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Soviet Union

1924–1991
Nickname(s)	Red Army
Association	Football Federation of the Soviet Union
Most caps	Oleg Blokhin (112)
Top scorer	Oleg Blokhin (42)
Home stadium	Central Lenin Stadium
FIFA code	URS
First colours Second colours
First international
Soviet Union 3–0 Turkey  (Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union; 16 November 1924)
Last international
Cyprus 0–3 Soviet Union  (Larnaca, Cyprus; 13 November 1991)
Biggest win
Soviet Union 11–1 India  (Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union; 16 September 1955)  Finland 0–10 Soviet Union  (Helsinki, Finland; 15 August 1957)
Biggest defeat
England 5–0 Soviet Union  (London, England; 22 October 1958)
World Cup
Appearances	7 (first in 1958)
Best result	Fourth place, 1966
European Championship
Appearances	6 (first in 1960)
Best result	Champions, 1960
Medal record Men's football UEFA European Championship 1960 France Team 1964 Spain Team 1972 Belgium Team 1988 West Germany Team Olympic Games 1956 Melbourne Team 1988 Seoul Team 1972 Munich Team 1976 Montreal Team 1980 Moscow Team

The Soviet Union national football team (Russian: сбо́рная СССР по футбо́лу, romanized: sbórnaya SSSR po futbólu) was the national football team who represented the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1992.

After the breakup of the Union the team was transformed into the CIS national football team. FIFA and UEFA considers the CIS national football team (and ultimately, the Russia national football team) as the Soviet successor team allocating its former records to them (except for the Olympic records which are not combined due to the IOC policy); nevertheless, a large percentage of the team's former players came from outside the Russian SFSR, mainly from the Ukrainian SSR, and following the breakup of the Soviet Union, some such as Andrei Kanchelskis from the former Ukrainian SSR, continued to play in the new Russia national football team.

The Soviet Union failed to qualify for the World Cup only twice, in 1974 and 1978, and attended seven finals tournaments in total. Their best finish was fourth in 1966, when they lost to West Germany in the semifinals, 2–1. The Soviet Union qualified for five European Championships, winning the inaugural competition in 1960 when they beat Yugoslavia in the final, 2–1. They finished second three times (1964, 1972, 1988), and fourth once (1968), when, having drawn with Italy in the semi-final, they were sent to the third-place playoff match by the loss of a coin toss. The Soviet Union national team also participated in a number of Olympic tournaments earning the gold medal in 1956 and 1988. The Soviet team continued to field its national team players in Olympic tournaments despite the prohibition of FIFA in 1958 to field any national team players in Olympics (players in the Olympics were required to be amateurs at the time, the Soviets effectively bent the rules by listing their best players in the military).

History

First games

Because of the circumstances, surrounding October Revolution and later the 1917–1922 Russian Civil War, Soviet Russia was internationally diplomatically isolated, making it unable to participate in the international competitions. In 1922, founded the Bolshevik state of the Soviet Union. After the civil war, the Soviet Union managed to establish international communication with politically similar factions in Europe and around the globe. The Soviet Union joined the Red Sport International proclaiming any sports events outside of the RSI to be "part of the bourgeoisie".

The first international match played by a Soviet team (as the Russian SFSR) came in September 1922, when the Finnish Workers' Sports Federation football team toured Russia (Russia formed the Soviet Union at the end of December 1922, Treaty on the Creation of the USSR). The Soviet Russia XI scored a 4–1 victory over the Finns in Petrograd. This was also the first international contact for Soviet sports after the 1917 October Revolution. In May 1923, the Soviet team visited Finland and beat the Finnish squad 5–0. The first match against national team was played in August 1923, nine months after the establishment of the Soviet Union, when a Russian SFSR team beat Sweden 2–1 in Stockholm.

The first match as the actual Soviet Union football team took place a year later, a 3–0 win over Turkey. This and a return match in Ankara were the only officially recognised international matches played by the Soviet Union prior to the 1952 Summer Olympics, though several unofficial friendlies against Turkey took place in the 1930s. The 1952 Olympics was the first competitive tournament entered by the Soviet Union. In the preliminary round, Bulgaria were defeated 2–1, earning a first-round tie against Yugoslavia. Before the match, both Tito and Stalin sent telegrams to their national teams, which showed just how important it was for the two heads of state. Yugoslavia led 5–1, but a Soviet comeback in the last 15 minutes resulted in a 5–5 draw. The match was replayed, Yugoslavia winning 3–1. The defeat to the archrivals hit Soviet football hard, and after just three games played in the season, CSKA Moscow, who had made up most of the USSR squad, was forced to withdraw from the league and later disbanded. Furthermore, Boris Arkadiev, who coached both USSR and CSKA, was stripped of his Merited Master of Sports of the USSR title.

