The Soviet national youth football team was a special under-18 and under-20 football team of the Soviet Union designated specifically for FIFA World Youth Championship (today FIFA U-20 World Cup). It ceased to exist on the breakup of the Union.
The team was created in 1977 for the newly created FIFA competition for junior teams (among lads, under-18).
With dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Soviet Union youth football team competed at the 1992 UEFA European Under-18 Championship as the CIS youth under-18 football team which qualified for the 1993 FIFA World Youth Championship. That berth was passed over (grandfathered) to the Russia national under-20 football team.
FIFA World Youth Championship Champions Runners-up Third place Fourth place FIFA World Youth Championship recordYearRoundPositionGPWD*LGSGA 1977Champions1st523074 1979 Runners-up2nd6312127 1981Did not qualify 1983Group stage15th300336 1985Fourth place4th6330103 1987Did not qualify 1989Quarter-finals5th4310116 1991Third place3rd631296Total1 title6/83014975232 *Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
Head-to-head record The following table shows Soviet Union's head-to-head record in the FIFA U-20 World Cup. OpponentWin %Total
Head coaches 1977 Sergei Mosyagin 1979 Sergei Korshunov 1983 Nikolay Kiselyov 1985 Sergei Mosyagin 1989 Boris Ignatyev 1991 Gennadi Kostylev
1991 FIFA World Youth Championship The last Soviet U-20 team Head coach Gennadi Kostylev
Notes: All data through December 31, 1991. 1992 transfers: Mandreko moved to Austria (Rapid Wien), Mamchur - Russia (Asmaral Moscow), Bushmanov changed team (CSKA Moscow), Scherbakov - Portugal (Sporting CP), Novosadov changed team (KAMAZ Naberezhnye Chelny), Tumilovich changed team (Belarus Minsk).
See also Soviet Union national football team Soviet Union national under-18 football team Soviet Union national under-16 football team FIFA U-20 World Cup UEFA European Under-19 Championship
External links FIFA Under-20 website Contains full results archive The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation Contains full record of U-20 Championships.