The first round of games will be held on 17 July and Konstantin Zyryanov's side will play Tambov. Before the winter break the teams will play 24 matches, the last game of the calendar year will be held on 24 November and the season will resume on 3 March 2019 and finish on May 25. 

20 team have been approved to take part in the league: Avangard Kursk, Anzhi Makhachkala, Armavir, Baltika Kaliningrad, Dynamo St. Petersburg, Zenit-2, Luch-Energia Vladivostok, Mordovia Saransk, Olimpiyets Nizhny Novgorod, Rotor Volgograd, Sibir Novosibirsk, SKA-Khabarovsk, Spartak Moscow-2, Tambov, Tom Tomsk, Tyumen, Fakel Voronezh, Khimki, Chertanovo Moscow and Shinnik Yaroslavl.