Football Club Mordovia Saransk was first established under the name Stroitel Saransk back in 1961. They are currently viewed as one of the Russian Premier League's smaller clubs, having spent the bulk of their existence in the lower tiers of the league system.
From 1980 until the early 21st century, the team competed as Svetotekhnika Saransk and then it briefly operated under the name Lisma-Mordovia Saransk. In 2005, the team merged with another team from the area, FC Biokhimik-Mordovia Saransk. Biokhimik-Mordovia had previously been a lower league side, founded in 1992, who had competed primarily in the Second Division. The merger between the two sides led to the current incarnation, FC Mordovia Saransk.
Although Mordovia Saransk have been unable to win any major trophies thus far, since the merger, the club's rise through the divisions has been rapid. In 2010, under the management of Fyodor Shcherbachenko, Mordovia Saransk earned promotion to the First Division. The 2011-12 season brought further success and a win over Shinnik Yaroslavl in May 2012 ensured the club finished top of the First Dviison and gained promotion to the Russian Premier League. The first match of the 2012-13 season marked the team's first ever appearance in the top flight of Russian football.
Despite the club's relatively small stature, a number of international players have worn the Mordovia Saransk jersey over the years. Some of the more notable examples include Russian internationals Evgeni Aldonin and Oleg Veretennikov; Lithuanian midfielder Darius Maciulevičius; Romanian striker Daniel Oprița and the Croatian international Tomislav Dujmović.
The team currently play their home games at the Start Stadium in Saransk. The ground, which opened in 2004, is able to hold up to 11,581 spectators and is a multi-use stadium, having hosted a variety of different sports, including track and field and beach volleyball.
