After the 2019–20 season, Orenburg and Krylia Sovetov were relegated to the 2020–21 Russian Football National League.
They were replaced by Rotor and Khimki, the winners and runners up of the 2019–20 Russian Football National League.
[20] The teams that finish 15th and 16th will be relegated to the FNL 2021–22, while the top 2 in that league will be promoted to the 2021–22 season.
[23] If the original version of the regulations was followed to the letter, FC Nizhny Novgorod would have faced FC Arsenal Tula in a home-and-away playoff series, and then the loser of the series would be promoted into the Premier League anyway, rendering the playoffs meaningless.
On 15 July 2021, Russian Football Union named its list of 33 top players:[30]