Russia national football team

The Russia Football Union was founded on 6 January 1912 in St Petersburg and existed for five years.

Following the 1917 revolution, competitive football did not resume until 1922 and it wasn’t until the 1930s before it was completely revived.

A governing body was reintroduced in 1935 as the football section of the sports ministry. This continued until 1959 when the Football Federation of the USSR (FFUSSR) was created before being incorporated into the sports ministry in 1964.

The political changes during the 1980s and 1990s led to the collapse of the USSR and to the formation of new independent states and football federations.

In February 1992, the Football Union of Russia was formed. Since then, Russia has qualified for two World Cups (1994 and 2002) and four European Championships (1996, 2004, 2008 and 2012).

Without considering the achievements of the previous Soviet Union national teams, the Euro 2008 tournament in Austria and Switzerland under Dutch coach Guus Hiddink was the first time Russia had progressed beyond the group stages of a major tournament.