First League is a men’s league competition in Russia, formed in 1992 and recorded in the database from 2016 through 2025. Use this page to follow live scores, fixtures, results and standings, and to review player and team statistics for each recorded season, with its recorded history available in one clear place for ongoing reference.
Upcoming matches, First League
Regular Season - 12
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- Regular Season - 12
Enisey
Arsenal Tula
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- Regular Season - 12Tekstilshchik
Rotor Volgograd
Stadion Tekstilshchik -
- Regular Season - 12
Torpedo Moskva
Veles
Arena Khimki -
- Regular Season - 12
Nizhny Novgorod
Leningradets
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- Regular Season - 12
Volga Ulyanovsk
Spartak Kostroma
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- Regular Season - 12
FC Sochi
Ska-khabarovsk
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- Regular Season - 12
Chelyabinsk
FC UFA
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- Regular Season - 12
FK Neftekhimik
Ural
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- Regular Season - 12
Shinnik Yaroslavl
KAMAZ
Regular Season - 7
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- Regular Season - 7
Chelyabinsk
Enisey
Latest played matches, First League
Regular Season - 11
Regular Season - 10
First League Standings
Regular Season
| Rank | Club | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Last 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Nizhny Novgorod | 11 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 30 | 14 | 16 | 28 | WWDWL |
| 2 |
|
FC Sochi | 11 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 20 | 13 | 7 | 22 | WLWWW |
| 3 |
|
Veles | 11 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 13 | 2 | 22 | LDWWW |
| 4 |
|
Spartak Kostroma | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 21 | WWWLD |
| 5 |
|
Torpedo Moskva | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 20 | 8 | 12 | 19 | LWWWW |
| 6 |
|
Ural | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 17 | 5 | 12 | 19 | DWDWD |
| 7 |
|
FC UFA | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 15 | 11 | 4 | 17 | DDWWD |
| 8 |
|
Shinnik Yaroslavl | 10 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 12 | 3 | 15 | DDDWW |
| 9 |
|
Rotor Volgograd | 11 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 18 | 14 | 4 | 14 | WDLLL |
| 10 |
|
Arsenal Tula | 11 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 19 | -8 | 13 | DLDLW |
| 11 |
|
FK Neftekhimik | 11 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 | -7 | 12 | LWLWL |
| 12 |
|
Volga Ulyanovsk | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 14 | 16 | -2 | 11 | DWDLL |
| 13 |
|
Leningradets | 10 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 14 | -5 | 10 | DWLDD |
| 14 |
|
Enisey | 10 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 18 | -7 | 10 | LLDLD |
| 15 |
|
Chelyabinsk | 10 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 17 | -7 | 8 | DLLDL |
| 16 | Tekstilshchik | 11 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 17 | -9 | 7 | DLLLW | |
| 17 |
|
KAMAZ | 11 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 19 | -9 | 6 | DLWLL |
| 18 |
|
Ska-khabarovsk | 10 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 10 | 22 | -12 | 4 | DLLLW |
First League Statistics
Top scorers 2026
| # | Player | Goals |
|---|
Top assists 2026
| # | Player | Assists |
|---|
Top key passes
Top tackles
Top yellow cards
Top red cards
First League teams participation since 2016
History
| Team | Nb participations |
|---|---|
| Ska-khabarovsk | 9 |
| Enisey | 9 |
| Shinnik Yaroslavl | 9 |
| FK Neftekhimik | 8 |
| Baltika | 8 |
| Fakel | 7 |
| Spartak Moscow 2 | 6 |
| Volgar Astrakhan | 6 |
| Rotor Volgograd | 6 |
| Torpedo Moskva | 6 |
| TOM Tomsk | 5 |
| Khimki | 5 |
| Tyumen | 5 |
| Krasnodar 2 | 5 |
| KAMAZ | 5 |
| Arsenal Tula | 4 |
| FK Sokol Saratov | 4 |
| Luch-Energiya | 4 |
| Nizhny Novgorod | 4 |
| Chayka | 4 |
| Akron | 4 |
| Alaniya Vladikavkaz | 4 |
| Rodina Moskva | 4 |
| FC UFA | 3 |
| FC Orenburg | 3 |
| Mordovia Saransk | 3 |
| Sibir | 3 |
| Zenit 2 | 3 |
| Tambov | 3 |
| Avangard Kursk | 3 |
| FC Sochi | 3 |
| Chertanovo Moscow | 3 |
| Tekstilshchik | 3 |
| Chernomorets | 3 |
| Urozhay | 3 |
| Veles | 3 |
| Krylia Sovetov | 2 |
| Ural | 2 |
| Kuban | 2 |
| FC Armavir | 2 |
| Makhachkala | 2 |
| Volga Ulyanovsk | 2 |
| Irtysh Omsk | 1 |
| Rubin | 1 |
| FC Tosno | 1 |
First League top scorer teams
Goals scored vs. conversion rate
| Team | Goals scored | Total shots | Conversion % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Torpedo Moskva | 9 | 32 |
|
| FC Sochi | 8 | 22 |
|
| Arsenal Tula | 6 | 20 |
|
| Rotor Volgograd | 6 | 12 |
|
| Ska-khabarovsk | 5 | 18 |
|
| Volga Ulyanovsk | 5 | 19 |
|
| Shinnik Yaroslavl | 5 | 14 |
|
| Chelyabinsk | 5 | 10 |
|
| FC UFA | 5 | 8 |
|
| Nizhny Novgorod | 5 | 13 |
|
| Ural | 5 | 26 |
|
| Tekstilshchik | 4 | 19 |
|
| Leningradets | 4 | 20 |
|
| Veles | 3 | 21 |
|
| Spartak Kostroma | 2 | 13 |
|
| FK Neftekhimik | 2 | 19 |
|
| KAMAZ | 2 | 20 |
|
| Enisey | 0 | 14 |
|
First League About
First League is Russia’s national second-tier men’s football league, currently identified officially as the Russian First League and commercially as the Melbet-First League. It sits directly below the Russian Premier League (RPL) and above the Russian Second League Division A, serving as the principal national pathway from regional professional football to Russia’s top division.
