FC Mordovia Saransk, which represented Saransk in the Russian Premier League for several seasons, went bankrupt and lost professional status in August 2020,[1] leaving Saransk as the only 2018 FIFA World Cup host city without a professional team, and Mordovia Arena without a tenant. On 11 April 2021, the acting head of Republic of Mordovia Artyom Zdunov ordered to create a new professional club in the city,[2] and FC Saransk was created.
The new club was licensed for the third-tier Russian FNL 2 for the 2021–22 season in June 2021.[3] The club did not receive the license for the 2022–23 season due to lack of financing and was subsequently dissolved.[4][5]