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| Founded | 1992 |
|---|---|
| Country | Russia |
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Number of teams | 18 |
| Level on pyramid | 2 |
| Promotion to | Premier League |
| Relegation to | Second League |
| Domestic cup(s) | Russian Cup |
| Current champions | Khimki (2nd title) (2023–24) |
| Most championships | Chernomorets Tyumen Luch-Energiya Shinnik Anzhi Mordovia Orenburg Krylia Sovetov Rubin Khimki(2 titles) |
| Website | www |
| 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.