| Season: | 1979 |
| Nextseason: | 1980 |
The 1979 Soviet First League was the ninth season of the Soviet First League and the 39th season of the Soviet second tier league competition.
| Rank | Union republic | Number of teams | Club(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | Kuban Krasnodar, Shinnik Yaroslavl, Fakel Voronezh, Uralmash Sverdlovsk, Kuzbass Kemerevo, Spartak Ordzhonikidze, Spartak Nalchik, Terek Grozny, Zvezda Perm, Dinamo Leningrad | |
| 2 | 7 | Karpaty Lvov, Metallist Kharkov, Metallurg Zaporozhye, Prykarpatye Ivano-Frankovsk, SKA Odessa, Dnepr Dnepropetrovsk, Tavria Simferopol | |
| 3 | 1 | Pamir Dushanbe | |
| Žalgiris Vilnius | |||
| Nistru Kishinev | |||
| Torpedo Kutaisi | |||
| Traktor Pavlodar | |||
| Kolhozchi Ashkhabad | |||
| Alga Frunze | |||