You’ll see Russian football listed at some online bookmakers and whilst Russia might not have the most popular leagues in the world I know some punters like to bet on Russian football.
On this page I’ll do my best to give you a good idea of what the best Russian football betting sites are and I’ll provide a guide to how the league works and who the top teams are for punters new to Russian football betting.
At the bottom of this page there is also got a section which covers the best Russian football resources in terms of info on the different leagues and teams.
Bookmakers For Russian Football Bets
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Latest Russian Football Odds
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How Does the Russian League Work?
Traditionally the Russian League hasn’t been viewed as one of the stronger leagues in the world, but all this is starting to change as a massive influx of money is brought into the game. Now it is starting to be seen as a league to watch – both by football fans and by gamblers – and this will only continue over the years. Surprisingly enough Russian football betting is building in popularity.
The league comprises of 16 different teams and they are all fiercely competing to be crowned the best team in the land by finishing at the top of the league table when the season finishes. Sides play each other both home and away for a total of 30 matches per season and the season starts in the Autumn and ends in Spring.
Europe, Promotion & Relegation
When it comes to European qualification, the Russian League receives an allocation of 3 places in the Champions League – awarded to the top three teams in the league – and two Europa League places, which are given to the teams finishing in 4th and 5th place. Russian teams have had good success recently in the latter tournament mentioned and they take this competition very seriously, unlike some clubs from larger leagues.
The relegation process in Russia is not dissimilar to some other countries, as they operate a system of both automatic relegation and play-offs. The bottom two teams are automatically relegated and replaced by the top two teams from the National League Championship, while the teams finishing in 13th and 14th will play-off against the 3rd and 4th placed teams, with the winners playing in the top league in the following season.
Most Russian football betting sites offer wagers on a match by match basis only and don’t spread odds on European qualification, league winner and to be relegated.
Who are the Top Teams in the Russian League?
At the time of writing, the current to ranked UEFA team in Russia are Zenit St. Petersburg, who have a good pedigree in the league and boast a number of highly talented players.
The team with the most league titles to their name is Spartak Moscow, who have 10 titles in their history, winning the league most recently in 2016-17. Behind them CSKA Moscow have 6 winners trophies and a frustrating 8 runner up finishes. Following these two teams only 3 others have lifted the title Zenit St Petersburg (3), Rubin Kazan (2) and Spartak Bladikavkaz (1).
Sites for Previews & League Info
Thanks to the recent surge in popularity for the Russian League, some of the major online bookmakers – such as Bet365 and BetVictor – offer odds for the majority of matches. The odds can all be found in the relevant section of the site and clicking on a specific game will display the full range of bets for that match.
Note: Russian football betting resources (in English) can be few and far between and odds at the bookmakers can differ from site to site. Before you bet just make sure you check a few other online bookies to make sure you’re getting the best odds available.
To get information on the upcoming games in the Russian League, the best place to look is the FIFA website, where a league table for this country can also be found.
