The Russian Football Championship 2018/2019 is the 27th edition of the country’s main national championship, which will begin in the summer of 2018. The tournament trophy will be played by 16 professional teams, representing almost all corners of Russia. But only one of them is destined to try on the championship laurels. Which club will be this lucky one: CSKA, Lokomotiv, Zenit, Spartak? Or maybe a modest but ambitious team from the provinces is ready to take the trophy?!
Schedule of matches of the Russian Football Championship 2018/19
The 27th edition will start in the second half of July or early August 2018. The first half of the season will last until mid-December.
In a few months - in March - the second segment of the championship will begin. It will end in May 2019.
Specific dates are not yet known. The organizers have not published the 2018–2019 Czech Republic football calendar. The upcoming World Cup is causing some confusion. Because of this, a new drawing may begin in August.
What's new
RFU officials do not plan any fundamental changes to the tournament regulations. The championship will be held according to the usual “autumn – spring” pattern. 16 PFCs will take part in it and will compete for medals in two rounds. Golden and silver medalists will receive a ticket to group stage Champions League, and the bronze one will begin its journey in the main European Cup with qualification.
Naturally, it will not do without rotation. Following the results of the 27th draw, the two worst teams that took 15th – 16th places will leave the elite division. The gold and silver medalists of the championship will take their place. In addition, the third and fourth teams of the Football national league, as well as the 13th and 14th RFPL FCs will compete among themselves for the right to play in the major league in the 2019/20 season.
Separately, it is worth mentioning the limit on foreign players - a sore subject for our football community. In July 2017, RFU President Vitaly Mutko said that in the new edition of the Chechen Republic the application format for foreign football players will change: the “6 + 5” scheme will replace “10 + 15”. But subsequent statements by other football officials disavowed his words. The limit will remain the same for the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons.
Premier League teams 2018/19
It is known for certain that we will see the following teams on the field in the upcoming edition:
- "Locomotive";
- "Zenith";
- "Spartacus";
- "Krasnodar";
- CSKA;
- "Ufa";
- "Akhmat"
- "Ural";
- "Arsenal";
- "Rostov".
Khabarovsk SKA-Khabarovsk has practically lost its chance to remain in the major league. Another 5 teams - Rubin, Dynamo, Tosno, Amkar, Anzhi - are close to the relegation zone.
But the RFPL will not be left without new additions in the 2018-2019 season. The following FNL clubs are vying for participation in the elite division:
- "Yenisei";
- "Orenburg";
- "Wings of the Soviets";
- "Tambov";
- "Dynamo" (St. Petersburg).
“Krylia Sovetov” and “Orenburg” are well known to RFPL fans. Relatively recently, they could see them in standings.
Krasnoyarsk “Yenisei” can be called a dark horse. This is a small club with big ambitions. The Krasnoyarsk team performed well in the 2016/17 Russian Cup, when they were able to reach the 1/8, beating the reigning Premier League champion, CSKA Moscow, along the way. The bitterness of defeat was sweetened by the FNL 2016/17 bronze, which gave Yenisei the right to play-offs. In a series of head-to-head matches, the Krasnoyarsk team lost to Arsenal and Tula.
FC from Siberia is in first place in the current edition of the Football National League. If the Krasnoyarsk team maintains their advantage, they will qualify for major league directly.
Championship standings
The number of contenders for leadership in the standings is limited. With a high degree of probability, a narrow circle of top clubs will compete for championship medals.
"Locomotive"
The Railwaymen got a second wind after the return of their legendary helmsman Yuri Semin to the post. Excellent team coherence and discipline, fresh coaching thought and a plethora of young players eager to prove their point speak in favor of the Muscovites. football world your professional suitability.
However, the red-greens live in conditions of strict economy. Do they have enough resources to win the title?
CSKA
Another Moscow team living on meager rations. In previous years, this did not stop the army team from churning out one victory after another. But resource hunger has intensified in recent seasons, which has not failed to affect the game.
The management found funds for strengthening. But will the new players be a worthy replacement for the departed ones?
"Spartacus"
The People's Team has almost no personnel or financial problems. For the first time in many years, the red-whites can boast of an optimal composition. Will this be enough for the ambitious club to achieve victory?
"Zenith"
The richest PFC in the country. While others are painfully deciding how to make ends meet, St. Petersburg residents are buying enough football players to staff several clubs.
Zenit, according to experts, will show the highest result in the 2018/2019 Football Championship. St. Petersburg residents are quite capable of gold medals. Whether this will be so - the upcoming games will show!
Regional groups
There is a whole galaxy of football clubs from regions, such as Rubin and Krasnodar, vying for the top three. It is quite possible that some of them will be successful. Rubin's gold in the 2008 and 2009 Russian Championship and Rostov's silver in the 2015/16 RFPL championship prove that these are not empty words!
Game calendar (1st – 30th rounds)
1st and 2nd round
3rd and 4th round
5th and 6th round
7th and 8th round
9th and 10th round
11th and 12th round
13th and 14th round
15th and 16th round
17th and 18th round
19th and 20th round
21st and 22nd round
23rd and 24th round
25th and 26th round
27th and 28th round
29th and 30th round
So domestic sports fans No. 1 have waited for the start of the next Russian football championship for the 2019-2020 season. A tense and unpredictable championship with the participation of best teams countries. Of course, many fans are interested in full schedule matches of the Russian Football Championship. You can study it in detail on our resource. With us, any visitor can find out about the date and time of any meeting for the coming season. In addition, the calendar RFPL games conveniently sorted, thereby saving time for fans of a particular team in viewing the tournament bracket.
Calendar of Russian Football Championship matches
In addition to the announcement of upcoming matches of the Russian football championship, our portal brings to the multi-million army of fans final results matches of the Russian Premier League, and does it as quickly as possible. It is this fact that forces a huge number of football fans and bettors to focus on this resource if for some reason they are unable to watch a particular match in live. Having found out the results of the last round of the Russian football championship on our website, you can generally assess the success of the teams over the last week and for this there is no need to study other sources of information. "Olympiastadion" (Munich, Germany). Opened in 1972. Accommodates 69,250 spectators.
The final match of the first UEFA Champions League in the 1992/93 season took place at the Munich Olympic Stadium. Marseille and Milan competed for the trophy. The meeting, which took place on May 23, 1993, ended in victory for the French team with a score of 1:0.
The Munich Arena hosted the second final of the main European club tournament in 1997. In that match, Borussia Dortmund beat Juventus 3:1.
Olympic Stadium (Athens, Greece). Opened in 1982, reconstructed in 2002-2004. Accommodates 69,618 spectators.
The Olympic Stadium in the capital of Greece can be called happy for Milan. After losing in the final of the 1992/93 season, the Italian club again reached the decisive stage of the tournament the following year, where they defeated Barcelona with a score of 4:0.
After 13 years, the Rossoneri took to the field again Olympic Stadium Athens as a contender for the trophy, and again they managed to win, this time over Liverpool - 2:1.
"Ernst Happel Stadion" (Vienna, Austria). Opened in 1931, reconstructed twice - in 1986 and 2008. Accommodates 55,665 spectators.
The arena in the Austrian capital hosted the final of the Champions League of the 1994/95 season, and Milan participated in it for the third time in a row. Like two years earlier, the Italians lost with a score of 0:1, but this time to Ajax.
Stadio Olimpico (Italy, Rome). Opened in 1937, the last reconstruction was carried out in 1989-1990. Accommodates 72,698 spectators.
In the 1995/96 season, Ajax came to Rome as the reigning Champions League winner, but the Dutch club failed to defend its title. Already in the first half of the match with Juventus, the teams exchanged goals, after which they brought the matter to a penalty shootout. The Bianconeri were more accurate and won the main European club trophy.
The Olympic Stadium in Rome received the right to once again host the Champions League final of the 2008/09 season, but this time the local teams failed to make it to the decisive stage of the tournament. The trophy was won this year by Barcelona, beating Manchester United 2:0.
Amsterdam Arena (Amsterdam, Netherlands). Opened in 1996. Accommodates 54,990 spectators.
The stadium, which now bears the name of Johan Cruyff, hosted the Champions League final just two years after opening. In May 1998, Real Madrid and Juventus met on the field of the Amsterdam Arena. The match ended with a score of 1:0 in favor of the Madrid club.
