FC Khimki (Russian: ФК 'Химки') is a Russian professional football club based in Khimki. It will return to the second-tier Russian First League for the 2023–24 season. The team was formed in 1996 by merging two amateur clubs from Khimki, Rodina, and Novator. Khimki entered the amateur league and played their first official match on 17 May 1997. Of more than 150 amateur teams in the competition, only the champions would be promoted to the Third League. Khimki won the tournament, overcoming Energiya Ulyanovsk in the final match in a penalty shootout.[citation needed] On 30 January 1997, Khimki became a professional football club. In the Third League regional tournament, Khimki finished second and were promoted to the Second League.[citation needed] Khimki were promoted to the First Division after the 2000 season. They finished first in the Centre zone of the Second Division, but lost the promotion play-off to Severstal Cherepovets on away goals. After Severstal refused to play in the First Division, their place was given to Khimki.[citation needed] (Source: Wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA)