Russia national football team
Encyclopedia
The Russia national football team represents Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

 in association football and is controlled by the Russian Football Union , the governing body for football in Russia
Football in Russia
When the USSR broke down into 15 different countries, the once renowned sports structure collapsed as well. Football was one of the most popular sports in the Soviet Union. While the national teams and the clubs used to be linked to state institutions or mass organizations, in 1991 they became...

. Russia's home grounds are Luzhniki Stadium
Luzhniki Stadium
The Grand Sports Arena of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex in Moscow, or briefly Luzhniki Stadium , is the biggest sports stadium in Russia. Its total seating capacity is 78,360 seats, all covered. The stadium is a part of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex, previously called the Central Lenin Stadium...

, Lokomotiv Stadium
Lokomotiv Stadium
Lokomotiv Stadium may refer to the following stadia:* In Bulgaria:** Lokomotiv Stadium ** Lokomotiv Stadium ** Lokomotiv Stadium ** Lokomotiv Stadium * In Georgia:** Locomotive Stadium * In Russia:...

 (both in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...

), and Petrovsky Stadium
Petrovsky Stadium
The Petrovsky Stadium is a sport complex that consists of a number of sport buildings. One of them is the Grand Sport Arena which is the home of FC Zenit of Saint Petersburg, Russia and for simplicity referred by everyone as Petrovsky Stadium. The complex also contains another football stadium,...

 in St.Petersburg and their head coach is Dick Advocaat
Dick Advocaat
Dirk Nicolaas "Dick" Advocaat is a Dutch football manager and former player currently the manager of the Russia national football team.He has been moderately successful as a football player and as a coach, which included two stints with the Dutch national football team...

. Russia qualified for two World Cups (1994, 2002) and four European Championships
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...

 (1996, 2004, 2008, 2012). Euro 2008 marks the first time they have passed the group stages of a major tournament, these advances are not counting the Soviet Union national team.

FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...

 considers the Russia national team the direct heirs of the CIS
CIS national football team
The CIS national football team represented the Commonwealth of Independent States, a regional confederation formed by 12 of the 15 newly formed sovereign states that emerged out of the break-up of the Soviet Union between 1990 and early 1992...

 and the Soviet Union national teams.

History

After the breakup of the Soviet Union, Russia played its first international match against Mexico on August 16, 1992 winning 2–0 with a team of former Soviet Union players from the other republics.

Beginning

Led by manager Pavel Sadyrin
Pavel Sadyrin
Pavel Sadyrin was a Soviet and Russian footballer and manager.Sadyrin played as a midfielder for Zvezda Perm and Zenit Leningrad....

, Russia were in Group 5 for the qualification campaign for the 1994 FIFA World Cup
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...

 which consisted of Greece, Iceland, Hungary and Luxembourg. The suspension of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia national football team
The Yugoslavia national football team represented the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in association football. It enjoyed a modicum of success in international competition. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international...

, reduced the group to five teams. Russia eventually qualified alongside Greece with six wins and two draws. Russia went to the USA to start a new era of Russian football as an independent country. Though not considered to be among the strongest teams in the tournament, Russia were seen as fierce opponents. The Russian squad consisted of veterans like goalkeeper Stanislav Cherchesov
Stanislav Cherchesov
Stanislav Salamovich Cherchesov is a Russian football manager and former international goalkeeper for USSR and Russia. He currently manages FC Terek Grozny....

, Aleksandr Borodyuk
Aleksandr Borodyuk
Aleksandr Genrikhovich Borodyuk is a Russian football manager and former international player for USSR and Russia ....

 and players like Viktor Onopko
Viktor Onopko
Viktor Savelyevich Onopko is an association football coach and a former defender and holds the record for most international appearances for the Russian national team...

, Oleg Salenko, Aleksandr Mostovoi, Vladimir Beschastnykh
Vladimir Beschastnykh
Vladimir Yevgenyevich Beschastnykh is a retired association footballer who played forward...

, and Valery Karpin
Valery Karpin
Valeri Georgievich Karpin is a former Russian professional association footballer who played midfielder and former manager of FC Spartak Moscow...

 (some of these players could have chosen to play for example the Ukrainian national football team but the Ukrainian Football Federation had failed to secure recognition in time to compete in the 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification
1994 FIFA World Cup qualification
-Qualified teams:The following 24 teams qualified for the 1994 FIFA World Cup: - qualified automatically as hosts - qualified automatically as defending champions-Notes:...

).

In the final tournament
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...

, Russia was drawn into group B with Cameroon
Cameroon national football team
The Cameroon national football team, nicknamed Les Lions Indomptables , is controlled by the Fédération Camerounaise de Football and is Africa's most successful side in FIFA world cup; having qualified for the FIFA World Cup six times – in 1982, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2010– more than any...

, Sweden
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...

, and Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...

. This was considered a strong group with Russia having limited chances of qualifying for the second round. In their first two games Russia lost 2–0 to Brazil and 3–1 to Sweden. Teetering on elimination, Russia defeated Cameroon 6–1 with Oleg Salenko scoring a record
FIFA World Cup records
This is a list of records of the FIFA World Cup and its qualification matches.-Most championships:5, -Most finishes in the top two:7, ,...

 five goals in a single match. Russia was eliminated from the tournament with three points from one win and two losses. Sadyrin was later sacked following what was a poor performance.

Romantsev era

After Sadyrin was sacked, Oleg Romantsev was appointed coach to lead Russia to Euro 96. Romantsev was expected to qualify Russia for the final tournament and perform well. In his squad he selected many players from the 1994 FIFA World Cup
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...

 like Viktor Onopko
Viktor Onopko
Viktor Savelyevich Onopko is an association football coach and a former defender and holds the record for most international appearances for the Russian national team...

, Aleksandr Mostovoi, Vladimir Beschastnykh
Vladimir Beschastnykh
Vladimir Yevgenyevich Beschastnykh is a retired association footballer who played forward...

, and Valery Karpin
Valery Karpin
Valeri Georgievich Karpin is a former Russian professional association footballer who played midfielder and former manager of FC Spartak Moscow...

. During qualifying, Russia overcame Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...

, Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...

, Finland
Finland national football team
The Finland national football team represents Finland in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Association of Finland....

, San Marino
San Marino national football team
The San Marino national football team is the national football team of San Marino, controlled by the San Marino Football Federation...

, and the Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands national football team
The Faroe Islands national football team represents the Faroe Islands in association football and is controlled by the Faroe Islands Football Association, the governing body for football in the Faroe Islands. The Faroe Islands became a member of FIFA in 1988 and UEFA in 1990 and are the third...

 to finish in first place with eight wins and two draws.

In the final tournament Russia was in Group C with Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....

, Czech Republic
Czech Republic national football team
The Czech Republic national football team represents the Czech Republic in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic, the governing body for football in the Czech Republic. Their current head coach is Michal Bílek...