Sweden trials and the triumph

The Soviet Union, coached by Gavriil Khachalin, entered the World Cup for the first time at the 1958 tournament, following a qualification playoff against Poland. Drawn in a group with Brazil, England, and Austria, they collected three points in total, one from England and two from Austria. The Soviet Union and England went to a playoff game, in which Anatoli Ilyin scored in the 67th minute to knock England out. The Soviet Union was then eliminated by the hosts of the tournament, Sweden, in the quarter-finals.

The inaugural European Championships in 1960 marked the pinnacle of Soviet footballing achievement. Easily progressing to the quarter-finals, the team were scheduled to face Spain, but due to the tensions of the Cold War, Spain refused to travel to the Soviet Union, resulting in a walkover. In the semi-final, the Soviet team defeated Czechoslovakia 3–0 and reached the final, where they faced Yugoslavia.

In the final, Yugoslavia scored first, but the Soviet Union, led by legendary goalkeeper Lev Yashin, equalized in the 49th minute. After 90 minutes the score was 1–1, and Viktor Ponedelnik scored with seven minutes left in extra time to give the Soviets the inaugural European Championship.

The end of Kachalin's dream-team

In the 1962 World Cup, the Soviet team was in Group 1 with Yugoslavia, Colombia, and Uruguay. The match between the Soviet Union and Colombia ended 4–4; Colombia scored a series of goals (68', 72', 86'). Star goalkeeper Lev Yashin was in poor form both against Colombia and Chile. His form was considered one of the main reasons why the Soviet Union team did not gain more success in the tournament.

In 1964, the Soviet Union attempted to defend their European Championship title, defeating Italy in the last 16 (2–0, 1–1) and to reach the quarter-finals. After two matches against Sweden, the Soviet side won on aggregate (1–1, 3–1). The Soviet Union team went to Spain where the finals were held. In the semi-finals, the Soviet Union defeated Denmark 3–0 in Barcelona but their dreams of winning the title again were dashed in the final when Spain, the host, scored a late goal, winning 2–1.

The late 1960s: Semi-finals at World Cup and European Championships

The 1966 FIFA World Cup was the tournament in which the Soviet Union team reached their best result by finishing in fourth place. The Soviet Union was in Group 4 with North Korea, Italy and Chile. In all three matches, the Soviet Union team managed to defeat their rivals. The Soviet team then defeated Hungary in the quarter-finals thanks to the effective performance of their star, Lev Yashin but their success was ended by two defeats on 25 and 28 July, against West Germany in the semi-finals and Portugal in the third-place playoff match, respectively. The 1966 squad was the second-best scoring Soviet team in World Cup history, with 10 goals.

For the Euro 1968, the qualification competition was played in two stages; a group stage (taking place from 1966 until 1968) and the quarter-finals (played in 1968). Again, only four teams could reach the finals which were held in Italy. The semi-final match between the Soviet Union and Italy ended 0–0. It was decided to toss a coin to see who reached the final, rather than play a replay. Italy won, and went on to become European champions. On 8 June 1968, the Soviets were defeated by England in the third-place match.

Kachalin's second attempt

The 1970 World Cup started with the match between Mexico and the Soviet Union. The Soviet team became the first team to make a substitution in World Cup history in this match. Other opponents in their group were Belgium and El Salvador. The Soviet team easily qualified to the quarter-final where they lost against Uruguay in extra time. This was the last time the Soviet Union reached the quarter-finals.

The final tournament of the 1972 European Championships took place between 14 and 18 June 1972. Again, only four teams were in the finals. The Soviets defeated Hungary 1–0, with a second-half goal. The final was between West Germany and the Soviet Union. The match ended with a victory of the German side thanks to the effective football of Gerd Müller. This tournament was one of the two tournaments in which the Soviet Union finished as runner-up.

