The 1996 Russian Second League was the fifth edition of Russian Second Division. There were 3 zones with 60 teams starting the competition (2 were excluded before the end of the season).
| Team | Head coach |
|---|---|
| FC Metallurg Lipetsk | Valeri Tretyakov |
| FC Anzhi Makhachkala | Eduard Malofeyev |
| FC Torpedo Taganrog | Anatoly Bulgakov |
| FC Avtozapchast Baksan | Sergei Tashuev |
| FC MChS-Selyatino Selyatino | Leonid Nazarenko |
| FC Avtodor Vladikavkaz | Ruslan Sakiyev |
| FC Angusht Nazran | Timur Kuriyev |
| FC Lokomotiv Liski | Vladimir Ponomaryov |
| FC SKA Rostov-on-Don | Aleksandr Tumasyan |
| FC Volgar-Gazprom Astrakhan | Vladimir Yerofeyev |
| FC Volgodonsk | Valeri Zubakov |
| FC Kavkazkabel Prokhladny | Sergei Ponomaryov |
| FC Gatchina | Nikolai Gosudarenkov |
| FC Energiya Pyatigorsk | Sergei Razaryonov |
| FC Avangard Kursk | Aleksandr Galkin |
| FC Torpedo Armavir | Arkadi Afanasyev |
| FC Dynamo Vologda | Aleksandr Samygin |
| FC Olimp Kislovodsk | Yuri Kotov |
| FC Turbostroitel Kaluga | Mikhail Balabuyev |
| FC Dynamo St. Petersburg | Aleksandr Fyodorov |
| FC Kolos Krasnodar | Vladimir Inyutin |
| FC Iriston Vladikavkaz | Aleksandr Katsiyev |
Ibragim Gasanbekov (FC Anzhi Makhachkala)| Team | Head coach |
|---|---|
| FC Lada Dimitrovgrad | Vladimir Yevsyukov |
| FC CSK VVS-Kristall Smolensk | Lev Platonov |
| FC Amkar Perm | Sergei Oborin |
| FC Arsenal Tula | Gennadi Kostylev (until September) |
| FC Spartak Ryazan | Sergei Nedosekin |
| FC Rubin Kazan | Igor Volchok |
| FC Don Novomoskovsk | Leonid Lipovoy |
| FC Nosta Novotroitsk | Valeri Shaveyko |
| FC UralAZ Miass | Valeri Znarok |
| FC Svetotekhnika Saransk | Aleksandr Korolyov |
| FC Tekstilshchik Ivanovo | Vladimir Belkov |
| FC Torpedo Pavlovo | Vyacheslav Melnikov |
| FC Sibir Kurgan | Vladimir Petrov |
| FC Energiya Chaikovsky | Sergei Kleymyonov |
| FC Metallurg Magnitogorsk | Igor Kasyuk |
| FC Spartak Shchyolkovo | Sergei Suslin |
| FC Zavodchanin Saratov | Anatoli Smal |
| FC Kosmos Dolgoprudny | Aleksandr Logunov |
| FC Zenit Izhevsk | Leonid Garyayev |
| FC Zenit Penza | Aleksandr Komissarov |
| FC Asmaral Moscow | Vladimir Mikhaylov |
| FC Industriya Borovsk | Yuri Karamyan |
Armen Adamyan (FC CSK VVS-Kristall Smolensk)| Team | Head coach |
|---|---|
| FC Irtysh Omsk | Aleksandr Ivchenko |
| FC Tom Tomsk | Vladimir Yurin |
| FC Viktoriya Nazarovo | Mikhail Putintsev |
| FC Metallurg-ZapSib Novokuznetsk | Vladislav Sosnov |
| FC SKA Khabarovsk | Vladimir Susin |
| FC Kuzbass Kemerovo | Viktor Shel |
| FC Irtysh Tobolsk | Rudolf Atamalyan |
| FC Samotlor-XXI Nizhnevartovsk | Aleksandr Shudrik |
| FC Dynamo Omsk | Vyacheslav Martynov |
| FC Dynamo Barnaul | Aleksandr Gostenin |
| FC Amur Blagoveshchensk | Ivan Nikolayev |
| FC Selenga Ulan-Ude | Valeri Mikhnov |
| FC Angara Angarsk | Ivan Korzhenko |
| FC Motor Prokopyevsk | Vitali Golopolosov |
| FC Torpedo Rubtsovsk | Vladimir Vorzhev |
| FC Mezhdurechensk | Viktor Kolmogorov |
Yury Khadaronak (FC Samotlor-XXI Nizhnevartovsk)