Soviet Union national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Soviet Union

to 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
Elo ranking
Highest	1 (1963–65, 1966, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1987, 1988)
First international
Soviet Union 3–0 Turkey  (Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union; 16 November 1924)
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 Gold 1960 France Team Silver 1964 Spain Team Silver 1972 Belgium Team Silver 1988 West Germany Team Olympic Games Gold 1956 Melbourne Team Gold 1988 Seoul Team Bronze 1972 Munich Team Bronze 1976 Montreal Team Bronze 1980 Moscow Team

The Soviet Union national football team (Russian: сбо́рная СССР по футбо́лу, tr. sbórnaya SSSR po futbólu) was the official football team that played for the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1992.

After the Soviet Union broke apart in 1991, the team changed into the CIS national football team. FIFA and UEFA decided that the CIS team, and later the Russia national football team, would take over the Soviet Union's football records. This means Russia inherited most of the Soviet team's history. However, many players on the Soviet team came from other parts of the Soviet Union, like Ukraine. After the breakup, some of these players, such as Andrei Kanchelskis, continued to play for the new Russian team.

The Soviet Union team was very good. They only missed qualifying for the World Cup twice, in 1974 and 1978. They played in seven World Cup tournaments in total. Their best result was finishing fourth in 1966. They also played in five European Championships. They won the very first one in 1960 by beating Yugoslavia 2–1 in the final. They finished second three other times (1964, 1972, 1988). The Soviet team also won gold medals at the 1956 and 1988 Olympic Games.

History of Soviet Football

Early Days: Starting the Team

Soviet Union team of 1927

After the October Revolution and the Russian Civil War (1917–1922), Soviet Russia was quite isolated from other countries. This meant they couldn't join international sports events. In 1922, the Soviet Union was formed. After the war, the Soviet Union started to connect with other countries that had similar political ideas. They joined the Red Sport International, which saw other sports events as "bourgeoisie" (meaning for the rich).

The first international football match for a Soviet team (then called the Russian SFSR) was in September 1922. They played against the Finnish Workers' Sports Federation football team in Petrograd and won 4–1. This was the first time Soviet sports had contact with other countries after the revolution. In May 1923, the Soviet team visited Finland and won 5–0. The first game against a national team was in August 1923, when the Russian SFSR team beat Sweden 2–1 in Stockholm.

The first official match for the actual Soviet Union football team was a year later. They won 3–0 against Turkey. This game and a return match in Ankara were the only official international games before the 1952 Summer Olympics. The 1952 Olympics was the first big tournament for the Soviet Union. They beat Bulgaria 2–1. Then they played against Yugoslavia. Both Tito and Stalin, the leaders of the two countries, sent messages to their teams. Yugoslavia was leading 5–1, but the Soviet team made an amazing comeback to draw 5–5. In the replay, Yugoslavia won 3–1. This loss was a big deal for Soviet football. The team CSKA Moscow, which had many Soviet players, was even forced to stop playing for a while.

World Cup Debut and European Glory

The Soviet Union, led by coach Gavriil Khachalin, played in the 1958 World Cup for the first time. They got into the tournament after beating Poland in a playoff. In their group, they played against Brazil, England, and Austria. They drew with England and beat Austria. The Soviet Union and England had a playoff game, where Anatoli Ilyin scored to win the game. The Soviet team then lost to Sweden, the host country, in the quarter-finals.

The first-ever European Championships in 1960 was a huge success for Soviet football. The team easily reached the quarter-finals. They were supposed to play Spain, but because of the Cold War, Spain refused to travel to the Soviet Union. So, the Soviet team won by default. In the semi-final, they beat Czechoslovakia 3–0. This sent them to the final against Yugoslavia.

In the final, Yugoslavia scored first. But the Soviet Union, with their famous goalkeeper Lev Yashin, scored to make it 1–1. The game went into extra time. With only seven minutes left, Viktor Ponedelnik scored the winning goal. This made the Soviets the first-ever European champions!

Challenges and Changes in the 1960s

Lev Yashin trying to stop a shot by Argentine player José Sanfilippo in 1961. The Soviet Union won 2–1.

In the 1962 World Cup, the Soviet team was in a group with Yugoslavia, Colombia, and Uruguay. The game against Colombia ended in a 4–4 draw, with Colombia scoring many goals quickly. Goalkeeper Lev Yashin didn't play his best in some games. Many people thought this was why the Soviet team didn't do better in the tournament.