Failures to qualify in the 1970s

After being runners up at Euro 1972, the rest of the 1970s were bleak for the Soviets, who were disqualified from the 1974 World Cup as a result of a refusal to play Chile in the aftermath of the 1973 Chilean coup d'état and failed to qualify for the 1978 World Cup or the 1976 and 1980 European Championships.

Beskov recovers the team

The 1982 World Cup was the Soviet Union's first major tournament appearance for a decade. The Soviet Union was in Group 6 with Brazil, Scotland, and New Zealand. Goals by Sócrates and Éder Aleixo marked the defeat of the Soviet side against Brazil in the first group match and they were eventually eliminated in the second round by finishing the group in second place when they defeated Belgium only 1–0 and drew against Poland with an 0–0 results. In 1984, the Soviets again failed to qualify for the European Championships, but succeeded in qualifying for the 1986 World Cup. The Soviet Union was in Group C with Hungary, France, and Canada. The Soviets used Irapuato, Guanajuato as their training ground in the World Cup.

The Soviet team enjoyed a successful group stage by scoring nine goals and finishing the group in first place. Ultimately, however, they lost to Belgium 3–4 after extra time in the round of 16. Despite their poor performance in the cup, this team was the best scoring Soviet team in World Cup history, with 12 goals.

Lobanovsky era and demise of Soviet Union

After failing to qualify for three consecutive European Cups (1976, 1980, 1984), the Soviets managed to qualify for the 1988 competition, the last time the Soviet Union national football team took part in the European Football Championship. The finals were held in West Germany, with eight teams participating. Soviet Union finished Group B as leaders above the Netherlands and defeated Italy 2–0 in the semi-final. In the final against the Netherlands, another team from Group B, the Netherlands avenged their group stage defeat, winning by a score of 2–0 to be crowned European champions.

The final major championship contested by the Soviet team was the 1990 FIFA World Cup, where they were drawn in Group B with Argentina, Romania and Cameroon. The only success for the Soviets came when they defeated group leaders Cameroon 4–0. The Soviets lost their other matches and failed to qualify from the group. The Soviet Union qualified for Euro 1992, but the breakup of the Soviet Union meant that their place was instead taken by the CIS national football team, composed of newly independent Soviet republics. After the tournament, the former Soviet republics competed as separate independent nations, with FIFA allocating the Soviet team's record to Russia.

Kit evolution

The Soviet Union traditionally wore red jerseys with white shorts and red socks.

Home stadium

From the Soviet Union's first fixture (16 November 1924 vs. Turkey) they played their home games at various stadiums.

Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches only.

Note:

• Although never used by either the Soviet Union national football team nor Soviet Union Olympic football team, Dinamo Stadium in Minsk was designated as the official stadium for the 1980 Summer Olympics.

Coaching history

Manager	Nation	Years	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GF	GA	Win %	Qualifying cycle	Final tour
Boris Arkadiev		1952	3	1	1	1	8	9	33.33		1952(o)
Vasily Sokolov		1954	2	1	1	0	8	1	50
Gavriil Kachalin		1955–1958	34	22	6	6	88	35	64.71	1956(o), 1958, 1960	1956(o), 1958
Georgiy Glazkov		1959	1	1	0	0	3	1	100
Mikhail Yakushin		1959	2	2	0	0	2	0	100	1960
Gavriil Kachalin		1960–1962	22	16	2	4	49	20	72.73	1962	1960, 1962
Nikita Simonyan		1963	1	0	0	1	0	1	0
Konstantin Beskov		1963–1964	9	4	4	1	14	7	44.44	1964	1964
Nikita Simonyan		1964	1	0	1	0	2	2	0
Nikolai Morozov		1964–1966	31	15	9	7	51	33	48.39	1966	1966
Mikhail Yakushin		1967–1968	28	16	7	5	51	31	57.14	1968, 1968(o)	1968
Gavriil Kachalin		1969–1970	18	9	7	2	29	11	50	1970	1970
Valentin Nikolayev		1970–1971	13	8	5	0	24	5	61.54	1972
Nikolay Gulyayev		1972	4	2	1	1	6	4	50	1972
Aleksandr Ponomarev		1972	15	8	4	3	27	17	53.33		1972(o), 1972
German Zonin		1972	3	1	0	2	1	2	33.33
Yevgeny Goryansky		1973	10	3	2	5	6	6	30	1974*
Konstantin Beskov		1974	3	1	0	2	1	4	33.33	1976
Valeriy Lobanovsky		1975–1976	19	11	4	4	33	18	57.89	1976	1976(o)
Valentin Nikolayev		1976	2	0	1	1	0	2	0
Nikita Simonyan		1977–1979	27	18	4	5	60	22	66.67	1978, 1980
Konstantin Beskov		1979–1982	28	17	8	3	54	19	60.71	1980, 1982	1982
Oleg Bazilevich		1979	1	1	0	0	3	1	100
Valeriy Lobanovsky		1982–1983	10	6	3	1	18	6	60	1984
Eduard Malofeyev		1984–1986	25	14	3	8	37	23	56	1986
Valeriy Lobanovsky		1986–1987	17	9	6	2	31	11	52.94	1988	1986
Nikita Simonyan		1988	1	1	0	0	4	0	100
Morozov and Mosyagin		1988	4	1	2	1	5	5	25
1st Coaching Staff		1988–1990	31	16	6	9	42	29	51.61	1990	1988, 1990
2nd Coaching Staff		1990–1992	28	12	11	5	39	24	42.86	1992	1992

