| Competition: | Russian Premier League |
| Season: | 2023–24 |
| Dates: | 21 July 2023 – 25 May 2024 |
| Winners: | Zenit |
| Matches: | 240 |
| Total Goals: | 637 |
| League Topscorer: | Mateo Cassierra (21 goals) |
| Biggest Home Win: | |
| Biggest Away Win: | |
| Highest Scoring: | |
| Longest Wins: | 6 matches Dynamo |
| Longest Unbeaten: | 12 matches Krasnodar |
| Longest Winless: | 10 matches Pari NN Sochi Ural |
| Longest Losses: | 6 matches Pari NN Sochi |
| Highest Attendance: | 57,858 |
| Lowest Attendance: | 1,968 |
| Attendance: | 2,678,879[1] |
| Average Attendance: | 11,162 |
| Prevseason: | 2022–23 |
| Nextseason: | 2024–25 |
| Updated: | 25 May 2024 |
The 2023–24 Russian Premier League (known as the Mir Russian Premier League, also written as Mir Russian Premier Liga for sponsorship reasons) was the 32nd season of the premier football competition in Russia since the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the 22nd under the current Russian Premier League name.
As in the previous season, 16 teams played in the 2023–24 season. After the 2022–23 season, Khimki and Torpedo Moscow were both relegated to the 2023–24 Russian First League. They were replaced by Rubin Kazan and Baltika Kaliningrad.
| Zenit Saint Petersburg | Ural Yekaterinburg | Rubin Kazan | Rostov | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Krestovsky Stadium | Central Stadium | Ak Bars Arena | Rostov Arena | |
| Capacity: 67,800 | Capacity: 35,696 | Capacity: 45,093 | Capacity: 45,000 | |
| Spartak Moscow | Krylia Sovetov Samara | |||
| Lukoil Arena | Solidarnost Arena | |||
| Capacity: 44,307 | Capacity: 44,918 | |||
| Krasnodar | Akhmat Grozny | |||
| Krasnodar Stadium | Akhmat-Arena | |||
| Capacity: 34,291 | Capacity: 30,597 | |||
| CSKA Moscow | Lokomotiv Moscow | |||
| VEB Arena | RZD Arena | |||
| Capacity: 30,457 | Capacity: 27,320 | |||
| Sochi | Pari Nizhny Novgorod | |||
| Fisht Olympic Stadium | Nizhny Novgorod Stadium | |||
| Capacity: 47,659 | Capacity: 44,899 | |||
| Fakel Voronezh | Dynamo Moscow | Orenburg | Baltika Kaliningrad | |
| Tsentralnyi Profsoyuz Stadion | VTB Arena | Gazovik Stadium | Kaliningrad Stadium | |
| Capacity: 31,793 | Capacity: 26,319 | Capacity: 10,046 | Capacity: 35,016 | |
| Team | Location | Head coach | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akhmat | Grozny |  Magomed Adiyev | Rizvan Utsiyev | Joma | TBA | |
| Baltika | Kaliningrad | Sergei Ignashevich | Yan Kazayev | Melbet; Rostec | ||
| CSKA | Moscow | Vladimir Fedotov | Igor Akinfeev | Wildberries | ||
| Dynamo | Moscow |  Marcel Lička | Fabián Balbuena | Puma | BetBoom | |
| Fakel Voronezh | Voronezh |  Igor Cherevchenko | Irakli Kvekveskiri |  Kelme | EkoNiva | |
| Krasnodar | Krasnodar | Murad Musayev | Matvei Safonov | Winline | ||
| Krylia Sovetov | Samara | Igor Osinkin | Aleksandr Soldatenkov | Puma | Fonbet | |
| Lokomotiv | Moscow | Mikhail Galaktionov | Dmitri Barinov | RZD | ||
| Orenburg | Orenburg | David Deogracia | Andrei Malykh | Adidas | TBA | |
| Pari Nizhny Novgorod | Nizhny Novgorod |  Saša Ilić | Kirill Gotsuk | Jako | PARI | |
| Rostov | Rostov-on-Don | Valery Karpin | Danil Glebov | Puma | Fonbet; TNS energo; Samolet | |
| Rubin | Kazan | Rashid Rakhimov |  Alyaksandr Martynovich | Jako | Kazan Orgsintez | |