Identity and purpose
The competition was formed in 1992 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and has undergone several name changes during its history. It was widely known as the Russian Football National League, or FNL, before the Russian First League identity was restored in June 2022. The league’s recorded coverage on this page spans ten seasons from 2016 through 2025.
Its role is both competitive and developmental. Clubs contest the title and promotion places while providing a national platform for players, coaches and organisations seeking to establish themselves at the highest level of Russian domestic football. The league’s geographical reach is especially distinctive: participating clubs can be separated by enormous distances, reflecting the scale and regional diversity of Russia.
Governance and access
The competition is administered by the Football National League organisation under the regulatory oversight of the Russian Football Union (RFU). Entry is normally earned through promotion from the Russian Second League Division A, usually by clubs that win their regional groups or otherwise satisfy the relevant sporting criteria.
Promotion is not determined by league position alone. A club must obtain the required professional licence from the RFU and meet the applicable financial, organisational and infrastructure standards. If a promoted club cannot satisfy those requirements, its place may be offered to the highest-ranked relegated club from the preceding season. Reserve teams belonging to Russian Premier League clubs may participate in the First League, but they are not eligible for promotion to the RPL.
League format
The First League is primarily played as a double round-robin competition. In the standard 18-club structure, every team meets each opponent twice, once at home and once away, giving each club 34 regular-season fixtures. Three points are awarded for a win, one for a draw and none for a defeat.
The regular season determines the leading promotion candidates as well as the clubs at risk of relegation. The top two teams normally earn direct promotion to the Russian Premier League. The next two promotion contenders enter two-legged play-offs against RPL teams threatened with relegation: the third-placed First League club is paired with the 14th-placed Premier League club, while the fourth-placed side meets the 13th-placed Premier League side. The winners of those ties take the remaining promotion opportunities, subject to licensing and competition regulations.
When a play-off is level on aggregate after the second leg, extra time is played and a penalty shoot-out decides the tie if the scores remain level. This knockout stage gives the league a hybrid character: most of the season is decided by a long-form league table, but access to the top flight can ultimately depend on a pair of high-pressure matches.
Standings and tie-breakers
If clubs finish level on points, rankings are determined first by their head-to-head record. The relevant order is:
- points gained in matches between the tied clubs;
- goal difference in those head-to-head matches;
- goals scored in those head-to-head matches;
- the total number of wins across all matches;
- overall goal difference; and
- total goals scored.
These criteria reward performance in direct contests before moving to broader season-long measures. They can therefore make individual head-to-head fixtures particularly important late in the campaign.
Promotion, relegation and the season calendar
The main sporting objective is promotion to the Russian Premier League, while the bottom end of the table is shaped by the threat of relegation. Under the typical structure, the bottom three clubs drop to the Russian Second League Division A. The exact number of promoted or relegated teams can depend on licensing decisions, reserve-team restrictions and the final competition regulations for a particular season.
The league generally follows an autumn-to-spring calendar. The campaign usually begins in mid-July and concludes in late May, with a substantial winter interval, commonly lasting from December to March, built into the schedule. This break reflects the climatic conditions across Russia and is one of the defining practical features of the competition.
Why the First League matters
The First League is more than a second-tier table: it is the principal test of whether a club is ready for the demands of national top-flight football. Its extended travel, competitive balance, promotion race and licensing requirements create a demanding environment for established professional sides and ambitious clubs rising from the regional game. For supporters, the season combines the consistency required to finish in the top two with the drama of promotion play-offs, making the Russian First League a crucial link in the country’s football pyramid.