Camp Nou (Barcelona, Spain). Opened in 1957, it was reconstructed twice - in 1995 and 2008. Accommodates 99,354 spectators.
The Barcelona stadium has seen many memorable matches, but the 1998/99 Champions League final stands apart. Without exaggeration, that meeting between Bayern and Manchester United can be called legendary. The Germans took the lead in the 6th minute and controlled the game until last minutes, but two goals scored by the Mancunians in stoppage time of the second half brought victory to Manchester United.
"Stade de France" (Saint-Denis, France). Opened in 1998. Accommodates 81,338 spectators.
The arena, built on the outskirts of Paris, hosted the Champions League final for the first time in the 1999/2000 season. The meeting between Real Madrid and Valencia has ended confident victory Madrid club with a score of 3:0. This was the first time in the history of the Champions League that clubs from the same country played in the final.
6 years later, in the 2005/06 season, Barcelona and Arsenal competed for the trophy on the Stade de France field. The Londoners, who played in the minority from the 18th minute after goalkeeper Jens Lehmann was sent off, opened the scoring 10 minutes before the break, but in the second half goals from Samuel Eto'o and Juliano Belletti brought victory to the Catalans - 2:1.
"San Siro" (Milan, Italy). Opened in 1926. The last reconstruction was carried out in 1989. Accommodates 80,018 spectators.
The San Siro Stadium was renamed in honor of Giuseppe Meazza in 1979, but the historical name of the arena is still the most popular and recognizable throughout the world. The Champions League final has been held here twice.
In the 2000/01 season, Bayern and Valencia played a dramatic match in Milan, in which main role played penalty kicks. Already in the 2nd minute, Gaizka Mendieta brought the Spaniards ahead from the penalty spot, and 4 minutes later, the Bats goalkeeper Santiago Canizares saved a penalty kick from Mehmet Scholl. At the beginning of the second half, Stefan Effenberg equalized the score from the penalty spot, and the fate of the match was decided in a series of post-match strikes, in which the Bayern players were more accurate.
15 years later, in May 2016, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid almost exactly repeated the scenario of the game between Bayern and Valencia in the same arena. Regular time also ended with the score 1:1, in extra time the teams failed to score, and the Royal Club won in the penalty shootout.
Hampden Park (Glasgow, Scotland). Opened in 1903. Reconstructed in 1999. Accommodates 51,866 spectators.
Real Madrid and Bayer 04 took to the Hampden Park pitch in the Champions League final in May 2002, and six months later the arena celebrated its 99th anniversary. The match itself ended with a score of 2:1 in favor of Real Madrid and was remembered for Zinedine Zidane's beautiful goal from the line of the penalty area.
Old Trafford (Manchester, England). Opened in 1910. The last reconstruction was carried out in 2006. Accommodates 74,879 spectators.
Second in modern history The Champions League final involving teams representing one country took place in the 2002/2003 season. In the decisive match of the tournament, which took place in Manchester, Milan and Juventus met. The main and extra time ended with the score 0:0, and in the penalty shootout the victory for Milan was brought by a precise strike from Andrei Shevchenko.
Veltins Arena (Gelsenkirchen, Germany). Opened in 2001. Last time The stadium's capacity was increased in 2015, and today it is 62,271 people.
The arena has had its current name since the summer of 2005; previously it was called Arena AufSchalke. The stadium hosted matches of the World Football and Hockey Championships. Since 2002, the annual Christmas Biathlon Star Race has been held here.
The 2004 Champions League final, held in Gelsenkirchin, is one of the most memorable for Russian fans, as one of the goals was scored by Dmitry Alenichev. The Porto midfielder set the final score of the match against Monaco (3:0). The Portuguese team at that time was led by Jose Mourinho, who became the youngest head coach in history to win the main European club trophy.
Olympic Stadium (Istanbul, Türkiye). Opened in 2002. Accommodates 80,500 spectators.
The stadium in Istanbul was built to host the 2008 Summer Olympics, but Turkey's bid did not receive the required number of votes, and the Olympics took place in Beijing. Currently, the arena in Istanbul bears the name of the first president of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, and is the largest in the country.