, and Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...

. Group C was considered the 'group of death' with Russia dubbed the weakest team. Italy beat Russia 2–1. Having lost their first game Russia were not expected to perform well against Germany. To much surprise, though, the first half ended goalless. However Germany went on to win 3–0. Russia's last game against the Czech Republic was to be nothing more than a consolation. The game ended in a 3–3 draw after a late goal from the Czechs, putting them through at the expense of Italy.

1997–1999

After Euro 96, Boris Ignatyev was appointed manager. His goal was to lead Russia to the 1998 FIFA World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...

 in France. He used many players from Euro 96 like Viktor Onopko
Viktor Onopko
Viktor Savelyevich Onopko is an association football coach and a former defender and holds the record for most international appearances for the Russian national team...

, Aleksandr Mostovoi, and Valery Karpin
Valery Karpin
Valeri Georgievich Karpin is a former Russian professional association footballer who played midfielder and former manager of FC Spartak Moscow...

. In the qualifying stage Russia was in group 5 with Bulgaria
Bulgaria national football team
The FIFA Bulgaria national football team is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Luboslav Penev is in charge manager after replacement of Lothar Matthäus...

, Israel
Israel national football team
The Israel national football team is the national football team of Israel, controlled by the Israel Football Association .Israel National Football is the direct successor of the Eretz Yisrael National Team during British Mandate...

, Cyprus
Cyprus national football team
The Cyprus national football team represents Cyprus in association football and is controlled by the Cyprus Football Association, the governing body for football in Cyprus. Cyprus' home ground is the GSP Stadium in Nicosia and the current coach is Nikos Nioplias...

, and Luxembourg
Luxembourg national football team
The Luxembourg national football team is the national football team of Luxembourg, and is controlled by the Luxembourg Football Federation. The team play most of their home matches at the Stade Josy Barthel, in Luxembourg.- History :...

. Russia and Bulgaria were considered the two main contenders to qualify from the group with Israel considered a minor threat. Russia began the campaign with two victories against Cyprus and Luxembourg and two draws against Israel and Cyprus. They continued with victories against Luxembourg and Israel. Russia suffered their only defeat of the campaign with a 1–0 loss to Bulgaria. They ended the campaign with a 4–2 victory in the return game over Bulgaria and qualify for the playoff spot. In the playoffs, Russia was drawn with Italy. In the first leg Russia drew 1–1. In the away leg, Russia was defeated 1–0 and failed to qualify for the World Cup.

After failing to qualify for the World Cup in France, Russia were determined to qualify for the UEFA Euro 2000 co-hosted by Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

. Anatoliy Byshovets was appointed as Russia manager. Byshovets made very little changes to squad by recalling players from the previous generations. Byshovets did call up striker Alexander Panov. Russia were drawn in group 4 for the qualifying round with France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...

, Ukraine
Ukraine national football team
The Ukraine national football team is the national football team of Ukraine and is controlled by the Football Federation of Ukraine. After Ukrainian Independence and breakaway from the Soviet Union, they played their first match against Hungary on 29 April 1992...

, Iceland
Iceland national football team
The Iceland national football team is the national football team of Iceland and is controlled by the Football Association of Iceland. It has never advanced to the finals of any major international competition....

, Armenia
Armenia national football team
The Armenia national football team represents Armenia in association football and is controlled by the Football Federation of Armenia, the governing body for football in Armenia...

, and Andorra
Andorra national football team
The Andorra national football team represents Andorra in association football and is controlled by the Andorran Football Federation, the governing body for football in Andorra. The team has enjoyed very little success due to the Principality's tiny population, the fourth smallest of any UEFA...

. Russia and France were considered as favorites for the top two spots with Ukraine being an outside contenders. Russia began their campaign with three straight defeats to Ukraine, France, and Iceland. Outraged by this result, the Russian Football Union immediately sacked Byshovets and reappointed Oleg Romantsev as manager. The reappointment of Romanstev as manager brought an complete turn around to Russia's campaign. They went on to win their next six games including a 3–2 victory over France at the Stade de France
Stade de France
The Stade de France is the national stadium of France, situated just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis. It has an all-seater capacity of 80,000, making it the fifth largest stadium in Europe, and is used by both the France national football team and French rugby union team for...

. In their last game against Ukraine, a win for Russia would have resulted in outright qualification as the winners of the group, having an identical head-to-head record with France (a 3-2 win and a 3-2 loss), while possessing a superior goal difference. Russia took a 1-0 lead, however the game finished 1–1 after a terrible mistake of the goalkeeper Alexandr Filimonov late in the game. Russia finished third in the group, failing to qualify for their second major tournament in succession.

Revival

Oleg Romantsev remained as manager of the national team to supervise their qualification campaign to the 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...

 in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

 and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. In the preliminary stage Russia was in group 1 with Slovenia
Slovenia national football team
The Slovenia national football team is the national football team of Slovenia and is controlled by the Football Association of Slovenia. The team played their first match in 1992 after the split of Yugoslavia in 1991....

, FR Yugoslavia
Serbia national football team
The Serbia national football team represents Serbia in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Serbia, the governing body for football in Serbia. Serbia's home ground is Stadion Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade and their last head coach was Vladimir Petrović...

, and Switzerland
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...

, Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands national football team
The Faroe Islands national football team represents the Faroe Islands in association football and is controlled by the Faroe Islands Football Association, the governing body for football in the Faroe Islands. The Faroe Islands became a member of FIFA in 1988 and UEFA in 1990 and are the third...

, and Luxembourg
Luxembourg national football team
The Luxembourg national football team is the national football team of Luxembourg, and is controlled by the Luxembourg Football Federation. The team play most of their home matches at the Stade Josy Barthel, in Luxembourg.- History :...

. Russia were once again considered the favourites to qualify along with either Switzerland or Yugoslavia. Russia finished their campaign in first place to qualify directly managing seven wins, two draws, and a loss.

At the final tournament of the 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...

 campaign in Korea and Japan, Russia was drawn into group H with Belgium, Tunisia
Tunisia national football team
The Tunisia national football team , nicknamed Les Aigles de Carthage , is the national team of Tunisia and is controlled by the Fédération Tunisienne de Football. They have qualified for four FIFA World Cups, the first one in 1978, but have yet to make it out of the first round...

, and Japan
Japan national football team
The Japan national football team represents Japan in association football and is operated by the Japan Football Association, the governing body for association football in Japan...

. Group H was considered the weakest group of the tournament and Russia were considered serious contenders to qualify for the second round. In their first game Russia achieved a 2–0 victory over Tunisia. Russia lost their next match to Japan 1–0 causing riots to erupt in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...

. For their last game against Belgium, Russia needed a draw to take them to the second round. Russia lost 3–2 and was eliminated.

