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Yugoslavia national football team facts for kids

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This page is about the 1920–92 team representing the SFR Yugoslavia and its predecessor states. For the team representing the union of Serbia and Montenegro after the breakup of Yugoslavia, see Federal Republic of Yugoslavia national football team.
Quick facts for kids
Yugoslavia
to 1920–1992
Yugoslavia–Football–1920–1945.png Yugoslav Football Federation 1990.png
 (1920–1941) and  (1945–1992)
Nickname(s) Plavi (The Blues)
Brazilians of Europe
Association Football Association
of Yugoslavia
Most caps Dragan Džajić (85)
Top scorer Stjepan Bobek (38)
Home stadium Stadium Rajko Mitić, Belgrade
FIFA code YUG
First colours
Second colours
First international
 Czechoslovakia 7–0 Kingdom of SCS 
(Antwerp, Belgium; 28 August 1920)
Biggest win
 Yugoslavia 10–0 Venezuela 
(Curitiba, Brazil; 14 June 1972)
Biggest defeat
 Czechoslovakia 7–0 Kingdom of SCS 
(Antwerp, Belgium; 28 August 1920)
 Uruguay 7–0 Kingdom of SCS 
(Paris, France; 26 May 1924)
 Czechoslovakia 7–0 Kingdom of SCS 
(Prague, Czechoslovakia; 28 October 1925)
World Cup
Appearances 8 (first in 1930)
Best result Fourth place (1930, 1962)
European Championship
Appearances 4 (first in 1960)
Best result 2 Runners-up (1960, 1968)
Medal record
Men's Football
UEFA European Championship
Silver 1960 France Team
Silver 1968 Italy Team
Olympic Games
Gold 1960 Rome Team
Silver 1948 London Team
Silver 1952 Helsinki Team
Silver 1956 Melbourne Team
Bronze 1984 Los Angeles Team
Balkan Cup
Gold 1934–35 Greece Team
Gold 1935 Bulgaria Team
Mediterranean Games
Gold 1971 İzmir Team
Gold 1979 Split Team

The Yugoslavia national football team represented Yugoslavia in international association football.

Although the team mainly represented the pre-war Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the post-war SFR Yugoslavia, various iterations of the state were formally constituted in football, including the:

It enjoyed success in international competition, reaching the semi-finals at the 1930 and 1962 FIFA World Cups. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international competition as part of the United Nations sanctions on Yugoslavia.

History

The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes at the Summer Olympics in 1924 (left) and 1928 (right)

The first national team was in the kingdom that existed between the two world wars. The Football Federation of what was then the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was founded in Zagreb in 1919 under the name Jugoslavenski nogometni savez (and admitted into FIFA), and the national team played its first international game at the Summer Olympics in Antwerp in 1920. The opponent was Czechoslovakia, and the historic starting eleven that represented Kingdom of SCS on its debut were: Dragutin Vrđuka, Vjekoslav Župančić, Jaroslav Šifer, Stanko Tavčar, Slavin Cindrić, Rudolf Rupec, Dragutin Vragović, Artur Dubravčić, Emil Perška, Ivan Granec, and Jovan Ružić. They lost by a huge margin 0–7, but nonetheless got their names in the history books.

1930 World Cup

Yugoslavia nationalteam 1930
A Yugoslavia line-up at the 1930 FIFA World Cup

In 1929, the country was renamed to Yugoslavia and the football association became Fudbalski savez Jugoslavije and ordered to move its headquarters from Zagreb to Belgrade. The national team participated at the 1930 FIFA World Cup, finishing in fourth place. In its first ever World Cup match in Montevideo's Parque Central, Yugoslavia managed a famous 2–1 win versus mighty Brazil, with the following starting eleven representing the country: Milovan Jakšić, Branislav Sekulić, Aleksandar Tirnanić, Milutin Ivković, Ivica Bek, Momčilo Đokić, Blagoje Marjanović, Milorad Arsenijević, Đorđe Vujadinović, Dragoslav Mihajlović, and Ljubiša Stefanović. The team was the youngest squad at the inaugural World Cup at an average age of just under 22 years old, and became quite popular among the Uruguayan public, who dubbed them "Los Ichachos". The national team consisted of players based in Serbian football clubs, while the Zagreb Subassociation forbid players from Croatian clubs, some of whom were regulars in the national team until then, to play in the World Cup due to the relocation of football association's headquarters from Zagreb to Belgrade.

