FC Nizhny Novgorod

Nizhny Novgorod
Full nameFootball Club Nizhny Novgorod
Founded2015 (2015)[1]
GroundNizhny Novgorod Stadium
Capacity44,899
OwnerCity of Nizhny Novgorod
General directorDavid Melik-Guseynov
ManagerVadim Garanin
LeagueRussian First League
2025–26Russian Premier League, 15th of 16 (relegated)
Websitefcnn.ru

FC Nizhny Novgorod (Russian: ФК «Нижний Новгород»), also known as simply Nizhny Novgorod, is a Russian professional football club from Nizhny Novgorod, founded in 2015. It returned to the second-tier Russian First League for the 2026–27 season after 5 years in the Russian Premier League.

History

The club has been known under different names:

  • 2015–2016: FC Volga-Olimpiyets Nizhny Novgorod
  • 2016–2018: FC Olimpiyets Nizhny Novgorod
  • 2018–2022: FC Nizhny Novgorod[2]
  • 2022–2026: FC Pari Nizhny Novgorod
  • 2026– : FC Nizhny Novgorod[3]

In the 2015–16 season, it began to play in the third-tier Russian Professional Football League. It was founded as a farm club for FC Volga Nizhny Novgorod. On 15 June 2016, the parent club Volga was dissolved, with Olimpiyets becoming the top club in Nizhny Novgorod.[4] At the end of the 2016–17, Olimpiyets won their PFL zone and were promoted to the second-level Russian Football National League. At the end of the 2018–19 season, they qualified for the Russian Premier League promotion play-offs, but lost to PFC Krylia Sovetov Samara with an aggregate score of 2–3.

In the 2020–21 season, the club finished 3rd in FNL. As the second-placed club FC Orenburg failed to receive a Premier League license due to issues with their stadium, Nizhny Novgorod was promoted to the RPL for the first time for the 2021–22 season.[5][6]

Former Nigeria striker Sylvester Igboun suspended his contract with the team because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[7]

On 10 June 2022, the club announced that the name of the club will be changed to FC Pari Nizhny Novgorod (or Pari NN for short) due to a sponsorship deal with a bookmaker Pari, previously known as Paribet.[8][9] The name change was approved by the Russian Football Union on the same day.[10] Pari NN finished the 2022–23 season in 14th place, qualifying for relegation play-offs against FC Rodina Moscow.[11] After winning the first leg of the play-offs away with the score of 3–0, Pari lost 0–2 at home and won 3–2 on aggregate, retaining their Premier League spot.[12]

In the 2023–24 season, Pari NN finished 14th once again, qualifying for the relegation play-offs.[13] Pari defeated Arsenal Tula with the aggregate score of 3–2 and remained in the Premier League.[14]

On 26 December 2024, four players of Pari's Under-19 squad have been punished by the Russian Football Union for match fixing games of the Under-19 Russian Championship. Nikita Milyukov has been banned from football for life, Zakhar Mozin, Maksim Galochkin and Pavel Shalimov were banned for one year (with an additional four years suspended sentence and a two years probation), and Denis Chuprunov received a three-year suspended sentence ban with a two-year probation. None of the club management or staff were punished.[15]

In the 2024–25 season, Pari finished 13th and qualified for relegation play-offs. However, as 12th-placed Khimki was denied the 2025–26 RPL license, Pari was not expected be relegated even if they lost in the play-offs, as they would be the priority replacement for Khimki in that case.[16] Pari lost to Sochi in the playoffs with an aggregate score of 3–4.[17] On 16 June 2025, Russian Football Union confirmed that Pari will remain in the Premier League.[18]

On 17 May 2026, Pari NN was relegated back to Russian First League after five seasons in the top level.[19]

Edgardo Fariña was selected to represent Panama at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[20]

The club was renamed back to FC Nizhny Novgorod in July 2026.[3]