Notes:

• The game that took place on 21 November 1973 between the national team of Chile and missing side did not go on record of Yevgeny Goryansky.
• The 1980 USSR Olympic roster (coach – Beskov) was identical with the senior team that competed in qualification tournaments in 1979–1981.
• In 1985–1989 the national team competed in the annual Nehru Cup (India).
• The 1st coaching staff consisted of Valeriy Lobanovsky (leading), Yuri Morozov and Sergei Mosyagin.
• The 2nd coaching staff consisted of Anatoly Byshovets (leading), Vladimir Salkov and Gadzhi Gadzhiyev.

Player records

1. Sergei Aleinikov also made four appearances for Belarus.
2. ^ Oleg Protasov also made one appearance for Ukraine.

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup record

  Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place  

FIFA World Cup record											Qualification Record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squads		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930	Not a FIFA member										Not a FIFA member
1934
1938
1950	did not enter										did not enter
1954
1958	Quarter-final	7th	5	2	1	2	5	6	Squad		5	4	0	1	18	3
1962	Quarter-final	6th	4	2	1	1	9	7	Squad		4	4	0	0	11	3
1966	Fourth place	4th	6	4	0	2	10	6	Squad		6	5	0	1	19	6
1970	Quarter-final	5th	4	2	1	1	6	2	Squad		4	3	1	0	8	1
1974	did not qualify										6	3	1	2	5	4
1978											4	2	0	2	5	3
1982	Second Group stage	7th	5	2	2	1	7	4	Squad		8	6	2	0	20	2
1986	Round of 16	10th	4	2	1	1	12	5	Squad		8	4	2	2	13	8
1990	Group stage	17th	3	1	0	2	4	4	Squad		8	4	3	1	11	4
Total	Fourth place	7/14	31	15	6	10	53	34	—		53	35	9	9	110	34

UEFA European Championship record

  Champions    Runners-up    Third Place    Fourth Place  

UEFA European Championship record											Qualification Record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squads		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1960	Champions	1st	2	2	0	0	5	1	Squad		2	2	0	0	4	1
1964	Runners-up	2nd	2	1	0	1	4	2	Squad		4	2	2	0	7	3
1968	Fourth place	4th	2	0	1	1	0	2	Squad		8	6	0	2	19	8
1972	Runners-up	2nd	2	1	0	1	1	3	Squad		8	5	3	0	16	4
1976	Did not qualify										8	4	1	3	12	10
1980											6	1	3	2	7	8
1984											6	4	1	1	11	2
1988	Runners-up	2nd	5	3	1	1	7	4	Squad		8	5	3	0	14	3
1992	Qualified, but dissolved and replaced by CIS national football team										8	5	3	0	13	2
Total	1 title	5/8	13	7	2	4	17	12	—		58	34	16	8	103	41

Summer Olympics record

Olympic record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squads
1896–1912	Preceded with Russian Empire
1920–1948	Did not enter
1952	Round 1	14th	3	1	1	1	8	9	Squad
1956	Gold medalists	1st	5	4	1	0	9	2	Squad
1960	Did not qualify
1964
1968
1972	Bronze medalists	3rd	7	5	1	1	17	6	Squad
1976	Bronze medalists	3rd	5	4	0	1	10	4	Squad
1980	Bronze medalists	3rd	6	5	0	1	19	3	Squad
1984	Did not enter
1988	Gold medalists	1st	6	5	1	0	14	4	Squad
Total	Gold medalists	4/20	32	24	4	4	77	28	—

