Russian Empire national football team

The Russian Empire national football team was the association football team representing the Russian Empire from 1910 to 1914.

Russian Empire

1910–1914
Association	All-Russian Football Union (VFS) Всероссийский футбольный союз
Most caps	Vasily Zhitarev (7)
Top scorer	Vasily Zhitarev (4)
FIFA code	RUS
First colours Second colours
First international
Unofficial  Russia 5–4 Bohemia  (Saint Petersburg, Russia; 16 October 1910) Official Finland 2–1 Russia  (Stockholm, Sweden; 30 June 1912)
Last international
Norway 1–1 Russia  (Christiania, Norway; 12 July 1914)
Biggest win
Russia 5–4 Bohemia  (Saint Petersburg, Russia; 16 October 1910)  Russia 1–0 Bohemia  (Moscow, Russia; 23 October 1910)
Biggest defeat
Germany 16–0 Russia  (Stockholm, Sweden; 1 July 1912)
Summer Olympics
Appearances	1 (first in 1912)
Best result	Quarter-finals in 1912

History

The Russian Empire played its first unofficial international in October 1910 against Bohemia national team, of Czech Republic, a 5–4 win.^[1] The All-Russian Football Union was founded in January 1912 and it was admitted to FIFA in the same year. The first official international for the team was the second round match against Finland national team at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, with the Finns competing separately despite being a part of Russia at the time.^[1]

The development of league football in Russia was stopped by the outbreak of First World War in 1914.^[2] Meetings with the Germany national team and France national team were planned for the spring of 1915, but the matches were cancelled. A large number of players were killed in the war and others fled the country after the 1917 October Revolution.^[2] The Soviet Union national football team was formed in August 1923^[3] and it was accepted by FIFA as the successor of the Russian Empire football team, itself becoming the Russia national football team in 1992.

Russian Empire squad at the 1912 Olympics

Managers

• Georges Duperron (1910–1913)
• Robert Fulda (1914)

Competitive record

Olympic Games

Olympic Games record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
1896	No football tournament was held
1900	did not enter
1904
1908
1912	Second round	11th	2	0	0	2	1	18	Squad
Total	Second round	1/4	2	0	0	2	1	18	—

International record

The Russian Empire national football team played a total number of 8 official and 8 unofficial internationals between October 1910 and July 1914.^[1][4]

Date	Location	Venue	Competition	Opponent	Score (1)
16 October 1910	Saint Petersburg, Russia	Sport Stadium	Unofficial match	Bohemia	5–4
23 October 1910	Moscow, Russia	ZKS Stadium	Unofficial match	Bohemia	1–0
2 September 1911	Saint Petersburg, Russia	Nevsky Stadium	Unofficial match	England Amateurs	0–14
3 September 1911	Saint Petersburg, Russia	Nevsky Stadium	Unofficial match	England Amateurs	0–7
4 September 1911	Saint Petersburg, Russia	Nevsky Stadium	Unofficial match	England Amateurs	0–11
6 May 1912	Moscow, Russia	Union Golf Club	Unofficial match	Finland	1–1
30 June 1912	Stockholm, Sweden	Olympic Stadium	Summer Olympics	Finland	1–2
1 July 1912	Stockholm, Sweden	Olympic Stadium	Summer Olympics	Germany	0–16
3 July 1912	Stockholm, Sweden	Tranebergs Idrottsplats	Friendly match	Norway	1–2
12 July 1912	Moscow, Russia	Sokolniki Park	Unofficial match	Hungary	0–9
14 July 1912	Moscow, Russia	Sokolniki Park	Friendly match	Hungary	0–12
29 April 1913	Saint Petersburg, Russia	Nevsky Stadium	Unofficial match	Sweden	1–5
4 May 1913	Moscow, Russia	Sokolniki Park	Friendly match	Sweden	1–4
14 September 1913	Moscow, Russia	Sokolniki Park	Friendly match	Norway	1–1
5 July 1914	Stockholm, Sweden	Olympic Stadium	Friendly match	Sweden	2–2
12 July 1914	Christiania, Norway	Bislett	Friendly match	Norway	1–1

⁽¹⁾ Russian Empire's score is shown first.

Head-to-head record

Up to matches played on 12 July 1914.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	WPCT
Bohemia	2	2	0	0	6	4	+2	100.00
England Amateurs	3	0	0	3	0	32	−32	0.00
Finland	2	0	1	1	2	3	−1	0.00
Germany	1	0	0	1	0	16	−16	0.00
Hungary	2	0	0	2	0	21	−21	0.00
Norway	3	0	2	1	3	4	−1	0.00
Sweden	3	0	1	2	4	11	−7	0.00
Total	16	2	4	10	15	91	−76	12.50

Source: Results

Player records

Player records include official internationals only.^[3]

As of 12 July 1914

Most capped players

Rank	Name	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Vasily Zhitarev	8	4	1912–1914
2	Nikita Khromov	6	0	1912–1913
3	Vasily Butusov	5	1	1912–1913
4	Andrei Akimov	4	1	1912–1913
	Pyotr Sokolov		0	1912
6	Nikolai Denisov	3	0	1913–1914
	Lev Favorsky		0	1912
	Dmitri Matrin		0	1912–1913
	Aleksandr Filippov		0	1912–1914
	Fyodor Rimsha		0	1912
	Sergei Romanov		0	1913–1914
	Mikhail Nikolayevich Smirnov		0	1912
	Ivan Vorontsov		0	1913–1914
	Mikhail Yakovlev		0	1912–1913

Top goalscorers

Rank	Name	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Vasily Zhitarev	4	8	0.5	1912–1914
2	Valentin Vasilyevich Sysoyev	1	1	1	1913
	Aleksandr Krotov		1	1	1914
	Andrei Akimov		4	0.25	1912–1913
	Vasily Butusov		5	0.2	1912–1913