

References

External links