Oleg Romantsev was sacked immediately following the tournament and replaced with CSKA's Valery Gazzaev
Valery Gazzaev
Valery Georgievich Gazzaev is a Russian football manager and former footballer who is currently the president of FC Alania Vladikavkaz. As a Soviet footballer he played the position of a striker enjoying successes with his team FC Dynamo Moscow as well as the USSR national football team in the...

. Gazzaev's task looked difficult as Russia's group consisted of Switzerland
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...

, Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

, Albania
Albania national football team
The Albania national association football team is the national association football team of Albania and is controlled by the Football Association of Albania...

, and Georgia
Georgia national football team
The Georgia national football team is the national association football team of Georgia and is controlled by the Georgian Football Federation. The Georgian team's first match took place in 1990, while Georgia was still part of the Soviet Union. The team have attempted to qualify for each major...

 with the Irish considered favourites and an improving Swiss side as an increasing threat. Russia began their campaign with home victories against the Republic of Ireland and Albania. However, they suffered a major setback after losing their next two games away to Albania and Georgia which put Gazzaev's career in jeopardy. He was promptly sacked after a disappointing draw with Switzerland in Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...

. Russia managed a 1–1 draw with the Republic of Ireland in Dublin before Georgi Yartsev
Georgi Yartsev
Georgi Aleksandrovich Yartsev is a soccer coach and former player, until 2005 the head coach of the Russian national team....

 was appointed manager. Yartsev managed to qualify Russia for a playoff spot with Wales after home victories to Switzerland and Georgia. In the first playoff leg Russia drew 0–0 with Wales in Moscow. In Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...

, Russia emerged with victory 1–0 from a Vadim Evseev
Vadim Evseev
Vadim Valentinovich Evseev is a Russian footballer, who is currently playing for Belarusian Premier League side Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino and is a former Russian international....

 header to qualify for Euro 2004. The victory was overshadowed when Russian midfielder Yegor Titov tested positive for drugs. Amidst calls for Russia to be disqualified, Titov was given a one-year ban on February 15, 2004.

In Euro 2004, Russia was in group A with Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...

, Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...

, and Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...

. On June 12, the first day of the tournament, Russia lost to Spain 1–0. Four days later, Russia faced hosts Portugal. Portugal went on to win 2–0. In Russia's final game they won 2–1 against Greece as they were eliminated from Euro 2004.

In the 2006 World Cup qualifying tournament
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
A total of 197 teams entered the qualification process for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. Germany, as the host, qualified automatically, leaving 31 spots open for competition...

, Russia was drawn into group 3 with Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...

, Slovakia
Slovakia national football team
The Slovakia national football team represents Slovakia in association football and is controlled by the Slovak Football Association , the governing body for football in Slovakia. Slovakia's home stadium is Štadión Pasienky and their head coach is Vladimír Weiss...

, Estonia
Estonia national football team
The Estonia national football team represents Estonia in international association football. Team members are selected by the head coach of Estonian Football Association . Estonia play their home matches at the A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn, Estonia....

, Latvia
Latvia national football team
The Latvian national football team is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Latvia and represents the country in international football competitions, such as the World Cup and the European Championships. So far, they have never qualified for a FIFA World...

, Luxembourg
Luxembourg national football team
The Luxembourg national football team is the national football team of Luxembourg, and is controlled by the Luxembourg Football Federation. The team play most of their home matches at the Stade Josy Barthel, in Luxembourg.- History :...

, and Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein national football team
The Liechtenstein national football team is the national football team of Liechtenstein and is controlled by the Liechtenstein Football Association. The organisation is known as the Liechtensteiner Fussballverband in German. The team's first match was an unofficial match against Malta in Seoul, a...

. Russia began qualification with a 1–1 draw against Slovakia on September 4, 2004 in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...

. They seemed to pick up some pace with 4–0 win over Luxembourg, but suffered a 7–1 defeat against Portugal in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...

. Victories against Estonia and Liechtenstein seemed to put them back on track but a 1–1 draw with Estonia
Estonia national football team
The Estonia national football team represents Estonia in international association football. Team members are selected by the head coach of Estonian Football Association . Estonia play their home matches at the A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn, Estonia....

 on March 30, 2005 in Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...

 was a major disappointment which saw the end of Georgi Yartsev's reign. It was also one of the greatest results in Estonian football history. Under new manager Yuri Semin
Yuri Semin
Yuri Syomin is a Russian football coach and the current manager of FC Dynamo Kyiv. He is most notable for his former work as FC Lokomotiv Moscow manager and president.-Biography:...

, Russia were able to rekindle their hopes with a 2–0 win against Latvia before a 1–1 draw in Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...

 on August 17, 2005. Russia seemed to redeem themselves with victories against Liechtenstein, Luxembourg and a 0–0 draw against Portugal. In their final game Russia needed to win against Slovakia in Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...

. After a 0–0 draw Slovakia advanced to the playoffs above Russia on goal difference. Russia finished third with 23 points and suffered their biggest loss ever, 7–1 against Portugal in Lisbon, failing to qualify for the play-offs.

Euro 2008

Having failed to qualify Russia for the 2006 World Cup, Yuri Semin stepped down several weeks later and Russia began looking for a new manager. It was clear that a foreign manager would be needed as most of the high profile Russian coaches were not successful with the national team. On April 10, 2006, it was announced that then Australia manager Guus Hiddink
Guus Hiddink
Guus Hiddink is a Dutch football manager and former player. He was the most recently manager of the Turkish national football team. He is considered to be one of the best managers of his generation and was the best-paid coach in international football in 2009...

 would lead Russia in the Euro 2008 qualification campaign.

For the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, Russia were drawn into group E
2008 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying Group E
-Standings:Key:*Teams highlighted in green qualified for the finals.Notes on the qualified teams:*Croatia secured qualification to the tournament finals on 17 November 2007 following Israel's 2–1 win against Russia, becoming the seventh team in the whole of the qualification stage to do so.*Russia...

 with England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...

, Croatia
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...

, Israel
Israel national football team
The Israel national football team is the national football team of Israel, controlled by the Israel Football Association .Israel National Football is the direct successor of the Eretz Yisrael National Team during British Mandate...

, Macedonia, Estonia
Estonia national football team
The Estonia national football team represents Estonia in international association football. Team members are selected by the head coach of Estonian Football Association . Estonia play their home matches at the A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn, Estonia....

, and Andorra
Andorra national football team
The Andorra national football team represents Andorra in association football and is controlled by the Andorran Football Federation, the governing body for football in Andorra. The team has enjoyed very little success due to the Principality's tiny population, the fourth smallest of any UEFA...

. Led by Guus Hiddink, Russia began their Euro 2008 campaign by drawing with Croatia 0–0 and Israel 1–1 at home. They picked up momentum with a 2–0 win against Macedonia in Skopje
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...

