The draw for Russia’s Premier League road group stage has been completed, as confirmed by the press office of the Football Union. The event laid out the group affiliations and set the schedule for the upcoming stages of the campaign, delivering clarity for clubs, fans, and media across Russia and beyond.
On 24 June, representatives gathered to determine the composition of the four groups and the opponents each club will face in the early rounds of the road to the championship. The final lineup shows a balanced mix of Moscow and regional teams, highlighting both traditional powerhouses and ambitious clubs aiming to rise through the ranks. The groups are listed here for reference:
Group 1 features CSKA Moscow, Orenburg, Sochi, and Fakel Voronezh, creating a contest that blends established stature with fresh competition among peers from central and western Russia. Group 2 brings Rostov, Lokomotiv Moscow, Ural Yekaterinburg, and Rubin Kazan into a tight regional derby scenario—each club with a proud league history and a track record of challenging the surface-level favorites. Group 3 pairs Zenit St. Petersburg with Akhmat Grozny, Wings of the Soviets Samara, and Baltika Kaliningrad, pointing to a spread that covers both coastal powerhouses and interior clubs with strong developmental programs. Group 4 rounds out the stage with Spartak Moscow, Krasnodar, Dynamo Moscow, and Pari NN Nizhny Novgorod, a mix of storied names and rising squads entering the competition with clear ambitions.
As the league looks ahead, the Russian Cup is scheduled to begin in late July, with the opening matches slated for a three-day window from July 25 to July 27. The tournament will be conducted using a double elimination format, ensuring teams have multiple chances to rebound from early setbacks and keep their title hopes alive. This structure emphasizes resilience, consistency, and tactical depth across the knockout rounds, particularly when squads are balancing league commitments with cup duties.
CSKA Moscow holds the current cup title after defeating Krasnodar in the most recent superfinal, a result that adds an extra layer of pressure on opponents as the new edition gets underway. The success in the previous season has underlined CSKA as a benchmark for cup performance, while other sides will be eager to deny a repeat and claim silverware for themselves in the coming months.
Looking back at the 2023/24 calendar, organizers reaffirmed a traditional plan that includes a full slate of 30 rounds in the regular league format, maintaining the rhythm that fans have come to expect. The first batch of matches is scheduled for 21 to 23 July, with the season culminating on 25 May 2024. The layout remains faithful to historical pacing while offering opportunities for clubs to build momentum early, adapt to dynamic schedules, and test new tactical approaches as teams manage travel demands and fixture congestion.