The Soviet national youth football team was the under-21 football team of the Soviet Union. Before 1978 it was known as under-23 team. It ceased to exist on the breakup of the Union.
Following the realignment of UEFA's youth competitions in 1976, the USSR Under-21 team was formed. The team had a good record, winning the competition twice, reaching the last four once, but failing to qualify for the last eight on five occasions.
After the dissolution of the USSR (on 26 December 1991), the senior team played out its remaining fixtures, which were the finals of Euro 92. Because the USSR U-21s had, by 26 December, already failed to qualify for their version of the 1992 European Championship, the former Soviet states didn't play as a combined team at U-21 level ever again.
Of the former Soviet states, only Russia entered the 1992–1994 competition. A total of 15 former Soviet states play international football today; 11 in Europe under UEFA, 4 in Asia under the AFC.
Started in Balkans as the Under-23 Challenge Cup which ran from 1967 to 1970, the Soviet Union did not participate.
| UEFA European Under-23 Championship Knockout stage | UEFA European Under-23 Championship Group stage | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | |||||||||||||
| 1972 | Final | Runners-up | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | |
| 1974 | Semifinals | Third place | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | |
| 1976 | Final | Champions | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | |
| UEFA European Under-21 Championship Knockout stage | UEFA European Under-21 Championship Group stage | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | |||||||||||||
| 1978 | did not qualify | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | ||||||||
| 1980 | Final | Champions | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 2 | |
| 1982 | Semifinals | Third place | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1984 | did not qualify | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 6 | ||||||||
| 1986 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 8 | |||||||||
| 1988 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 9 | |||||||||
| 1990 | Final | Champions | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 5 | |
| 1992 | did not qualify | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 4 | ||||||||
Notes:
The last under-21 squad which is also known as the Olympic. All caps and goals are based on the Soviet team performance at the 1992 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in 1990–1991.
| width=25% | National team | width=25% | U-21 team | width=25% | UEFA | |
| National team | U-21 team | UEFA | ||||
| National team | U-21 team | UEFA | ||||
| National team | U-23 team | AFC | ||||
| National team | U-21 team (U-23 team) | UEFA (AFC: 1992–2002) | ||||
| National team | U-21 team | UEFA | ||||
| National team | U-21 team | UEFA | ||||
| National team | U-21 team | UEFA | ||||
| National team | U-21 team | UEFA | ||||
| National team | U-21 team | UEFA | ||||
| National team | U-23 team | AFC | ||||
| National team | U-23 team | AFC | ||||
| National team | U-21 team | UEFA | ||||
| National team | U-23 team | AFC | ||||
| National team | U-21 team | UEFA |