| Sochi | Sochi | Robert Moreno |  Vanja Drkušić | Puma | Liga Stavok | |
| Spartak | Moscow | Vacant | Georgi Dzhikiya | Lukoil | ||
| Ural | Yekaterinburg |  Denys Kulakov | Kelme | BetBoom; TMK | ||
| Zenit | Saint Petersburg | Sergei Semak |  Douglas Santos | Joma | Gazprom |
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Replaced by | Date of appointment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dynamo Moscow | Moved to Dynamo-2 Moscow | 22 June 2023[2] | Pre-season | Marcel Lička | 22 June 2023 | ||
| Orenburg | Marcel Lička | Signed by Dynamo Moscow | 22 June 2023 | Jiří Jarošík | 22 June 2023[3] | ||
| Akhmat Grozny | Sergei Tashuyev | Mutual consent | 15 August 2023 | 12th | 15 August 2023[4] | ||
| Akhmat Grozny | End of caretaker spell | 18 August 2023 | 12th | Miroslav Romaschenko | 18 August 2023[5] | ||
| Orenburg | Jiří Jarošík | Mutual consent | 22 August 2023 | 16th | David Deogracia | 22 August 2023[6] | |
| Fakel Voronezh | Vadim Yevseyev | Sacked | 5 September 2023[7] | 15th | Sergei Tashuyev | 8 September 2023[8] | |
| Sochi | Dmitri Khokhlov | Mutual consent | 17 September 2023[9] | 13th | Aleksandr Tochilin | 17 September 2023 | |
| Sochi | Aleksandr Tochilin | Sacked | 3 December 2023[10] | 16th | 3 December 2023 | ||
| Sochi | End of caretaker spell | 15 December 2023[11] | 16th | Robert Moreno | 15 December 2023 | ||
| Krasnodar | Vladimir Ivić | Sacked | 13 March 2024[12] | 2nd | Murad Musayev | 14 March 2024[13] | |
| Akhmat Grozny | Miroslav Romaschenko | Resigned | 4 April 2024[14] | 12th | Magomed Adiyev | 5 April 2024[15] | |
| Spartak Moscow | Guille Abascal | Sacked | 14 April 2024[16] | 6th | 14 April 2024 | ||
| Fakel Voronezh | Sergei Tashuyev | Resigned | 26 April 2024[17] | 11th | Igor Cherevchenko | 26 April 2024[18] | |
| Pari Nizhny Novgorod | Sergei Yuran | Resigned | 28 April 2024[19] | 11th | 28 April 2024 | ||
| Pari Nizhny Novgorod | Caretaking spell over | 4 May 2024 | 11th | Saša Ilić | 4 May 2024[20] | ||
| Ural Yekaterinburg | Viktor Goncharenko | Sacked | 30 May 2024[21] | Relegation play-offs | 30 May 2024 |
The 16 teams play a round-robin tournament whereby each team plays each one of the other teams twice, once at home and once away, for a total of 240 matches with each team playing 30.
The season started on 21 July. The last games before the winter break were played on 10 December; the spring part of the season began on 1 March and the last games will be played on 25 May.[22]
For the purpose of determining First League positions for the following season, the teams that do not pass 2024–25 RPL licensing or drop out of 2024–25 season for any other reason, or the second teams of RPL clubs, or the teams that finished lower than 6th place in First League standings will not be considered. For example, if the teams that finished 1st, 3rd and 4th in the First League standings failed licensing, the team that finished 2nd would be considered the 1st-placed team, the team that finished 5th will be considered the 2nd-placed team, and the team that finished 6th will be considered the 3rd-placed team. There would be no designated 4th-placed team in this scenario.
The teams that finish 15th and 16th will be relegated to the 2024–25 First League, while the top two in that league will be promoted to the Premier League for the 2024–25 season.
