The Russian Football Union’s (RFU) licensing commission has granted licenses for potential participation in the 2026/27 Russian Premier League (RPL) season to four First League clubs: Voronezh’s Fakel, Moscow’s Rodina, Yekaterinburg’s Ural, and Volgograd’s Rotor, according to the organization’s website.
All 16 current RPL clubs also received licenses: Krasnodar, Zenit (St. Petersburg), CSKA, Spartak (Moscow), Dynamo (Moscow), Lokomotiv (Moscow), Baltika (Kaliningrad), Rostov (Rostov-on-Don), Krylya Sovetov (Samara), Akron (Tolyatti), Dynamo (Makhachkala), Rubin (Kazan), Akhmat (Grozny), Orenburg, Nizhny Novgorod, and Sochi.
It is noted that some clubs received licenses conditionally, requiring them to provide additional clarification on previously submitted documents within deadlines set by the commission. The RFU refused licenses to Kostroma’s Spartak and Chelyabinsk due to the absence of a top-tier or first-category stadium necessary for RPL participation.
Fakel, Rodina, Ural, and Rotor currently occupy the top four positions in the First League. The top two teams at the end of the season will earn direct promotion to the RPL, while the third and fourth-placed teams will play promotion playoffs against the 13th and 14th-placed RPL sides for a spot in the top division.