, and 2–0 home and away wins against Estonia. On June 2, 2007, Russia defeated Andorra 4–0 in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...

 with Aleksandr Kerzhakov
Aleksandr Kerzhakov
Aleksandr Anatolyevich Kerzhakov is a Russian international association football striker currently playing for Russian Premier League club Zenit St. Petersburg.-Zenit:...

 scoring a hat-trick and an additional goal scored by Dmitriy Sychev. Russia then defeated Macedonia 3–0. Russia's campaign suffered a setback in September 2007 when they lost 3–0 to England at Wembley. In the return game in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...

, Russia fell to an early goal from Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney
Wayne Mark Rooney is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Manchester United and the England national team...

. During the second half Russia came from behind to win 2–1 with Roman Pavlyuchenko
Roman Pavlyuchenko
Roman Anatolyevich Pavlyuchenko is an footballer who currently plays as a centre forward for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and for the Russian national team.-Spartak Moscow:...

 scoring both goals. At the time England were the strongest team defensively in the whole qualifying campaign. On November 17, 2007, Russia suffered a 2–1 defeat to Israel to put qualification hopes in jeopardy. Despite the defeat, Russia still managed to qualify with a 1–0 win over Andorra while England suffered a 3–2 defeat to Croatia, at Wembley
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...

. Russia were able to qualify in second place with 24 points, 1 point above England who had 23 points.

Prior to Euro 2008, Russia lost to Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...

 and defeated Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan national football team
The Kazakhstan national football team represents Kazakhstan in international men's association football and is directed by Football Federation of Kazakhstan. They split from the Soviet Union national football team after independence in 1991 and joined the Asian Football Confederation's Central and...

, Serbia
Serbia national football team
The Serbia national football team represents Serbia in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Serbia, the governing body for football in Serbia. Serbia's home ground is Stadion Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade and their last head coach was Vladimir Petrović...

, and Lithuania
Lithuania national football team
The national football team of Lithuania is under the auspices of the Lithuanian Football Federation. It played its first match in 1923. In 1940, Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union; the country regained its independence in 1990 and played their first match as a new nation against Georgia on...

 in friendlies
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...

, but their win over Serbia came at a price. In the victory against Serbia, then number one striker Pavel Pogrebnyak
Pavel Pogrebnyak
Pavel Viktorovich Pogrebnyak is an association footballer currently plays as a striker with German side VfB Stuttgart and the Russian national team...

 suffered a severe injury which caused him to miss the entire Euro 2008 tournament.

In the Euro 2008 tournament, Russia were drawn into Group D with Sweden
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...

 and Euro 2004 group rivals Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...

 and Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...

.

On 10 June Russia was heavily beaten by Spain, 1–4, in their opening Euro 2008 game in Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...

. David Villa
David Villa
David Villa Sánchez , nicknamed , is a Spanish footballer who currently plays as a striker for FC Barcelona and the Spanish national football team. He can also operate as a winger....

 scored a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...

 and Cesc Fàbregas
Cesc Fàbregas
Francesc "Cesc" Fàbregas i Soler is a Spanish footballer who plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club FC Barcelona.Fàbregas started his career as a trainee with Barcelona but was signed by Premier League side Arsenal in September 2003 at the age of 16...

 added a fourth after Roman Pavlyuchenko
Roman Pavlyuchenko
Roman Anatolyevich Pavlyuchenko is an footballer who currently plays as a centre forward for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and for the Russian national team.-Spartak Moscow:...

 had scored a consolation header. Russia quickly rebounded however and won their next game against Greece, 1–0, with Konstantin Zyryanov
Konstantin Zyryanov
Konstantin Georgiyevich Zyryanov is an association footballer who currently plays for Zenit Saint Petersburg and the Russian national team....

 being the lone goal scorer. The third game at Innsbruck stadium saw Russia as 2–0 victor over Sweden, Roman Pavlyuchenko
Roman Pavlyuchenko
Roman Anatolyevich Pavlyuchenko is an footballer who currently plays as a centre forward for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and for the Russian national team.-Spartak Moscow:...

 and Andrei Arshavin having scored. The victory made it possible for the Russian team to qualify further on to the quarterfinals with 6 points, running-up to Spain, who gained 9.

In the quarter-final against The Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...

 (tournament favorite's going into this game), Roman Pavlyuchenko
Roman Pavlyuchenko
Roman Anatolyevich Pavlyuchenko is an footballer who currently plays as a centre forward for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and for the Russian national team.-Spartak Moscow:...

 scored a wonderful volley ten minutes after half-time. With four minutes left in the match, Ruud van Nistelrooy
Ruud van Nistelrooy
Rutgerus Johannes Martinus "Ruud" van Nistelrooy, , is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Málaga CF in Spain's La Liga. He is the second-highest goalscorer in Champions League history with 60 goals...

 scored, to make it 1–1 and put the game into extra time. But Russia remained focused, and regained the lead when Andrei Arshavin raced down the left flank and sent a magnificent cross towards substitute Dmitri Torbinski, who tapped the ball into the net. Arshavin then beat Edwin van der Sar
Edwin van der Sar
Edwin van der Sar OON is a former footballer who played as a goalkeeper for AFC Ajax, Juventus, Fulham and Manchester United. He is the most capped player in the Netherlands national football team's history...

, ending the match 3–1, and sent Russia through to their first major semi final since the breakup of the USSR. In the semi-finals Russia was once again matched up against Spain. On a rainy night in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

, the two teams went into half-time with the score at 0–0. However, Xavi
Xavi
Xavier Hernández i Creus , commonly known as Xavi Hernández or simply Xavi , is a Spanish footballer who plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club FC Barcelona, where he has spent his entire 14-year career....

 put Spain 1–0 just after half-time. Dani Güiza and David Silva
David Silva
David Josué Jiménez Silva is a Spanish footballer who plays for Manchester City and the Spanish national team. Silva is capable of playing on the wing, as a traditional number 10 and sometimes as a supporting striker...

 also scored, making the final score 3–0, and eliminating Russia.

Russia played a friendly match against Holland on August 20, 2008. It ended in a 1–1 draw.

2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification

Russia was drawn to Group 4
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Group 4
The 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group 4 was a UEFA qualifying group for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The group comprised 2006 FIFA World Cup hosts Germany, Russia, Finland, Wales, Azerbaijan and Liechtenstein....

 in qualification for 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...

, competing with Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....

, Finland
Finland national football team
The Finland national football team represents Finland in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Association of Finland....

, Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...

, Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan national football team
The Azerbaijan national football team is the national football team of Azerbaijan and is controlled by Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan...

 and Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein national football team
The Liechtenstein national football team is the national football team of Liechtenstein and is controlled by the Liechtenstein Football Association. The organisation is known as the Liechtensteiner Fussballverband in German. The team's first match was an unofficial match against Malta in Seoul, a...

. The team started the campaign with a 2–1 victory over Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...