League

Season League Russian Cup Europe Top goalscorer Manager
Div. Pos. Pl. W D L GF GA GD P Name Goals
2015–16 3rd 3rd 27 15 8 4 38 19 19 53 2R — Russia Igor Belyakov 11 Russia Valeri Bogdanets
Russia Konstantin Galkin
2016–17 3rd 1st 24 17 4 3 47 17 30 55 2R — Russia Igor Gorbunov 10 Russia Konstantin Galkin
Russia Nikolai Pisarev
2017–18 2nd 12th 38 11 11 16 37 50 -13 55 R16 — Russia Radik Khayrullov 9 Russia Nikolai Pisarev
2018–19 2nd 4th 38 18 8 12 41 31 +10 62 R16 — Russia Maksim Paliyenko 9 Russia Dmitri Cheryshev
2019–20 2nd 11th 27 9 9 9 28 29 -1 36 R16 — Russia Maksim Paliyenko
Russia Pavel Ignatovich
Russia Igor Portnyagin		 5 Russia Dmitri Cheryshev
Russia Robert Yevdokimov
2020–21 2nd 3rd 42 27 7 8 67 28 +39 88 R16 — Russia Timur Suleymanov 9 Russia Robert Yevdokimov
2021–22 1st 11th 30 8 9 13 26 39 -13 33 R16 — Russia Nikolay Kalinsky 8 Russia Aleksandr Kerzhakov

Players

Current squad

As of 8 August 2026, according to the First League website.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
2 DF  RUS Viktor Aleksandrov
3 DF  RUS Yury Koledin
4 DF  RUS Roman Yevgenyev
7 MF  RUS Ivan Bobyor
8 MF  MLI Mamadou Maiga
9 FW  RUS Vladislav Sarveli
10 FW  URU Adrián Balboa
11 MF  RUS Gleb Popolitov (on loan from CSKA Moscow)
17 DF  RUS Gleb Shilnikov
18 MF  RUS Artyom Sokolov
22 DF  RUS Nikita Kakkoyev
24 DF  PAN Edgardo Fariña
25 DF  SVN Sven Karič
No. Pos. Nation Player
27 FW  RUS Vyacheslav Grulyov
30 GK  RUS Nikita Medvedev
32 DF  BLR Vadim Pigas
66 DF  RUS Yan Gudkov
69 FW  RUS Artyom Sidorenko
72 FW  RUS Timofey Komissarov
77 MF  RUS Andrey Ivlev
78 MF  RUS Nikolay Kalinsky
80 MF  RUS Valeri Tsarukyan
81 GK  RUS Nikita Generalov
93 FW  RUS Stanislav Lapinsky
94 MF  RUS Artyom Timofeyev
98 GK  RUS Islam Imamov

Other players under contract

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— DF  RUS Aleksandr Ektov
— MF  SVN Luka Vešner Tičić
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF  RUS Nikita Yermakov
— FW  RUS Matvey Fyodorov

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— GK  RUS Semyon Fadeyev (at Tekstilshchik Ivanovo until 30 June 2027)
— GK  RUS Yevgeni Latyshonok (at Baltika Kaliningrad until 30 June 2027)
— DF  RUS Artyom Chistyakov (at Tver until 31 December 2026)
— DF  RUS Yaroslav Krashevsky (at Arsenal Tula until 30 June 2027)
— DF  RUS Artyom Krutovskikh (at Tekstilshchik Ivanovo until 30 June 2027)
— DF  RUS Yevgeny Lukinykh (at Kaluga until 31 December 2026)
— MF  GEO Vakho Bedoshvili (at Iberia 1999 until 31 December 2026)
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF  RUS Ramil Gaynullin (at Chertanovo Moscow until 31 December 2026)
— MF  RUS Vladislav Karapuzov (at Ural Yekaterinburg until 30 June 2027)
— MF  RUS Yegor Kavtrev (at Chertanovo Moscow until 31 December 2026)
— MF  RUS Daniil Lesovoy (at Dynamo Makhachkala until 30 June 2027)
— MF  RUS Georgy Safronov (at Chertanovo Moscow until 31 December 2026)
— FW  RUS Nikolay Ishchenko (at Tekstilshchik Ivanovo until 30 June 2027)
— FW  RUS Matvey Urvantsev (at Chelyabinsk until 30 June 2027)

