The Belarusian First League (Belarusian: Першая ліга чэмпіянату Беларусі па футболе, romanized: Pershaya liha chempiyanatu Byelarusi pa futbole) is the second tier of professional football in Belarus. It was created in 1992, following the Belarusian independence.
| Founded | 1992 |
|---|---|
| Country |  Belarus |
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Number of teams | 17 (for 2023) |
| Level on pyramid | 2 |
| Promotion to | Belarusian Premier League |
| Relegation to | Belarusian Second League |
| Current champions | Naftan Novopolotsk (1st title) (2022) |
| Current: 2024 Belarusian First League | |
History and format
editThe typical format of the league involves 16 clubs playing a double round-robin tournament over 30 matchdays (with the exception of shortened 1992 and 1995 seasons, which were a single round-robin tournaments). On several occasions the number of participating teams was smaller (15 or 14), due to last minute withdrawals and no teams available for replacement. In most of the seasons, two best teams are getting promoted to Belarusian Premier League, while two worst teams are relegated to the Belarusian Second League.
First League in 2023
editIn 2023, the Belarusian First League will consist of the following 17 teams:
| Team | Location | Position in 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Arsenal Dzerzhinsk | Dzerzhinsk | Premier League, 14 |
| Vitebsk | Vitebsk | Premier League, 15 |
| Dnepr Mogilev | Mogilev | Premier League, 16 |
| Shakhtyor Petrikov | Petrikov | 3 |
| Maxline Vitebsk | Vitebsk | 4 |
| Ostrovets | Ostrovets | 5 |
| Lokomotiv Gomel | Gomel | 6 |
| Volna Pinsk | Pinsk | 7 |
| Molodechno | Molodechno | 8 |
| Orsha | Orsha | 9 |
| Lida | Lida | 10 |
| Slonim-2017 | Slonim | 11 |
| Osipovichi | Osipovichi | 12 |
| Baranovichi | Baranovichi | 13 |
| Niva Dolbizno | Dolbizno | Second League, 1 |
| Zhodino-Yuzhnoye | Zhodino | Second League, 5 |
| Bumprom Gomel | Gomel | Second League, 10 |
Winners and promoted teams
editTeams in bold were promoted to Premier League at the end of the season.
- 1 Team lost promotion/relegation play-off
- 2 Team was eligible for promotion but was denied Premier League license
- 3 Team won promotion/relegation play-off but disbanded after the season
- 4 Smorgon promoted from the 6th place