. On October 11, Russia lost 2–1, to Germany in a pulsating match despite showing a convincing display. Their next match was against Finland, the team that had succeeded in drawing Germany 3–3 at home stadium. The memories of the loss of the previous match against Germany was eradicated as the squad quickly dominated the game while staging a magnificent performance, which ended 3–0 to Russia (which included two own goals by Finland).
In their next match, they succeeded in getting the better of Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan national football team
The Azerbaijan national football team is the national football team of Azerbaijan and is controlled by Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan...

, due to goals from Roman Pavlyuchenko
Roman Pavlyuchenko
Roman Anatolyevich Pavlyuchenko is an footballer who currently plays as a centre forward for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and for the Russian national team.-Spartak Moscow:...

 and Konstantin Zyryanov
Konstantin Zyryanov
Konstantin Georgiyevich Zyryanov is an association footballer who currently plays for Zenit Saint Petersburg and the Russian national team....

. Four days later, Konstantin Zyryanov
Konstantin Zyryanov
Konstantin Georgiyevich Zyryanov is an association footballer who currently plays for Zenit Saint Petersburg and the Russian national team....

 scored again, playing a key role in Russia's away 1–0 win over Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein national football team
The Liechtenstein national football team is the national football team of Liechtenstein and is controlled by the Liechtenstein Football Association. The organisation is known as the Liechtensteiner Fussballverband in German. The team's first match was an unofficial match against Malta in Seoul, a...

. Their next match was against Finland in Helsinki, where they won 3–0, two goals coming from Aleksandr Kerzhakov
Aleksandr Kerzhakov
Aleksandr Anatolyevich Kerzhakov is a Russian international association football striker currently playing for Russian Premier League club Zenit St. Petersburg.-Zenit:...

 and the third from Zyryanov. Guus Hiddink was praised for the outcome of the match for recalling Kerzhakov, whom made an instant impact upon his return. Russia then faced Liechtenstein again in Saint Petersburg, a powerful strike from Vasili Berezutski and two penalties from Roman Pavlyuchenko
Roman Pavlyuchenko
Roman Anatolyevich Pavlyuchenko is an footballer who currently plays as a centre forward for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and for the Russian national team.-Spartak Moscow:...

 gave Russia a comfortable 3–0 win. Russia's next test was against Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

 in Cardiff. The Welsh side despite playing great football lost 1–3, Russia being the better team. Finland tying 1–1 to Liechtenstein the same day, guaranteed Russia at least a playoff spot, and ultimately setup the biggest match in the group yet, against Germany for top spot. In a thrilling encounter at the packed Luzhniki Stadium, spurred on by 84,500 fans, Russia dominated the chance-count and possession, but were unable to find their finishing touch. Germany took advantage of Russia's attacking misfortunes, Miroslav Klose firing them ahead in the 35th minute, following some neat passing play by Lukas Podolski and Mesut Özil. In the 69th minute, however, Germany's World Cup ambitions were handed a blow after Jerome Boateng, on his international debut, received his second yellow of the match, following a bad challenge on Vladimir Bystrov. This breathed new life into the Russian team, who in the final twenty minutes threw everything they had forward; but their efforts were stopped short time and time again by Rene Adler, who was having the game of his life. In the dying minutes of the match, Russia were denied two consecutive penalties by the Swiss referee Massimo Busacca, which ultimately doomed their claim for salvaging any points from the encounter. This 1–0 victory booked Germany's place in South Africa, while extending Russia's footballing season into the play-offs, which took place in November 2009. Russia's last game of qualification ended a 1–1 draw against Azerbaijan in Baku, captain Andrei Arshavin scoring Russia's lone goal.

On November 14, Russia faced Slovenia in the first-leg of their two legged playoff, where they won 2–1 with two strikes coming from Everton man Diniyar Bilyaletdinov
Diniyar Bilyaletdinov
Diniyar Rinatovich Bilyaletdinov -Lokomotiv Moscow:A native of Moscow, Bilyaletdinov began his career in the Lokomotiv Moscow youth teams. After making his debut in 2004, he became a first team regular. In his first season the club won the Russian Premier League and was named the league's Young...

 in the 40th and 52nd minute, respectively. Nejc Pečnik
Nejc Pecnik
Nejc Pečnik is a Slovenian footballer who plays for FC Krylia Sovetov Samara on loan from C.D. Nacional and the Slovenian national team.-Club career:...

 of Slovenia scored a crucial goal in the 87th minute, which would eventually be the deciding factor in Russia's failure to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. In the return match, Russia lost 1–0 on Slovenian soil in Maribor
Maribor
Maribor is the second largest city in Slovenia with 157,947 inhabitants . Maribor is also the largest and the capital city of Slovenian region Lower Styria and the seat of the Municipality of Maribor....

, and the difference in goals scored away (0–1 in Slovenia's favor) meant that Russia did not qualify for South Africa. On 13 February 2010, it was confirmed that Hiddink leaves his position as manager, with the expiration of his contract on June 30, 2010.

Euro 2012

Russia have directly qualified for Euro 2012 by winning qualifying Group B
UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying Group B
This page shows the standings and results for Group B of the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying tournament.-Standings:- Results and fixtures :...

, beating Slovakia
Slovakia national football team
The Slovakia national football team represents Slovakia in association football and is controlled by the Slovak Football Association , the governing body for football in Slovakia. Slovakia's home stadium is Štadión Pasienky and their head coach is Vladimír Weiss...

, the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....

, Macedonia, Armenia
Armenia national football team
The Armenia national football team represents Armenia in association football and is controlled by the Football Federation of Armenia, the governing body for football in Armenia...

 and Andorra
Andorra national football team
The Andorra national football team represents Andorra in association football and is controlled by the Andorran Football Federation, the governing body for football in Andorra. The team has enjoyed very little success due to the Principality's tiny population, the fourth smallest of any UEFA...

.

Kits

Following the breakup of the Soviet Union's national team the Russian F.A. opted for a separate identity from the Soviet team, replacing the red home kit with a new white strip (often with blue shorts or trim) to reflect the new national flag
Flag of Russia
The flag of Russia is a tricolour flag of three equal horizontal fields, white on the top, blue in the middle and red on the bottom. The flag was first used as an ensign for Russian merchant and war ships and only became official in 1896...

. However, during the late 2000s red was reintroduced officially as an away kit (although it was often preferred to white in home matches). On the 1st of September, 2008 Russia signed a 8 year contract worth $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....

100 million with Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...

, who released a new revamped kit consisting of gold socks, maroon shorts, and a maroon shirt. Their away kit is all white. In the qualifying session for Euro 96, when Reebok
Reebok
Reebok International Limited, a subsidiary of the German sportswear company Adidas since 2005, is a producer of Athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle...

 provided the kits, they appeared in four different strips. Later, the kits were provided by Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...

