The 2026-27 PARI First League season will begin on 11 July 2026, with 18 clubs scheduled to compete across 34 rounds before the campaign concludes at the end of May 2027.
The main prize will be promotion to the Russian Premier League for the following season. The two teams finishing at the top of the standings will go up automatically to the Russian Premier League for the 2027-28 campaign.
There will also be an opportunity for the clubs finishing third and fourth to reach the top flight. Those two sides will take part in play-off matches for the right to compete in the Russian Premier League in the forthcoming season.
The competition will include Leningradets, Tekstilshchik and Veles. The three clubs are listed among the teams taking part in the 2026-27 PARI First League campaign.
Pari NN and Sochi will join the division after being relegated from the Premier League. Their arrival gives the season two clubs with recent top-flight experience, while both are regarded as among the leading contenders in the competition.
Alongside Pari NN and Sochi, Ural are also considered one of the favourites for the tournament. Those three clubs are expected to be prominent in the race for the two automatic promotion places and the additional route available through the play-offs.
At the other end of the table, Veles, Tekstilshchik and Leningradets have been identified as the outsiders for the current season. Their immediate objective will be to avoid finishing in the relegation positions as they compete in a division where the campaign will run over 34 rounds.
The bottom three teams in the final standings those placed 16th, 17th and 18th will be relegated from the PARI First League. That means the battle for survival will be decided alongside the promotion contest, with the season’s final positions determining which clubs remain in the division and which drop out.
The 2026-27 campaign is due to start in the middle of July and run through to the end of May 2027. With 18 teams involved, each club will play 34 rounds during the season.
Supporters will be able to watch live broadcasts of matches from the 2026-27 PARI First League in the competition’s dedicated section. Predictions for matches in the same season will also be available in a special section.