2025–26 Russian First League
| Season | 2025–26 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 19 July 2025 - 23 May 2026 |
| Promoted | Rodina Fakel |
| Relegated | Chernomorets Chayka Sokol |
| Matches | 306 |
| Goals | 711 (2.32 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Artyom Maksimenko (17 goals) |
| Biggest home win | KAMAZ 5–0 Yenisey 24 October 2025 Ural 5–0 Chayka 5 April 2026 Rotor 5-0 Chayka 16 May 2026 |
| Biggest away win | Chayka 0–6 Rotor 3 September 2025 |
| Highest scoring | Rodina 5–2 Chayka 23 March 2026 |
| Longest winning run | 6 matches Fakel (twice) Rotor |
| Longest unbeaten run | 18 matches Rodina |
| Longest winless run | 14 matches Sokol |
| Longest losing run | 10 matches Sokol |
| Highest attendance | 21,118 Rotor 3–0 KAMAZ 14 September 2025 |
| Lowest attendance | 118 Neftekhimik 4–0 Chernomorets 22 April 2026 |
| Total attendance | 1,222,797 |
| Average attendance | 4,049 Three games played behind closed doors and one game that was not held are not included in the lowest and average attendance statistics |
← 2024–25 2026–27 →
All statistics correct as of 16 May 2026. | |
The 2025–26 Russian First League (First League Pari for sponsorship reasons) was the 34th season of Russia's second-tier football league since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The season began on 19 July 2025, and had a 3-month winter break between December 2025 and March 2026. The regular season ended on 16 May 2026 and was followed by promotion play-offs which concluded on 23 May 2026.
Team changes
[edit]To First League
[edit]- Promoted from Second League Division A
- Relegated from Premier League
Khimki, which was administratively relegated from the Premier League, was then dissolved and did not enter the First League.[1]
Pari Nizhny Novgorod, which lost in the relegation play-offs, was kept in the Premier League as a replacement for Khimki.
Orenburg, which was originally relegated from the Premier League, remained in it due to the attempted match-fixing by Torpedo Moscow in the previous season.[2][3]
From First League
[edit]- Relegated to Second League
Sokol Saratov, which finished the previous season in the relegation zone, was kept in the league as a replacement for Khimki.
- Promoted to Premier League
Torpedo Moscow, which was initially promoted to the Premier League, was kept in the First League due to attempted match-fixing in the previous season.[2][3]
Stadiums by locations
[edit]
League table
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rodina Moscow (C, P) | 34 | 19 | 11 | 4 | 58 | 28 | +30 | 68[a] | Promotion to 2026–27 Premier League |
| 2 | Fakel Voronezh (P) | 34 | 20 | 8 | 6 | 44 | 22 | +22 | 68[a] | |
| 3 | Ural Yekaterinburg (Q) | 34 | 18 | 7 | 9 | 51 | 31 | +20 | 61 | Qualification to Premier League play-offs |
| 4 | Rotor Volgograd (Q) | 34 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 47 | 26 | +21 | 56 | |
| 5 | KAMAZ Naberezhnye Chelny | 34 | 12 | 13 | 9 | 46 | 34 | +12 | 49[b] | |
| 6 | Yenisey Krasnoyarsk | 34 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 37 | 35 | +2 | 49[b] | |
| 7 | Spartak Kostroma | 34 | 12 | 13 | 9 | 46 | 41 | +5 | 49[b] | |
| 8 | Shinnik Yaroslavl | 34 | 11 | 15 | 8 | 34 | 28 | +6 | 48 | |
| 9 | Torpedo Moscow | 34 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 37 | 39 | −2 | 46 | |
| 10 | Chelyabinsk | 34 | 10 | 14 | 10 | 42 | 40 | +2 | 44 | |
| 11 | Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk | 34 | 10 | 13 | 11 | 40 | 41 | −1 | 43 | |
| 12 | SKA-Khabarovsk | 34 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 37 | 45 | −8 | 42 | |
| 13 | Arsenal Tula | 34 | 8 | 15 | 11 | 42 | 44 | −2 | 39 | |
| 14 | Volga Ulyanovsk | 34 | 9 | 10 | 15 | 35 | 48 | −13 | 37[c] | |
| 15 | Ufa | 34 | 9 | 10 | 15 | 32 | 40 | −8 | 37[c] | |
| 16 | Chernomorets Novorossiysk (R) | 34 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 37 | 49 | −12 | 35 | Relegation to 2026–27 Second League |
| 17 | Sokol Saratov (R) | 34 | 5 | 11 | 18 | 16 | 44 | −28 | 26 | |
| 18 | Chayka Peschanokopskoye (R) | 34 | 5 | 7 | 22 | 30 | 76 | −46 | 22 |
Source: Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head matches won; 4) Head-to-head goal difference; 5) Head-to-head goals scored; 6) Matches won; 7) Goal difference; 8) Goals scored; 9) Away matches won; 10) Away goals scored; 11) Disciplinary record in ascending order (3 points for direct red card, 1 point for yellow card, 2.5 points for red card after two yellows); 12) 2024–25 position (does not apply to final standings); 13) Play-offs. If the teams tied on points did not all play equal number of head-to-head matches, head-to-head criteria are not used to determine the standings.[5]