.
Later in 2011 they returned to use red, with an all red kit with a Russian flag drawing and dark red stars on the chest.

FIFA World Cup record

  • 1930–1990 as
  • 1994–present as

FIFA World Cup record
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...

FIFA World Cup Qualification record
Year Round Position
  1930
1930 FIFA World Cup
The 1930 FIFA World Cup was the inaugural FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in Uruguay from 13 July to 30 July 1930...

Did Not Enter
  1934
1934 FIFA World Cup
The 1934 FIFA World Cup was the second FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in Italy from 27 May to 10 June 1934....

  1938
1938 FIFA World Cup
The 1938 FIFA World Cup was the third staging of the World Cup, and was held in France from 4 June to 19 June. Italy retained the championship, beating Hungary 4–2 in the final.-Host selection:...

  1950
1950 FIFA World Cup
The 1950 FIFA World Cup, held in Brazil from 24 June to 16 July, was the fourth FIFA World Cup. It was the first World Cup since 1938, the planned 1942 and 1946 competitions having been canceled owing to World War II...

  1954
1954 FIFA World Cup
The 1954 FIFA World Cup, the fifth staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Switzerland from 16 June to 4 July. Switzerland was chosen as hosts in July 1946. The tournament set a number of all-time records for goal-scoring, including the highest average goals scored per game...

  1958
1958 FIFA World Cup
The 1958 FIFA World Cup, the sixth staging of the World Cup, was hosted by Sweden from 8 June to 29 June. The tournament was won by Brazil, who beat Sweden 5–2 in the final for their first title. To date, this marks the only occasion that a World Cup staged in Europe was not won by a European...

Quarter Final 7th 5 2 1 2 5 6 5 4 0 1 18 3
  1962
1962 FIFA World Cup
The 1962 FIFA World Cup, the seventh staging of the World Cup, was held in Chile from 30 May to 17 June. It was won by Brazil, who retained the championship by beating Czechoslovakia 3–1 in the final...

Quarter Final 6th 4 2 1 1 9 7 4 4 0 0 11 3
  1966
1966 FIFA World Cup
The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as...

Fourth Place 4th 6 4 0 2 10 6 6 5 0 1 19 6
  1970
1970 FIFA World Cup
The 1970 FIFA World Cup, the ninth staging of the World Cup, was held in Mexico, from 31 May to 21 June. The 1970 tournament was the first World Cup hosted in North America, and the first held outside South America and Europe. In a match-up of two-time World Cup champions, the final was won by...

Quarter Final 5th 4 2 1 1 6 2 4 3 1 0 8 1
  1974
1974 FIFA World Cup
The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, was awarded...

Disqualified 5 3 1 1 5 2
  1978
1978 FIFA World Cup
The 1978 FIFA World Cup, the 11th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Argentina between 1 June and 25 June. The 1978 World Cup was won by Argentina who beat the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time in the final. This win was the first World Cup title for Argentina, who became the fifth...

Did Not Qualify 4 2 0 2 5 3
  1982
1982 FIFA World Cup
The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...

Second Group Stage 7th 5 2 2 1 7 4 8 6 2 0 20 2
  1986
1986 FIFA World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially...

Round of 16 10th 4 2 1 1 12 5 8 4 2 2 13 8
  1990
1990 FIFA World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...

Group Stage 17th 3 1 0 2 4 4 8 4 3 1 11 4
  1994
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...

Group Stage 18th 3 1 0 2 7 6 8 5 2 1 15 4
  1998
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...

Did Not Qualify 8 3 3 2 13 7
    2002
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...

Group Stage 22nd 3 1 0 2 4 4 10 7 2 1 18 5
  2006
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...

Did Not Qualify 12 6 5 1 23 12
  2010
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...

12 8 1 3 21 8
  2014
2014 FIFA World Cup
The 2014 FIFA World Cup will be the 20th FIFA World Cup, an international association football tournament that will take place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014....

To Be Determined
  2018
2018 FIFA World Cup
The bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups was the process by which the locations for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups were selected. The process began officially in March 2009; eleven bids from thirteen countries were received, including one which was withdrawn and one that was...

Qualified as Host
  2022
2022 FIFA World Cup
The 2022 FIFA World Cup will be the 22nd FIFA World Cup, an international association football tournament that is scheduled to take place in 2022 in Qatar. The competition is scheduled to take place in June and July, although proposals have been made for a winter season. The tournament will involve...

To Be Determined
Total Fourth Place 9/19 37 17 6 14 64 44 105 66 22 17 207 70

UEFA European Championship record

  • 1960–1992 as ( replaced Soviet Union for UEFA Euro 1992)
  • 1992– as

UEFA European Championship record
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...

Year Round Position GP W D* L GS GA
  1960 Champions
1960 European Nations' Cup Final
The 1960 European Nations' Cup Final was the final match of the 1960 European Nations' Cup, the first UEFA European Football Championship, UEFA's top football competition for national teams...

1st 2 2 0 0 5 1
  1964 Runners-up
1964 European Nations' Cup Final
The 1964 European Nations' Cup Final was a football match played on 21 June 1964 to determine the winner of the 1964 European Nations' Cup. The match was contested by the 1960 winners, the Soviet Union, and the hosts, Spain, at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid. Spain won the match 2–1, with...

2nd 2 1 0 1 4 2
  1968 Fourth Place 4th 2 0 1 1 0 2
  1972 Runners-up
UEFA Euro 1972 Final
The UEFA Euro 1972 Final was a football match played on 18 June 1972 to determine the winner of UEFA Euro 1972. The match was contested by the Soviet Union, fighting for its second title in the tournament, and the West Germany at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels...

2nd 2 1 0 1 1 3
  1976 Did Not Qualify
  1980
  1984
  1988 Runners-up
UEFA Euro 1988 Final
The UEFA Euro 1988 Final was a football match played on 25 June 1988 to determine the winner of UEFA Euro 1988. The match was contested by the Soviet Union, playing in what would turn out to be the nation's last European Championship, and the Netherlands at the Olympiastadion in Munich...

2nd 5 3 1 1 7 4
  1992 Group Stage 8th 3 0 2 1 1 4
  1996 Group Stage 14th 3 0 1 2 4 8
    2000 Did Not Qualify
  2004 Group Stage 10th 3 1 0 2 2 4
    2008 Semi Final 3rd 5 3 0 2 7 8
    2012 Qualified
  2016
UEFA Euro 2016
The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2016, will be the 15th European Championship for national football teams sanctioned by UEFA. It will be held in the summer of 2016. The host nation was announced to be France on 28 May 2010...

To Be Determined
Total 1 Title 10/14 27 11 5 11 31 36

FIFA Confederations Cup record

FIFA Confederations Cup record
FIFA Confederations Cup
The FIFA Confederations Cup is an association football tournament for national teams, currently held every four years by FIFA. It is contested by the winners of each of the six FIFA confederation championships , along with the FIFA World Cup winner and the host nation, to bring the number of teams...