Honours

Major competitions

• UEFA European Championship
  • Champions (1): 1960
  • Runners-up (3): 1964, 1972, 1988
• Olympic Games
  • Gold Medal (2): 1956, 1988
  • Bronze Medal (3): 1972, 1976, 1980

Friendly

• Nehru Cup
  • Champions (1): 1985

Summary

Competition				Total
FIFA World Cup	0	0	0	0
Olympic Games	2	0	3	5
UEFA European Championship	1	3	0	4
Total	3	3	3	9

See also

• Russia national football team
• CIS national football team
• Soviet Union national under-21 football team
• Soviet Union national under-18 football team
• Soviet Union national under-16 football team
• Soviet Union women's national football team
• Soviet Union national football team all-time record

Notes

1. "Playing for the enemy: The Ukrainian footballers who sign for Russian clubs". 12 January 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
2. "How the Russians break the Olympic rules". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
3. Washburn, J. N. (21 July 1974). "Soviet Amateur Athlete: A Real Pro". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
4. "The Soviet Union and the Olympics". Retrieved 4 January 2023.
5. Hentilä, Seppo (1982). Suomen työläisurheilun historia I. Työväen Urheiluliitto 1919–1944. Hämeenlinna: Karisto. pp. 146–148. ISBN 951-23216-0-2.
6. Hentilä, Seppo (2014). Bewegung, Kultur und Alltag im Arbeitersport (in German). Helsinki: The Finnish Society for Labour History. p. 48. ISBN 978-952-59762-6-7. Archived from the original on 3 May 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
7. "Soviet Union – International Results 1911-1935". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 30 December 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2007.
8. ^ "USSR – Yugoslavia, the Story of Two Different Football Conceptions". russianfootballnews.com. Archived from the original on 24 April 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
9. "Yugoslavia National Team List of Results 1950-1959". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 24 November 2011. Retrieved 13 January 2007.
10. "1958 – Qualifying competition". Planet World Cup. Archived from the original on 19 January 2007. Retrieved 13 January 2007.
11. "Sweden 2-0 Soviet Union". Retrieved 28 March 2024.
12. "European Championship 1960 (Details)". Retrieved 28 March 2024.
13. Cox, Michael (22 October 2023). "How the Soviet Union won Euro 1960: A 'WM' formation, Franco's Spain withdrawal and Lev Yashin". The Athletic. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 14 April 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
14. McVeigh, Niall (12 June 2018). "Golden Goal: Marcos Coll scores from a corner for Colombia v USSR (1962)". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
15. Caesar, Faisal (15 July 2021). "Soviet Union and the World Cup: Always promising but underachievers". CricketSoccer. Archived from the original on 11 February 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
16. Garin, Erik; Stokkermans, Karel; Tabeira, Martín (31 January 2007). "European Championship 1964". RSSSF. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
17. Courtney, Barrie (8 May 2008). "European Championship 1964 - Details Final Tournament". RSSSF. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
18. "Marcelino heads Spain to EURO 1964 final win against USSR". UEFA. 12 February 2016 . Retrieved 30 March 2024.
19. "Soviet Union 3-0 North Korea (12 Jul, 1966) Final Score". ESPN (IN). Retrieved 28 March 2024.
20. "Soviet Union 1-0 Italy (Jul 16, 1966) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
21. "Soviet Union 2-1 Chile (20 Jul, 1966) Final Score". ESPN (SG). Retrieved 30 March 2024.
22. "Soviet Union 2-1 Hungary (23 Jul, 1966) Final Score". ESPN (UK). Retrieved 30 March 2024.
23. "Germany FR 2-1 Soviet Union (25 Jul, 1966) Final Score". ESPN (IN). Retrieved 30 March 2024.
24. "Portugal 2-1 Soviet Union (28 Jul, 1966) Final Score". ESPN (IN). Retrieved 30 March 2024.
25. "Coin toss takes Italy to EURO 1968 final after USSR stalemate". UEFA. 22 January 2014 . Archived from the original on 8 November 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
26. "England beat Soviet Union to win EURO 1968 third-place play-off". UEFA. 1 June 2016 . Archived from the original on 13 July 2024. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
27. Beaumont, Chris (5 August 2023). "Mexico 70: Sunday, 31st May 1970 and the tournament gets underway with the hosts in action". Football Bloody Hell. Archived from the original on 1 October 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
28. Wood, Robert (September 2010). "Football World Cup Firsts". Topend Sports. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
29. "Uruguay 1-0 Soviet Union (Jun 14, 1970) Final Score". ESPN. Archived from the original on 30 July 2024. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
30. "USSR make it past Hungary to reach EURO 1972 final". UEFA. 9 March 2016 . Archived from the original on 29 May 2023. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
31. "History: West Germany 3-0 USSR | UEFA EURO 1972 Final". UEFA. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
32. "Soviet Union refuses to play Chile in World Cup Soccer". HISTORY. 13 November 2009. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
33. "Brazil 2-1 Soviet Union (Jun 14, 1982) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
34. "Soviet Union 1-0 Belgium (1 Jul, 1982) Final Score". ESPN (IN). Retrieved 30 March 2024.
35. Jay, Charles (26 November 2022). "How Poland booted the USSR from the World Cup in 1982 and Russia in 2022". Daily Kos. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
36. "WORLD CUP; SOVIET UNION, ARGENTINA WIN OPENERS". The New York Times. 3 June 1986. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
37. "Belgium 4-3 Soviet Union". Retrieved 28 March 2024.
38. "Stylish USSR overcome youthful Italy in EURO 1988 semi-final". 5 October 2003. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
39. "Van Basten volley crowns Netherlands' EURO 1988 final win against USSR". 5 October 2003. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
40. "Soviet Union 4-0 Cameroon". Retrieved 30 March 2024.
41. "History. About FUR. General information. FUR". en.rfs.ru. Archived from the original on 9 September 2016.
42. "History of the USSR national football team, pure Soviet football". Retrieved 28 March 2024.
43. ^ Mamrud, Roberto. "Soviet Union/CIS – Record International Players". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 6 October 2009. Retrieved 10 September 2004.
44. Roy, Abhishek (14 August 2007). "Revisiting some of the memorable moments of the Nehru Cup". TwoCircles.net. IANS. Archived from the original on 3 March 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2022.