The 13th and 14th Premier League teams will play the 4th and 3rd 2023–24 First League teams respectively in two (home-and-away) playoff games, with penalty shootout in effect if necessary. The winners will secure Premier League spots for the 2024–25 season. If both of the teams that finish RPL in 13th and 14th place fail licensing for the 2024–25 season or drop out for any other reason, play-offs will not be held, and the 3rd and 4th First League teams will be promoted automatically. If one of the teams that place 13th and 14th in the Premier League fails licensing for 2024–25 season or drops out for other reasons, 3rd First League team will be promoted automatically and the 13th or 14th-placed team that passes licensing will play 4th First League team in playoffs, with the winners securing the Premier League spot. If only one First League team is eligible for the play-offs (as in the example scenario above), that team will play the 14th-placed RPL team in playoffs, with the winners securing the Premier League spot, and the 13th RPL team will remain in the league. If none of the First League teams are eligible for the play-offs, they will not be held and 13th and 14th-placed RPL teams will remain in the league. If any of the teams are unable to participate in the season after the play-offs have been concluded, or there are not enough teams that pass licensing to follow the above procedures, the replacement will be chosen by the Russian Football Union in consultation with RPL and FNL.[23]
Russian Football Union announced their initial 2024–25 licensing decision on 17 May 2024, with two games left to play in the Premier League and the First League. All the 2023–24 Premier League teams, and four out of the top 5 First League teams (Khimki, Dynamo Makhachkala, Akron Tolyatti and Rodina Moscow) were issued the license. 4th-placed First League club Arsenal Tula was denied the license. Shinnik Yaroslavl, which could finish in the Top 5 First League position, did not apply for the license. The final decision would be released on 23 May 2024, Arsenal could file an appeal for the denial before then.[24]
On 20 May 2024, Dynamo Makhachkala and Khimki secured the top two spots in the First League and the direct promotion.[25]
On 22 May 2024, Russian Football Union held a draw which determined that the first leg of the relegation play-offs will be hosted by the RPL teams. The games will be played on 29 May 2024 and 1 June 2024. In case Baltika Kaliningrad qualified for the play-offs, the games in Baltika's match-up would be played on 6 June 2024 and 9 June 2024, as Baltika qualified for the 2023–24 Russian Cup superfinal, to be played on 2 June 2024.[26]
On 23 May 2024, RFU announced that Arsenal's appeal was successful and they will be issued a conditional RPL license and participate in the play-offs.[27]
Any team can be excluded from the Premier League during the season for the following reasons: a) using counterfeit documents or providing inaccurate information to the league; b) not arriving to the game on more than one occasion; c) match fixing. Such a team is automatically relegated and is not replaced during the season, and only one additional team (that gains the least amount of points at the end of the season) is directly relegated. If the excluded team had played fewer than 15 games at the time of exclusion, all its results would be annulled and would not count for the standings. If the excluded team had played at least 15 games at the time of exclusion, all their remaining opponents would be awarded a victory without effect on their goal difference.