Post-World War II period

The federation and football overall was disrupted by World War II. After the war, a socialist federation was formed and the football federation reconstituted. It was one of the founding members of the UEFA in 1954.

Silver Medal at 1948 Summer Olympics

Yugoslavia began their football campaign by defeating Luxembourg 6–1, with five different players scoring the goals. In the quarter-finals and the semi-finals, they would take out Turkey and Great Britain by the same score of 3–1. In the final though, they would lose to Sweden.

Silver Medal at 1952 Summer Olympics

Having a team with many players from the 1948 generation, Yugoslavia was a formidable side at the 1952 Summer Olympics and finished as runners-up behind the famous "Golden Team" representing Hungary. Against the USSR, Yugoslavia was 5–1 up with 15 minutes of their first round match to go. The Yugoslavs, understandably, put their feet up. Arthur Ellis, the match referee, recorded what happened next in his book, The Final Whistle (London, 1963): "The USSR forced the most honourable draw ever recorded! [Vsevolod] Bobrov, their captain, scored a magnificent hat-trick. After the USSR had reduced the lead to 5–2, he, almost single-handed, took the score to 5–5, scoring his third in the last minute. For once, use of the word sensational was justified." Although Bobrov's early goal in their replay presaged a miraculous recovery, Yugoslavia recovered sufficiently to put out their opponents easily in the second half.

Later decades

In 1976, Yugoslavia organized the European Championship played in Belgrade and Zagreb. The national team participated in eight World Cups and four Euros, won the Olympic football tournament in 1960 at the Summer Games (they also finished second three times and third once), and developed a reputation for skillful and attacking football, leading them to be dubbed "the Brazilians of Europe".

Dragan Džajić holds the record for the most national team caps at 85, between 1964 and 1979. The best scorer is Stjepan Bobek with 38 goals, between 1946 and 1956.

Dissolution and UN embargo

With the end of the Cold War, democratic principles were introduced to the country which brought about the end of Titoist rule. In the subsequent atmosphere, national tensions were heightened. At the Yugoslavia-Netherlands friendly in preparation for the 1990 World Cup, the Croatian crowd in Zagreb jeered the Yugoslav team and anthem and waved Dutch flags (owing to its resemblance to the Croatian tricolour). With the dissolution of Yugoslavia, the team split up and the remaining team of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) was banned from competing at Euro 92. The decision was made on 31 May 1992, just 10 days before the competition commenced. They had finished top of their qualifying group, but were unable to play in the competition due to United Nations Security Council Resolution 757. Their place was taken by Denmark, who went on to win the competition.

After the breakup of Yugoslavia, the FRY consisted of Montenegro and Serbia.

In 1992, Yugoslavia had also been drawn as the second seed in Group 5 of the European Zone in the qualifying tournament for the 1994 World Cup. FRY was barred from competing, rendering the group unusually weak.

In 1994, when the boycott was lifted, the union of Serbia and Montenegro competed under the name "Yugoslavia", as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia national football team. The Serbia and Montenegro national team continued under Yugoslavia's naming until 2003 when the country and team were renamed Serbia and Montenegro.

The Serbia national football team inherited Yugoslavia's spot within FIFA and UEFA and is considered by both organizations as the only successor of Yugoslavia (and of Serbia and Montenegro).

Youth teams

The under-21 team won the inaugural UEFA U-21 Championship in 1978.

The Yugoslav under-20 team won the FIFA World Youth Championship 1987.