External links

• RSSSF archive of results 1923–1991/92
• RSSSF archive of most capped players and highest goalscorers
• Football in Soviet Union
• Russia Team Profile including old Soviet Union World Cup qualifications
• Russia (Soviet Union) National Football Team
• Team history
• Media Biblioteca of USSR National Football Team
• Media Biblioteca of USSR National Football Team in VK

Preceded byInaugural champions

European champions 1960 (first title)

Succeeded by1964  Spain

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Soviet Union squads – FIFA World Cup

v t e Soviet Union squad – 1958 FIFA World Cup 1 Yashin 2 Kesarev 3 Krizhevsky 4 Kuznetsov 5 Voynov 6 Netto 7 Apukhtin 8 V. Ivanov 9 Simonyan (c) 10 Salnikov 11 Ilyin 12 Maslachenko 13 Belyayev 14 Ostrovski 15 Maslyonkin 16 Tsaryov 17 A. Ivanov 18 Bubukin 19 Gusarov 20 Falin 21 Fedosov 22 Yerokhin Coach: Kachalin v t e Soviet Union squad – 1962 FIFA World Cup 1 Yashin 2 Maslachenko 3 Kotrikadze 4 Dubinski 5 Chokheli 6 Ostrovski 7 Maslyonkin 8 Shesternyov 9 Manoshin 10 Netto (c) 11 Sabo 12 Voronin 13 Gusarov 14 Ivanov 15 Kanevski 16 Mamykin 17 Meskhi 18 Metreveli 19 Ponedelnik 20 Serebryanikov 21 Khusainov 22 Chislenko Coach: Kachalin v t e Soviet Union squad – 1966 FIFA World Cup fourth place 1 Yashin 2 Serebryanikov 3 Ostrovski 4 Ponomaryov 5 Afonin 6 Shesternyov (c) 7 Khurtsilava 8 Sabo 9 Getmanov 10 Danilov 11 Chislenko 12 Voronin 13 Korneyev 14 Sichinava 15 Khusainov 16 Metreveli 17 Porkujan 18 Banishevskiy 19 Malofeyev 20 Markarov 21 Kavazashvili 22 Bannikov Coach: Morozov v t e Soviet Union squad – 1970 FIFA World Cup 1 Shmuts 2 Kavazashvili 3 Afonin 4 Dzodzuashvili 5 Kaplychnyi 6 Lovchev 7 Logofet 8 Khurtsilava 9 Shesternyov (c) 10 Zykov 11 Asatiani 12 Kiselyov 13 Yashin 14 Muntyan 15 Serebryanikov 16 Byshovets 17 Yevryuzhikhin 18 Metreveli 19 Nodia 20 Puzach 21 Khmelnitsky 22 Porkujan Coach: Kachalin v t e Soviet Union squad – 1982 FIFA World Cup 1 Dasayev 2 Sulakvelidze 3 Chivadze (c) 4 Khidiyatullin 5 Baltacha 6 Demyanenko 7 Shengelia 8 Bessonov 9 Gavrilov 10 Oganesian 11 Blokhin 12 Bal 13 Daraselia 14 Borovsky 15 Andreyev 16 Rodionov 17 Buryak 18 Susloparov 19 Yevtushenko 20 Romantsev 21 Vi. Chanov 22 Vy. Chanov Coach: Beskov v t e Soviet