On 22 May 2023, FIFA extended their ruling that allowed foreign players in Russia to unilaterally suspend their contracts with their clubs and sign with a club outside of Russia until 30 June 2024. However, this option was only available to the players whose contract was already suspended under these regulations at the end of the 2022–23 season. The players who joined a Russian club after these regulations were originally introduced in March 2022, or players who played in Russia in the 2022–23 season (including those who originally suspended their contract in the 2021–22 season and then returned), were not able to use this condition in the 2023–24 season.[28]
For the first time since the 2015–16 season, the champion was determined on the last match day on 25 May 2024, with all the games played simultaneously with common kick-off time of 16:30 Moscow Time. It was also the first time since the 2013–14 season when three teams still had the chance to become champions on the last match day. Dynamo Moscow entered the day with 56 points, Zenit St. Petersburg (which won the title in 5 preceding seasons) had 54 and Krasnodar 53. Krasnodar hosted Dynamo and Zenit played Rostov at home. Head-to-head results are the first tiebreaker in case the teams are tied on points, Dynamo had head-to-head advantage over Zenit and Krasnodar would have had advantage over Dynamo in case Krasnodar beat them. Therefore Dynamo would have won the title if they beat Krasnodar or draw, Zenit would have won the title if they beat Rostov and Krasnodar beat Dynamo, and Krasnodar would have won it if they beat Dynamo and Zenit did not beat Rostov.[29]
A goal by Krasnodar's Jhon Córdoba in the 32nd minute was called off for offside after a VAR review and both games were scoreless at half-time (if those results stood, Dynamo would have won the title). Córdoba put Krasnodar ahead in the 52nd minute, as Rostov's Ronaldo scored in the 54th minute to put Zenit down 0–1 (Krasnodar would have won the title with those results). Zenit's Gustavo Mantuan equalized in the 65th minute from a penalty kick awarded for handball after another VAR review (those results still would have favoured Krasnodar). Zenit's goal by Mateo Cassierra in the 72nd minute was called off for offside. Two shots by Dynamo's Luis Chávez and Roberto Fernández in the 80th and 82nd minute respectively hit Krasnodar's goalpost. Zenit's late substitute Artur put Zenit ahead 2–1 in the 85th minute with a long kick after a mistake by Rostov's goalkeeper Sergei Pesyakov, establishing the final score and earning Zenit their sixth consecutive title, as Krasnodar game ended with the 1–0 score.[30] [31] [32]
The draw to determine the hosts in each leg was held on 22 May 2024. The kick-off times were set on 26 May 2024.[33] The referees were assigned on 28 May 2024.[34]
----
Akron Tolyatti won 3–2 on aggregate and was promoted to the Russian Premier League, Ural Yekaterinburg was relegated to the First League.----Pari Nizhny Novgorod won 3–2 on aggregate and retained their Russian Premier League spot, Arsenal Tula remained in the First League.
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fyodor Chalov | CSKA Moscow | Akhmat Grozny | 3–2 (A) | [36] | ||
| Alex Fernandes | Baltika Kaliningrad | Akhmat Grozny | 7–1 (A) | [37] | ||
 Mateo Cassierra5 | Zenit St. Petersburg | Akhmat Grozny | 5–1 (A) | [38] |
| Month | Player of the Month | Manager of the Month | Goal of the Month | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Club | Manager | Club | Player | Club | |||
| July/August |  Benjamín Garré | Krylia Sovetov Samara | Vladimir Ivić | Krasnodar | Dmitri Skopintsev | Dynamo Moscow | [39] [40] [41] | |
| September | Braian Mansilla | Orenburg | Vladimir Ivić | Krasnodar |  Nikoloz Kutateladze | Pari Nizhny Novgorod | [42] [43] [44] | |
| October |  Eduard Spertsyan | Krasnodar | Sergei Tashuyev | Fakel Voronezh | Ilya Ishkov | Ural Yekaterinburg | [45] [46] [47] | |
| November/December | Konstantin Tyukavin | Dynamo Moscow | Rashid Rakhimov | Rubin Kazan | Víctor Dávila | CSKA Moscow | [48] [49] [50] | |
| March | Mohammad Mohebi | Rostov | Valery Karpin | Rostov | Matías Pérez | Orenburg | [51] [52] [53] | |
| April | Konstantin Tyukavin | Dynamo Moscow |  Vladimir Slišković | Spartak Moscow | Eduard Spertsyan | Krasnodar | [54] [55] [56] | |
Awarded by the league.[57]
| Award | Winner | Club | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player of the Season | Dynamo Moscow | ||
| Discovery of the Season | CSKA Moscow | ||
| Goalkeeper of the Season | Krasnodar | ||
| Defender of the Season | Zenit St. Petersburg | ||
| Midfielder of the Season | Krasnodar | ||
| Forward of the Season | Dynamo Moscow | ||
| Manager of the Season | Dynamo Moscow | ||
| Goal of the Season | Dynamo Moscow | ||
| Assist of the Season | CSKA Moscow | ||
| Young Player of the Season | Krylia Sovetov Samara | ||
| Top Scorer of the Season | Mateo Cassierra (21 goals) | Zenit St. Petersburg | |
| Most Assists | Maksim Glushenkov (16 assists) | Lokomotiv Moscow |