In 1964, the Soviet Union tried to win the European Championship again. They beat Italy and Sweden to reach the finals in Spain. In the semi-finals, they defeated Denmark 3–0. But in the final, Spain, the host country, scored a late goal to win 2–1. The Soviet team finished second.

Reaching the World Cup Semi-finals

The 1966 FIFA World Cup was the best World Cup for the Soviet Union team. They finished in fourth place. They were in a group with North Korea, Italy, and Chile. The Soviet team won all three of their group matches. They then beat Hungary in the quarter-finals, thanks to great play from Lev Yashin. However, they lost to West Germany in the semi-finals and then to Portugal in the third-place match. The 1966 team scored 10 goals, making it one of their highest-scoring World Cup teams.

For the Euro 1968, only four teams reached the finals in Italy. The semi-final match between the Soviet Union and Italy ended 0–0. Instead of playing again, they decided who would go to the final by flipping a coin! Italy won the coin toss and went on to become European champions. On June 8, 1968, the Soviets lost to England in the third-place match.

More Tournaments and Later Struggles

The 1970 World Cup began with a match between Mexico and the Soviet Union. In this game, the Soviet team made the first-ever substitution in World Cup history. They also played against Belgium and El Salvador in their group. The Soviet team easily made it to the quarter-finals. However, they lost to Uruguay in extra time. This was the last time the Soviet Union reached the World Cup quarter-finals.

The finals of the 1972 European Championships had only four teams. The Soviets beat Hungary 1–0. The final was against West Germany. West Germany won the match, thanks to their great player Gerd Müller. The Soviet Union finished as runners-up in this tournament.

Tough Times in the 1970s

The Soviet Union playing Argentina in Buenos Aires, November 1976.

After finishing second in Euro 1972, the rest of the 1970s were difficult for the Soviet team. They were not allowed to play in the 1974 World Cup. This was because they refused to play against Chile after a political event in Chile in 1973. They also failed to qualify for the 1978 World Cup and the European Championships in 1976 and 1980.

Return to the World Stage

Soviet Union vs Belgium at the 1986 World Cup.

The 1982 World Cup was the first major tournament for the Soviet Union in ten years. They were in a group with Brazil, Scotland, and New Zealand. They lost to Brazil in their first game. They were knocked out in the second group stage after beating Belgium 1–0 and drawing 0–0 with Poland. In 1984, they again failed to qualify for the European Championships. However, they did qualify for the 1986 World Cup. They were in a group with Hungary, France, and Canada.

The Soviet team played very well in the group stage, scoring nine goals and finishing first in their group. But they lost to Belgium 3–4 after extra time in the Round of 16. Even though they didn't go far in the cup, this team scored 12 goals, which was the most goals ever for a Soviet team in a World Cup.

The Final Years and Breakup

After missing three European Cups in a row (1976, 1980, 1984), the Soviets qualified for the 1988 tournament. This was the last time the Soviet Union national football team played in the European Championship. The finals were in West Germany. The Soviet Union finished first in their group, even above the Netherlands. They then beat Italy 2–0 in the semi-final. In the final, they played the Netherlands again. This time, the Netherlands won 2–0 and became European champions.

The last big championship for the Soviet team was the 1990 FIFA World Cup. They were in a group with Argentina, Romania, and Cameroon. Their only win was a 4–0 victory against Cameroon. They lost their other matches and did not make it out of the group stage. The Soviet Union qualified for Euro 1992. But because the Soviet Union broke apart, their spot was taken by the CIS national football team, which was made up of players from the newly independent countries. After that tournament, the former Soviet countries played as separate nations. FIFA gave the Soviet team's records to Russia.

Team Kits

The Soviet team in 1925.

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

Home Stadiums

The Soviet Union played their home games at different stadiums. The main one was the Central Lenin Stadium in Moscow.

Player Records

Oleg Blokhin is the Soviet Union's top goalscorer and played the most games for the team.

Team Achievements

Major Competitions

• 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 Tournaments

• Nehru Cup
  • Champions (1): 1985

Summary of Medals

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

In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de la Unión Soviética para niños

• Russia national football team
• CIS national football team
• Soviet Union women's national football team