Union squad – 1986 FIFA World Cup 1 Dasayev 2 Bezsonov 3 Chivadze 4 Morozov 5 Demyanenko (c) 6 Bubnov 7 Yaremchuk 8 Yakovenko 9 Zavarov 10 Kuznetsov 11 Blokhin 12 Bal 13 Litovchenko 14 Rodionov 15 Larionov 16 Chanov 17 Yevtushenko 18 Protasov 19 Belanov 20 Aleinikov 21 Rats 22 Krakovskyi Coach: Lobanovskyi v t e Soviet Union squad – 1990 FIFA World Cup 1 Dasayev (c) 2 Bezsonov 3 Khidiyatullin 4 Kuznetsov 5 Demyanenko 6 Rats 7 Aleinikov 8 Litovchenko 9 Zavarov 10 Protasov 11 Dobrovolski 12 Borodyuk 13 Tsveiba 14 Lyutyi 15 Yaremchuk 16 Chanov 17 Zygmantovich 18 Shalimov 19 Fokin 20 Gorlukovich 21 Broshin 22 Uvarov Coach: Lobanovskyi

Soviet Union squads – UEFA European Championship

v t e Soviet Union squad – 1960 European Nations' Cup winners (1st title) GK Maslachenko GK Yashin DF Chokheli DF Kesarev DF Krutikov DF Maslyonkin DF Tsaryov MF Netto (c) MF Voynov FW Apukhtin FW Bubukin FW Ivanov FW Kaloev FW Kovalyov FW Meskhi FW Metreveli FW Ponedelnik Coach: Kachalin v t e Soviet Union squad – 1964 European Nations' Cup runners-up GK Urushadze GK Yashin DF Anichkin DF Dubinski DF Glotov DF Mudrik DF Shesternyov DF Shustikov MF Korneyev MF Shikunov MF Voronin FW Chislenko FW Gusarov FW Ivanov (c) FW Khusainov FW Kopayev FW Malofeyev FW Ponedelnik Coach: Beskov v t e Soviet Union squad – UEFA Euro 1968 fourth place 1 Pshenichnikov 2 Anichkin 3 Afonin 4 Banishevskiy 5 Byshovets 6 Voronin 7 Yevryuzhikhin 8 Istomin 9 Kavazashvili 10 Kaplychnyi 11 Malofeyev 12 Muntyan 13 Nodia 14 Rudakov 15 Levchenko 16 Khurtsilava 17 Chislenko 18 Shesternyov (c) 19 Lenyov 20 Asatiani 21 Logofet 22 Smolnikov Coach: Yakushin v t e Soviet Union squad – UEFA Euro 1972 runners-up GK Pilguy GK Rudakov DF Abramov DF Dzodzuashvili DF Istomin DF Kaplychnyi DF Matviyenko DF Troshkin MF Baidachny MF Dolmatov MF Khurtsilava (c) MF Kolotov MF Konkov MF Muntyan FW Banishevskiy FW Kozynkevych FW Nodia FW Onyshchenko Coach: Ponomarev v t e Soviet Union squad – UEFA Euro 1988 runners-up 1 Dasayev (c) 2 Bezsonov 3 Khidiyatullin 4 Kuznetsov 5 Demyanenko 6 Rats 7 Aleinikov 8 Lytovchenko 9 Zavarov 10 Protasov 11 Belanov 12 Vyshnevskyi 13 Sulakvelidze 14 Sukristov 15 Mykhaylychenko 16 Chanov 17 Dmitriyev 18 Gotsmanov 19 Baltacha 20 Pasulko Coach: Lobanovskyi