Kits

1930
1950–1968
1974
1976
1982
1984
1990–1991
1992–1996
1996–1997
(as FR Yugoslavia)
1998
2000–2001
2002–2003

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
Uruguay 1930 Semi-finals 4th 3 2 0 1 7 7 Squad Invited
Italy 1934 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 3 4
France 1938 2 1 0 1 1 4
Brazil 1950 Group stage 5th 3 2 0 1 7 3 Squad 5 3 2 0 16 6
Switzerland 1954 Quarter-final 7th 3 1 1 1 2 3 Squad 4 4 0 0 4 0
Sweden 1958 Quarter-final 5th 4 1 2 1 7 7 Squad 4 2 2 0 7 2
Chile 1962 Fourth place 4th 6 3 0 3 10 7 Squad 4 3 1 0 11 4
England 1966 Did not qualify 6 3 1 2 10 8
Mexico 1970 6 3 1 2 19 7
West Germany 1974 Second group stage 7th 6 1 2 3 12 7 Squad 5 3 2 0 8 4
Argentina 1978 Did not qualify 4 1 0 3 6 8
Spain 1982 Group stage 16th 3 1 1 1 2 2 Squad 8 6 1 1 22 7
Mexico 1986 Did not qualify 8 3 2 3 7 8
Italy 1990 Quarter-final 5th 5 3 1 1 8 6 Squad 8 6 2 0 16 6
Total Fourth place 8/14 33 14 7 12 55 42 – 66 38 15 13 130 68

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
France 1960 Runners-up 2nd 2 1 0 1 6 6 Squad 4 2 1 1 9 4
Spain 1964 Did not qualify 4 2 1 1 6 5
Italy 1968 Runners-up 2nd 3 1 1 1 2 3 Squad 6 4 1 1 14 5
Belgium 1972 1/4 playoffs 8 3 4 1 7 5
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1976 Fourth place 4th 2 0 0 2 4 7 Squad 8 6 1 1 15 5
Italy 1980 Did not qualify 6 4 0 2 14 6
France 1984 Group stage 8th 3 0 0 3 2 10 Squad 6 3 2 1 12 11
West Germany 1988 Did not qualify 6 4 0 2 13 9
Sweden 1992 Banned after qualification 8 7 0 1 24 4
Total Runners-up 4/9 10 2 1 7 14 26 – 56 35 10 11 114 54
*Denotes draws including knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Mediterranean Games

Yugoslavia Olympic football team

Player statistics

Most capped players

Dragan Džajić
Dragan Džajić is the most capped player in the history of Yugoslavia with 85 caps.
Rank Name Caps Goals Position Career
1 Dragan Džajić 85 23 MF 1964–1979
2 Zlatko Vujović 70 25 FW 1979–1990
3 Branko Zebec 65 17 DF 1951–1961
4 Stjepan Bobek 63 38 FW 1946–1956
5 Faruk Hadžibegić 61 6 DF 1982–1992
Branko Stanković 3 DF 1946–1956
7 Ivica Horvat 60 0 DF 1946–1956
8 Vladimir Beara 59 0 GK 1950–1959
Rajko Mitić 32 FW 1946–1957
Bernard Vukas 22 MF 1948–1957

Top goalscorers

Stjepan Bobek
Stjepan Bobek is the top scorer in the history of Yugoslavia with 38 goals.
Rank Name Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Stjepan Bobek 38 63 0.60 1946–1956
2 Milan Galić 37 51 0.73 1959–1965
Blagoje Marjanović 58 0.64 1926–1938
4 Rajko Mitić 32 59 0.54 1946–1957
5 Dušan Bajević 29 37 0.78 1970–1977
6 Todor Veselinović 28 37 0.76 1953–1961
7 Borivoje Kostić 26 33 0.79 1956–1964
8 Zlatko Vujović 25 70 0.36 1970–1977
9 Dragan Džajić 23 84 0.27 1964–1979
10 Bernard Vukas 22 59 0.37 1948–1958

Notable players

Goalkeepers
  • Vladimir Beara 1953

    Vladimir Beara played 59 matches from 1950 to 1959

  • Milutin Šoškić

    Milutin Šoškić played 50 matches from 1959 to 1966

Defenders
  • Milutin Ivković (1928)

    Milutin Ivković played for Yugoslavia from 1925 to 1934 and captained the team in 1930 FIFA World Cup

  • Milorad Arsenijević (1928)