Reserve team

Club officials

As of 16 June 2022
Position Staff
ChairmanRussia Ravil Izmaylov
Director of FootballRussia Igor Kudryashov
ManagerRussia Artyom Gorlov
Assistant managersRussia Leonid Ablizin
First-team coachRussia Oleg Levin
Senior Goalkeeper CoachRussia Valeriy Kleimenov
Fitness coachRussia Dmitriy Polyanin
Russia Kirill Zhinkin
Chief analystRussia Vladimir Savchenko
Video analystRussia Andrey Ankudimov
ScoutRussia Pavel Naboyshchikov
Head of MedicalRussia Oleg Vinokurov
DoctorRussia Sergey Vjalitsyn
MasseurRussia Vyacheslav Vishnevskiy
Team OrganiserRussia Aleksandr Trishin

References

  1. ↑ ФК «Олимпиец». История клуба (in Russian). volga-olympic.ru. Archived from the original on 7 February 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  2. ↑ «Олимпиец» переименован в «Нижний Новгород» (in Russian). Russian Football National League. 29 June 2018.
  3. 1 2 "Заявление ФК «Нижний Новгород» в преддверии старта нового сезона" (in Russian). FC Nizhny Novgorod. 11 July 2026. Retrieved 13 July 2026.
  4. ↑ ФК «Волга» будет расформирован (in Russian). FC Volga Nizhny Novgorod. 15 June 2016. Archived from the original on 20 June 2016.
  5. ↑ ""Оренбург" готов обратиться в CAS при недопуске в РПЛ в виде исключения" (in Russian). RIA Novosti. 12 May 2021.
  6. ↑ "Стыковых матчей РПЛ-ФНЛ не будет. "Оренбург" и "Алания" не получили лицензии, РФС не сделал для них исключения" (in Russian). Sports.ru. 15 May 2021.
  7. ↑ "Igboun's Contract with Nizhny Novgorod on Hold over Russia-Ukraine War". Complete Sports. Lagos, Nigeria. 16 March 2022.
  8. ↑ "ФК "НИЖНИЙ НОВГОРОД" ИЗМЕНИТ НАЗВАНИЕ НА ФК "ПАРИ НИЖНИЙ НОВГОРОД"" (in Russian). FC Pari NN. 10 June 2022. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  9. ↑ "БУКМЕКЕРСКАЯ КОМПАНИЯ PARIBET ИЗМЕНИЛА НАЗВАНИЕ НА PARI" (in Russian). Match TV. 15 June 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  10. ↑ "Бюро исполкома РФС согласовало переименование футбольного клуба "Нижний Новгород" в ФК "Пари НН"" (in Russian). Russian Football Union. 10 June 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  11. ↑ "«Пари НН» и «Факел» сыграют в переходных матчах за места в Мир РПЛ-2023/24" (in Russian). Russian Premier League. 3 June 2023.
  12. ↑ "Pari v Rodina game report" (in Russian). Russian Football Union. 10 June 2023.
  13. ↑ ""Пари НН" и "Урал" – участники переходных матчей за места в Мир РПЛ" [Pari NN and Ural will play in the relegation play-offs] (in Russian). Russian Premier League. 25 May 2024.
  14. ↑ ""Пари НН" сохранил прописку в Мир РПЛ благодаря победе над "Арсеналом" в два мяча" (in Russian). Russian Premier League. 1 June 2024.
  15. ↑ "КДК отстранил от футбола пятерых игроков" [Control-Disciplinary Committee banned five players from football activities] (in Russian). Russian Football Union. 26 December 2024.
  16. ↑ "«Ахмат» встретится с «Уралом» в стыковых матчах за право играть в РПЛ, «Пари НН» – с «Сочи». «Черноморец» не получил лицензию" [Akhmat will play Ural in the RPL play-offs, Pari NN will play Sochi. Chernomorets was not issued a license] (in Russian). Sports.ru. 24 May 2025. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
  17. ↑ ""Сочи" обыграл в гостях "Пари НН" и завоевал право выступать в Мир РПЛ" (in Russian). Russian Premier League. 31 May 2025.
  18. ↑ ""Пари НН" сыграет в Мир РПЛ 2025/2026" [Pari NN will play in Mir RPL 2025-26] (in Russian). Russian Football Union. 16 June 2025. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  19. ↑ "«Пари НН» вылетел из Мир РПЛ после пяти сезонов" (in Russian). Sports.ru. 17 May 2026. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  20. ↑ "12 представителей РПЛ вошли в заявки сборных на ЧМ-2026" [12 RPL representatives were included in the 2026 World Cup squads] (in Russian). Russian Premier League. 3 June 2026. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
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