Year Round Position
  1992
1992 King Fahd Cup
-Semi-finals:-----Third place play-off:-Final:-Goalscorers:2 goals Gabriel Batistuta Bruce Murray1 goal Alberto Acosta Ricardo Altamirano...

Did Not Qualify
  1995
1995 King Fahd Cup
-Group B:---------Third place play-off:-Final:-Goalscorers:3 goals Luis García2 goals Gabriel Batistuta Peter Rasmussen Daniel Amokachi1 goal José Chamot Ariel Ortega Sebastián Rambert Brian Laudrup Michael Laudrup...

  1997
1997 FIFA Confederations Cup
-Group B:---------------------Knockout stage:-Semi-finals:-----Third place play-off:-Final:-Awards:-Top scorers:7 goals Romário5 goals Vladimír Šmicer4 goals Ronaldo-References:...

  1999
1999 FIFA Confederations Cup
-Group B:---------------------Knockout stage:-Semi-finals:-----Third place play-off:-Final:-Awards:-Top scorers:6 goals Cuauhtémoc Blanco Marzouq Al-Otaibi Ronaldinho4 goals Alex3 goals José Manuel Abundis Zé Roberto-Notes:...

    2001
2001 FIFA Confederations Cup
-Group B:---------------------Knockout stage:-Semi-finals:-----Third place play-off:-Final:-Awards:-Top scorers:2 goals Shaun Murphy Éric Carrière Robert Pirès Patrick Vieira Sylvain Wiltord Takayuki Suzuki Hwang Sun-Hong...

  2003
2003 FIFA Confederations Cup
The 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup football tournament was the sixth FIFA Confederations Cup, held in France in June 2003. France retained the title they had won in 2001, but the tournament was overshadowed by the death of Cameroon player Marc-Vivien Foé, who died of heart failure in his side's...

  2005
2005 FIFA Confederations Cup
-Group B:---------------------Knockout stage:-Semi-finals:-----Third place playoff:-Final:-Awards:-Goal scorers:5 goals Adriano4 goals Luciano Figueroa John Aloisi Michael Ballack...

  2009
2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
The 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup was the eighth Confederations Cup, and was held in South Africa from 14 June to 28 June 2009 as a prelude to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The draw was held on 22 November 2008 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg. The opening match was played at Ellis Park...

  2013
2013 FIFA Confederations Cup
The 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup will be held in Brazil in 2013, as a prelude to the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The tournament is expected to be held from 15–30 June 2013...

To Be Determined
  2017
2017 FIFA Confederations Cup
The 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup is expected to be held in June 2017, as a prelude to the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The host will be Russia as announced on 2 December 2010.- Qualified Teams :...

Host Nation
  2021
2021 FIFA Confederations Cup
The 2021 FIFA Confederations Cup is expected to be held in June 2021, as a prelude to the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The host will be Qatar as announced on 2 December 2010.- Qualified Teams : Excluding possible participation at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup....

To Be Determined

Qualifying campaigns

FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...

European Football Championship
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...

1994
1994 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA – Group 5)
The qualification matches for Group 5 of the European zone of the 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification tournament took place between May 1992 and November 1993.Group 5 consisted of 6 of the 39 teams entered into the European zone: , , , , , and...

 – Finished 2nd in Qualifying group
1996
UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying Group 8
-Standings:-Results and fixtures:------------------------------------------------...

 – Finished 1st in Qualifying group
1998 – Finished 2nd in Qualifying group
Lost to Italy in play-offs
2000 – Finished 3rd in Qualifying group
2002
2002 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 1
The 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group 1 was a UEFA qualifying group for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. The group comprised Faroe Islands, Luxembourg, Russia, Slovenia, Switzerland and Yugoslavia....

 – Finished 1st in Qualifying group
2004
UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying Group 10
Standings and results for Group 10 of the 2004 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying tournament.Group 10 consisted of Albania, Georgia, Republic of Ireland, Russia and Switzerland...

 – Finished 2nd in Qualifying group
Beat Wales in play-offs
UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying play-offs
The UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying play-offs was the last round of qualifying competition for UEFA Euro 2004. It was contested by the ten runners-up from the ten first round groups of the UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying tournament between European national football teams. The winners of each of five home and...

2006 – Finished 3rd in Qualifying group 2008 – Finished 2nd in Qualifying group
2010 – Finished 2nd in Qualifying group
Lost to Slovenia in play-offs
2012
UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying Group B
This page shows the standings and results for Group B of the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying tournament.-Standings:- Results and fixtures :...

 – Finished 1st in Qualifying group
2014
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group F
The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group F is a UEFA qualifying group for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The group comprises Portugal, Russia, Israel, Northern Ireland, Azerbaijan and Luxembourg....

 – not yet started

EFA Euro 2012 qualifying Group B|UEFA Euro 2012 qualification]


Managers

Pavel Sadyrin
Pavel Sadyrin
Pavel Sadyrin was a Soviet and Russian footballer and manager.Sadyrin played as a midfielder for Zvezda Perm and Zenit Leningrad....

 (1992–1994) Oleg Romantsev (1994–1996, 1999–2002) Boris Ignatyev
Boris Ignatyev
Boris Petrovich Ignatyev is a Russian football manager and former player. In 1996-1998 he coached the Russia national team. As of July 2009, he is an assistant manager with FC Lokomotiv Moscow....

 (1996–1998) Anatoli Byshovets (1998) Valeri Gazzaev (2002–2003) Georgi Yartsev
Georgi Yartsev
Georgi Aleksandrovich Yartsev is a soccer coach and former player, until 2005 the head coach of the Russian national team....

 (2003–2005) Yuri Semin
Yuri Semin
Yuri Syomin is a Russian football coach and the current manager of FC Dynamo Kyiv. He is most notable for his former work as FC Lokomotiv Moscow manager and president.-Biography:...

 (2005) Aleksandr Borodyuk
Aleksandr Borodyuk
Aleksandr Genrikhovich Borodyuk is a Russian football manager and former international player for USSR and Russia ....

 (2006), caretaker Guus Hiddink
Guus Hiddink
Guus Hiddink is a Dutch football manager and former player. He was the most recently manager of the Turkish national football team. He is considered to be one of the best managers of his generation and was the best-paid coach in international football in 2009...

 (2006–2010) Dick Advocaat
Dick Advocaat
Dirk Nicolaas "Dick" Advocaat is a Dutch football manager and former player currently the manager of the Russia national football team.He has been moderately successful as a football player and as a coach, which included two stints with the Dutch national football team...