    Milorad Arsenijević played for Yugoslavia from 1927 to 1934

  • Stankovic-branko

    Branko Stanković played for Yugoslavia from 1946 to 1956

  • Branko Zebec 1953

    Branko Zebec played for Yugoslavia from 1951 to 1961 and captained the team in 1958 FIFA World Cup

  • Fahrudin Jusufi (1966)

    Fahrudin Jusufi played for Yugoslavia from 1959 to 1967

  • Velibor Vasovic

    Velibor Vasović played for Yugoslavia from 1961 to 1966

Midfielders
  • Aleksandar Tirnanić

    Aleksandar Tirnanić played in the 1930 FIFA World Cup and managed the team from 1953 to 1960

  • Zlatko Čajkovski 1953

    Zlatko Čajkovski played 55 matches for the team from 1946 to 1955

  • Vukas

    Bernard Vukas played 59 matches for the team from 1948 to 1957

  • Vujadin Boškov (1976)

    Vujadin Boškov played for the team from 1951 to 1958

  • Dragoslav Sekularac Serbian White Eagles banquet 2007

    Dragoslav Šekularac played for the team from 1956 to 1966

  • Dragan Džajić

    Dragan Džajić was considered by many to be the best player in the history of Yugoslavia

  • Ilija Petković in 2006

    Ilija Petković, explosive right winger played for the team from 1968 to 1974

  • Petrovich

    Vladimir Petrović, creative midfielder played for the team from 1973 to 1982

  • Safet Susic 2013

    Safet Sušić played for the team from 1977 to 1990

  • Драган Стојковић Пикси 2021

    Dragan Stojković played from 1983 until the breakup of Yugoslavia

  • Dejan Savićević

    Dejan Savićević played for the team from 1986 until breakup of Yugoslavia

Forwards
  • Rajko Mitić (1970)

    Rajko Mitić scored 32 goals in 59 matches between 1946 and 1957

  • Stjepan Bobek

    Stjepan Bobek is top goal scorer in the team's history with 38 goals

  • Milutinovic

    Miloš Milutinović scored 16 goals in 33 matches between 1953 and 1958

  • Bora Kostić

    Bora Kostić scored 26 goals in 33 matches between 1956 and 1964

  • Drazan Jerkovic

    Dražan Jerković was a top goal scorer on 1962 FIFA World Cup

  • Milan Galić

    Milan Galić scored 37 goals in 51 matches between 1959 and 1965

  • Josip Skoblar en 1970

    Josip Skoblar, 1971 European Golden Shoe, winner scored 11 goals in 32 matches

  • Dušan Bajević (cropped)

    Dušan Bajević scored 29 goals in 37 matches between 1970 and 1977

  • Дарко Панчев 2020

    Darko Pančev, 1991 European Golden Shoe winner, played for the team from 1984 until breakup of Yugoslavia

Head-to-head record

      Positive Record       Neutral Record       Negative Record

Head coaches

Honours

Major competitions

  • Olympic Games
    • 1 Gold Medal (1): 1960
    • 2 Silver Medal (3): 1948, 1952, 1956
    • 3 Bronze Medal (1): 1984

Regional

  • Balkan Cup
    • 1 Winners (2): 1934–35, 1935
    • 2 Runners-up (6): 1929–31, 1932, 1933, 1946, 1947, 1977–80
    • 3 Third place (1): 1931
  • Mediterranean Games
    • 1 Gold medal (2): 1971, 1979

Friendly

  • 1945 Yugoslav Football Tournament
    • 1 Champions (1): 1945

Summary

Competition 1 2 3 Total
FIFA World Cup 0 0 0 0
Olympic Games 1 3 1 5
UEFA European Championship 0 2 0 2
Total 1 5 1 7

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Yugoslavia para niños

  • List of Yugoslavia international footballers
  • List of Yugoslavia national football team goalscorers
  • Yugoslavia national football team results (1920–41)
  • Yugoslavia national football team results (1946–69)
  • Yugoslavia national football team results (1970–92)
  • Yugoslavia national under-21 football team
  • Yugoslavia national under-20 football team

Teams from successor states

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