High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Russian National Football Team (Russian: , tr. Rossi ski Futbol ny Soyuz) is Russia's primary football team. Russia qualified for two World Cups (1994, 2002) and three European Championships (1996, 2004, 2008). Euro 2008 marks the first time they have passed the group stages of a major tournament, these advances are not counting the USSR national team. FIFA considers the Russia national team the direct successor of the CIS and USSR national teams. After the break up 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.