 (2010–present)

Coaching staff

Position Name Notes
Manager  Netherlands Dick Advocaat
Dick Advocaat
Dirk Nicolaas "Dick" Advocaat is a Dutch football manager and former player currently the manager of the Russia national football team.He has been moderately successful as a football player and as a coach, which included two stints with the Dutch national football team...

Assistant Manager  Russia Aleksandr Borodyuk
Aleksandr Borodyuk
Aleksandr Genrikhovich Borodyuk is a Russian football manager and former international player for USSR and Russia ....

Coach
Goalkeeping Coach
Fitness Coach
Physiotherapists
U-21 Manager  Russia Nikolai Pisarev
Nikolai Pisarev
Nikolai Nikolayevich Pisarev is a retired association football player. Currently he coaches the Russia national under-21 football team...

U-19 Manager  Russia Dmitri Alenichev
Dmitri Alenichev
Dmitri Anatolievich Alenitchev is a professional association football coach and a former player and politician. Currently, he is managing the Russia Under-18 national football team.-Biography:...

U-17 Manager  Russia Vladimir Scherbak

Current squad

This is the squad called up for the friendly game against Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...

 on November 11, 2011.
Caps and goals correct as 11 November 2011.
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Recent call-ups

The following players been called up to the Russia squad in the past 12 months.
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Notes: Called up, but did not arrive for reasons of injury

Player records

As of 12 November 2011. Bold indicates active players.
Players with most appearances
RankNameCaps
1 Viktor Onopko
Viktor Onopko
Viktor Savelyevich Onopko is an association football coach and a former defender and holds the record for most international appearances for the Russian national team...

109*
2 Valeri Karpin 72*
3 Vladimir Beschastnykh
Vladimir Beschastnykh
Vladimir Yevgenyevich Beschastnykh is a retired association footballer who played forward...

71
Sergei Ignashevich 71
5 Andrei Arshavin 67
6 Sergei Semak
Sergei Semak
Sergei Bogdanovich Semak is a Russian international football midfielder of Ukrainian origins.-Early life:Semak was born in the selo Sychanskoye in the Voroshilovgradskaya Oblast into a peasant family of modest economical background. He was an excellent student and had an ideal behavior...

65
7 Aleksandr Anyukov
Aleksandr Anyukov
Aleksandr Gennadyevich Anyukov is a Russia international association football defender. He plays and is the current club captain for FC Zenit Saint Petersburg....

62
8 Vasili Berezutskiy 60
9 Aleksandr Kerzhakov
Aleksandr Kerzhakov
Aleksandr Anatolyevich Kerzhakov is a Russian international association football striker currently playing for Russian Premier League club Zenit St. Petersburg.-Zenit:...

57
10 Igor Semshov
Igor Semshov
Igor Petrovich Semshov is a Russian professional footballer who plays for Dynamo Moscow and Russia.- Career :Semshov graduated from the CSKA academy in 1996, but was unable to hold a starting place and left for Torpedo Moscow in 1998 after only two seasons. He played well, and became one of the...

56

* Has also played for USSR
USSR national football team
The Soviet Union National Football Team was the national football team of the Soviet Union. It ceased to exist after the break up of the Union...

 or CIS
CIS national football team
The CIS national football team represented the Commonwealth of Independent States, a regional confederation formed by 12 of the 15 newly formed sovereign states that emerged out of the break-up of the Soviet Union between 1990 and early 1992...

.

Players with most goals
RankNameGoalsCapsAvg/Game
1 Vladimir Beschastnykh
Vladimir Beschastnykh
Vladimir Yevgenyevich Beschastnykh is a retired association footballer who played forward...

26 71 0.366
2 Roman Pavlyuchenko
Roman Pavlyuchenko
Roman Anatolyevich Pavlyuchenko is an footballer who currently plays as a centre forward for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and for the Russian national team.-Spartak Moscow:...

20 45 0.444
3 Aleksandr Kerzhakov
Aleksandr Kerzhakov
Aleksandr Anatolyevich Kerzhakov is a Russian international association football striker currently playing for Russian Premier League club Zenit St. Petersburg.-Zenit:...

17 57 0.298
4 Valeri Karpin 17 72* 0.236
5 Andrei Arshavin 16 67 0.239
6 Dmitri Sychev
Dmitri Sychev
Dmitri Yevgenyevich Sychev is an association footballer. His last name is also transcribed as Sytchev, and his first name as Dmitry or Dmitriy. He has been hailed by the international press as "The Russian Michael Owen" because of his pace and as "The most sensational young Russian forward since...

15 47 0.319
7 Igor Kolyvanov
Igor Kolyvanov
Igor Vladimirovich Kolyvanov is an association footballer and coach. During his playing career he accumulated 90 goals scored in 333 games at the Top level in the Soviet Union as well as in Italy....

12* 35* 0.343
8 Sergei Kiryakov 10* 28* 0.357
9 Aleksandr Mostovoi 10* 50* 0.200
10 Igor Simutenkov
Igor Simutenkov
Igor Vitalyevich Simutenkov is a retired association footballer. Currently, he works as an assistant coach at FC Zenit Saint Petersburg.- Club career :...

9 20 0.450

* Has also scored and played for USSR or CIS.
Several players have 50 or more appearances for USSR/CIS and Russia combined: Aleksandr Mostovoi (65), Andrei Kanchelskis
Andrei Kanchelskis
Andrei Antanasovich Kanchelskis is a Ukrainian-born Russian football manager and former association footballer who played as a right winger. Kanchelskis is the only player in history to have scored in each of the Glasgow, Merseyside and Manchester local derbies.Currently, he is managing FC...

 (59), Igor Kolyvanov
Igor Kolyvanov
Igor Vladimirovich Kolyvanov is an association footballer and coach. During his playing career he accumulated 90 goals scored in 333 games at the Top level in the Soviet Union as well as in Italy....

 (59), Yuri Nikiforov
Yuri Nikiforov
Yuri Valeryevich Nikiforov is a retired Ukrainian-Russian footballer who played mainly as a central defender.-Club career:...

 (59). Igor Dobrovolsky has scored 10 goals for USSR/CIS and Russia.

See also

  • Russia national under-21 football team
    Russia national under-21 football team
    The Russia national under-21 football team is overseen by the Russian Football Union. The team competes in the European Under-21 Football Championship, held every two years.- Coaches :-Results:*1994: quarterfinalists...

  • Soviet Union national football team
  • CIS national football team
    CIS national football team
    The CIS national football team represented the Commonwealth of Independent States, a regional confederation formed by 12 of the 15 newly formed sovereign states that emerged out of the break-up of the Soviet Union between 1990 and early 1992...

  • Russia women's national football team
    Russia women's national football team
    The Russia women's national football team represents Russia in international women's football. The team is controlled by the Football Union of Russia and affiliated with UEFA...


Further reading

  • Marc Bennetts (2008). Football Dynamo – Modern Russia and the People's Game. London: Virgin Books. ISBN 0-7535-1319-6

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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