The 2005 Istanbul Champions League final is arguably the greatest in the tournament's history. In the decisive match, Milan crushed Liverpool with a score of 3:0 after the first half, but in the second half of the meeting, goals from Gerrard, Smicer and Alonso turned everything upside down. There were no goals scored in extra time, and the British club was stronger in the penalty shootout.
"Luzhniki" (Moscow, Russia). Opened in 1956. The last reconstruction was carried out in 2017. Accommodates 81,000 spectators.
For the first time, Russia received the right to host the 2007/08 Champions League final, and this honorable mission was entrusted to the Bolshoi sports arena"Luzhniki". Chelsea and Manchester United competed for the trophy, marking the first time two English teams met in a Champions League decider.
The game caused a great stir among fans in both England and Russia, with more than 67 thousand spectators present in the stands. Midway through the first half, Cristiano Ronaldo put Manchester United ahead, but Frank Lampard equalized just before the break. The second half and extra time passed without any goals scored, and in the penalty shootout the Mancunians were more accurate.
Santiago Bernabeu (Madrid, Spain). Opened in 1947. The last reconstruction was carried out in 2001. Accommodates 81,044 spectators.
The home arena of one of the most successful clubs in modern football has hosted the Champions League final only once - in the 2009/10 season, but this so far only match has gone down in history.
Inter and Bayern met in the Madrid final. The match ended with a score of 2:0 in favor of the Italian club, and Jose Mourinho, who was working with the Nerazzurri at that moment, became the third coach in history who managed to win the Champions Cup with two different teams (there are now five of them: in addition to the Portuguese, this Ernst Happel, Ottmar Hitzfeld, Jupp Heynckes and Carlo Ancelotti).
An interesting fact is that in the Milanese squad in the 2010 final there was only one Italian - Marco Materazzi, and even he appeared on the field in the 90th minute of the match.
Wembley (London, England). Opened in 2007. Accommodates 90,000 spectators.
The new Wembley was built on the site of the legendary arena, which hosted matches of the World and European Championships, Olympic Games and many European Cup finals.
The final match of the 2010/11 Champions League, which took place at the new Wembley, in a sense turned out to be a home match for Manchester United, but this did not help the Mancunians win the trophy. Barcelona, led by the trio Xavi - Iniesta - Messi, won with a score of 3:1.
In 2013, Wembley hosted the first “German” Champions League final, in which Bayern and Borussia Dortmund met. The victory and the cup were brought to the Bavarians by a precise shot from Arjen Robben, who set the final score at 2:1 in the 89th minute.
Allianz Arena (Munich, Germany). Opened in 2005. Accommodates 67,812 spectators.
The decisive match of the 2011/12 Champions League season was the first final of the tournament, which was held at the home stadium of one of the participants in the meeting - Bayern hosted Chelsea in Munich. The scoring was opened only in the 83rd minute after a shot by the hosts' forward Thomas Muller, but five minutes later the leader of the Londoners' attack, Didier Drogba, restored the balance.
The fate of the trophy was decided in a penalty shootout. Bayern again took the lead after Philipp Lahm's accurate shot and Juan Mata's miss, but then the visiting players converted all their attempts, while the German team's players made two misfires. Thus, Chelsea won the Champions League for the first time in their history.
"Millennium" (Cardiff, Wales). Opened in 1999. Accommodates 73,930 spectators.
The home arena of the Wales national team was opened at the turn of the millennium, having received the appropriate name, but in 2016 the stadium received a new name - Principality Stadium, which, with a certain amount of imagination, can be translated simply as "Princely Stadium", since Wales is part of the United Kingdom, and the Queen's son Elizabeth II Charles bears the title Prince of Wales.
But let's return to the Champions League. The final of the main European club tournament took place here in 2017, and Real Madrid and Juventus took part in that match. The Madrid team won with a score of 4:1 and won their second Champions League title in a row, and football fans remembered that meeting for the super goal of Turin striker Mario Mandzukic.
"Metropolitano" (Madrid, Spain). Opened in 1994. Reconstructed in 2017. Accommodates 67,700 spectators.
Liverpool and Tottenham met in the 2019 Champions League final. The final was the first in Tottenham's history, and the first since the 2013 final, where at least one Spanish club did not play. Liverpool, reaching the final for the second time in a row, won the match 2-0. In his third Champions League final as head coach, Jurgen Klopp won the trophy.