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (Q) Qualified for Promotion Playoffs; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head matches won; 4) Head-to-head goal difference; 5) Head-to-head goals scored; 6) Matches won; 7) Goal difference; 8) Goals scored; 9) Away matches won; 10) Away goals scored; 11) Disciplinary record in ascending order (3 points for direct red card, 1 point for yellow card, 2.5 points for red card after two yellows); 12) 2024–25 position (does not apply to final standings); 13) Play-offs. If the teams tied on points did not all play equal number of head-to-head matches, head-to-head criteria are not used to determine the standings.[5]
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (Q) Qualified for Promotion Playoffs; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Results
[edit]Positions by round
[edit]| Promotion | |
| Play-offs | |
| Relegation to 2026–27 Russian Second League |
Source: everysport.com
Results by round
[edit]Season statistics
[edit]Top goalscorers
[edit]| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[7] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Artyom Maksimenko |
Rodina | 17 |
| 2 |  Belajdi Pusi |
Fakel | 16 |
| 3 | Amur Kalmykov |
Spartak | 15 |
| Said Aliyev |
Rotor | ||
| 5 | David Karaev |
KAMAZ | 13 |
| 6 | Ivan Timoshenko |
Rodina | 11 |
| Andrey Okladnikov |
Yenisey | ||
| Ruslan Apekov |
Torpedo | ||
| 9 | Rashid Magomedov |
Neftekhimik | 10 |
| Artyom Sokolov |
Chayka | ||
| Ramazan Gadzhimuradov |
Chelyabinsk | ||
Managerial changes
[edit]| Club | Outgoing head coach | Reason for leaving | Time of leaving | New head coach | Date of appointment | Previous club / role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal Tula | Aleksandr Storozhuk | Contract terminated | Pre-season period | Dmitri Gunko | 18 June 2025 | Urartu |
| Ural | Sergei Tomarov | Miroslav Romashchenko | 23 June 2025 | Ural, senior coach | ||
| Chernomorets Novorossiysk | Oleg Vasilenko | Sergei Pervushin | 27 June 2025 | Chayka | ||
| Chayka | Sergei Pervushin | Dmitri Kombarov | 17 July 2025 | Spartak-2 Moscow | ||
| Rodina | Zoran Zeljković | After Matchday 3 | Barseg Kirakosyan (caretaker) | 5 August 2025 | FC Rodina-M | |
| Torpedo Moscow | Oleg Kononov | After Matchday 4 | Pavel Kirilchik (caretaker) | 15 August 2025 | Torpedo Moscow, assistant coach | |
| Chernomorets Novorossiysk | Sergei Pervushin | After Matchday 6 | Eduard Sarkisov (caretaker) | 24 August 2025 | Chernomorets Novorossiysk, senior coach | |
| Torpedo Moscow | Pavel Kirilchik (caretaker) | End of caretaker period | After Matchday 7 | Sergei Zhukov (caretaker) | 1 September 2025 | Torpedo Moscow youth team |
| Rodina | Barseg Kirakosyan (caretaker) | After Matchday 8 | Juan Díaz | 4 September 2025 | Sevilla Atlético, sporting director | |
| Chernomorets Novorossiysk | Eduard Sarkisov (caretaker) | Vadim Yevseyev | 5 September 2025 | Leningradets | ||
| Torpedo Moscow | Sergei Zhukov (caretaker) | After Matchday 9 | Dmitri Parfenov | 13 September 2025 | Aktobe | |
| Fakel Voronezh | Igor Shalimov | Contract terminated | After Matchday 12 | Oleg Vasilenko | 1 October 2025 | Chernomorets Novorossiysk |
| KAMAZ | Ildar Akhmetzyanov | After Matchday 13 | Anton Khazov | 10 October 2025 | Pari Nizhny Novgorod youth team, assistant coach | |
| Torpedo Moscow | Dmitri Parfenov | After Matchday 14 | Oleg Kononov | 15 October 2025 | Torpedo Moscow | |
| Rotor Volgograd | Denis Boyarintsev | After Matchday 20 | Valery Burlachenko (caretaker) | 25 November 2025 | Serikspor, assistant coach | |
| Rotor Volgograd | Valery Burlachenko (caretaker) | End of caretaker period | After Matchday 21 | Dmitri Parfenov | 1 December 2025 | Torpedo Moscow |
| Ural | Miroslav Romashchenko | Contract terminated | After Matchday 21 | Vasili Berezutsky | 11 December 2025 | Sabah Baku |
| Yenisey Krasnoyarsk | Andrei Tikhonov | After Matchday 21 | Sergei Tashuyev | 24 December 2025 | Akhmat Grozny | |
| Chernomorets Novorossiysk | Vadim Yevseyev | After Matchday 21 | — | — | — |
References
[edit]- ↑ ""Химки" приостанавливают свою деятельность" (in Russian). FC Khimki. 18 June 2025.
- 1 2 "КДК РФС принял решение об исключении «Торпедо» из состава участников Мир РПЛ" [RFU CDC decided to exclude Torpedo from Mir RPL] (in Russian). Russian Premier League. 10 July 2025. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
- 1 2 "Бюро исполкома РФС включило «Оренбург» в состав участников МИР РПЛ" (in Russian). Russian Football Union. 11 July 2025.
- ↑ "TEAMS". Russian Football National League. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
- ↑ "First League 2025-26 regulations - paragraph 3.5" (PDF) (in Russian). Russian First League. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
- ↑ "КДК присудил "Уфе" техническое поражение в матче Первой лиги" (in Russian). Russian Football Union. 5 May 2026.
- ↑ "Top Scorers" (in Russian). Russian First League. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
