About Russia

The Russian Football Union (RFS) traces its origins to 19 January 1912, when the All-Russian Football Union was established and immediately admitted to FIFA — overseeing 52 organisations across the Russian Empire. A Football Federation of the USSR was formed in 1934, admitted to FIFA in 1946 and to UEFA in 1954. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the modern RFS was formally established on 8 February 1992 and reinstated in FIFA on 3 July 1992.

The Soviet national team, predecessor to Russia, won the inaugural UEFA European Championship in 1960 and reached the final again in 1988. At club level, Spartak Moscow, CSKA Moscow, and Dynamo Moscow were prominent forces in European competition throughout the Soviet era and beyond. Russia hosted the 2018 FIFA World Cup — the first held in Eastern Europe — and the national team reached the quarter-finals on home soil, eliminated by Croatia on penalties. Arshavin, Kerzhakov, and Igor Akinfeev are among the most celebrated players of the modern era.

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, FIFA and UEFA suspended all Russian national teams and clubs from international competition. The RFS considered transferring to the Asian Football Confederation, but voted in December 2023 to remain within UEFA, keeping the option open for future reconsideration. The suspension continues to define the federation's current standing in world football.