Soviet Union squads – Summer Olympics Squad

v t e Soviet Union squad – 1952 Summer Olympics 1 Ivanov 2 Krizhevsky 3 Bashashkin 4 Nyrkov 5 Netto 6 Petrov 7 Trofimov 8 Nikolayev 9 Bobrov (c) 10 Maryutin 11 Ilyin 12 Nikanorov 13 Gómez 14 Salnikov 15 Antadze 16 Tenyagin 17 Beskov 18 Gogoberidze 19 Chkuaseli 20 Margania Coach: Arkadyev v t e Soviet Union football squad – 1956 Summer Olympics – Gold medalists GK Razinsky GK Yashin DF Tishchenko DF Ogonkov DF Maslyonkin DF Kuznetsov DF Bashashkin MF Netto MF Betsa MF Paramonov FW Tatushin FW Ivanov FW Isayev FW Ryzhkin FW Salnikov FW Ilyin FW Streltsov FW Simonyan Coach: Kachalin v t e Soviet Union squad – 1972 Summer Olympics – Bronze medalists 1 Rudakov 2 Istomin 3 Khurtsilava 4 Lovchev 5 Kaplychnyi 6 Kolotov 7 Onyshchenko 8 Semyonov 9 Yakubik 10 Kuksov 11 Yevryuzhikhin 12 Dzodzuashvili 13 Olshansky 14 Zanazanyan 15 Andreasyan 16 Sabo 17 Pilguy 18 Yeliseyev 19 Blokhin Coach: Ponomarev v t e Soviet Union squad – 1976 Summer Olympics – Bronze medalists 1 Astapovsky 2 Konkov 3 Matviyenko 4 Fomenko 5 Reshko 6 Troshkin 7 Kipiani 8 Onyshchenko 9 Kolotov 10 Veremeyev 11 Blokhin 12 Buryak 13 Fyodorov 14 Minayev 15 Zvyahintsev 16 Nazarenko 17 Prokhorov Coach: Lobanovskiy v t e Soviet Union squad – 1980 Summer Olympics − Bronze medalists 1 Dasayev 2 Sulakvelidze 3 Chivadze 4 Khidiyatullin 5 Romantsev 6 Shavlo 7 Andreyev 8 Bezsonov 9 Gavrilov 10 Cherenkov 11 Gazzaev 12 Pilguy 13 Baltacha 14 Nikulin 15 Oganesian 16 Prokopenko 17 Chelebadze Coach: Beskov v t e Soviet Union football squad – 1988 Summer Olympics – Gold medalists 1 Kharine 2 Ketashvili 3 Sklyarov 4 Cherednyk 5 Janonis 6 Tyshchenko 7 Kuznetsov 8 Ponomaryov 9 Borodyuk 10 Dobrovolski 11 Lyutyi 12 Yarovenko 13 Fokin 14 Tatarchuk 15 Mykhaylychenko 16 Prudnikov 17 Losev (c) 18 Gorlukovich 19 Savichev 20 Narbekovas Coach: Byshovets

v t e National sports teams of the Soviet Union
Olympics Paralympics Deaflympics Universiade
Badminton Bandy M M-U19 W Basketball M M-U19 M-U16 W W-U19 W-U16 Field hockey M W Football M M U-23 M U-21 M U-20 M U-18 M U-16 W Gymnastics Handball M W Ice hockey M M U-20 M U-18 Rugby union M W Softball Speedway M Tennis M W X Volleyball M M-U21 M-U19 W W-U20 W-U18 Water Polo M
Category

• Soviet Union national football team
• 1924 establishments in the Soviet Union
• 1991 disestablishments in the Soviet Union
• Former national association football teams in Europe
• UEFA European Championship–winning countries
• National sports teams established in 1924