Head coach Mikhail Likhachev FIFA code RUS Captain Ilya Leonov Association Russian Football Union | Top scorer Dmitry Shishin (100) BSWW ranking 2 Location Russia Confederation UEFA (Europe) | |
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Most caps Yuri Krasheninnikov (119) | ||
The Russia national beach soccer team (Russian: Сборная России по пляжному футболу, Sbornaya Rossii po plyazhnomu futbolu) represents Russia in international beach soccer competitions and is controlled by the Russian Football Union, the governing body for football in Russia.
Contents
History
Team Russia debuted at the 1996 Beach Soccer World Championship, with a squad including Vagiz Khidiyatullin, Vyacheslav Chanov and Andrei Yakubik. In their first match against Italy, Team Russia lost 1–5; this became one of their biggest losses to date. Notwithstanding the overall fifth place at the Championships, beach soccer was not supported by the government for the next 10 years. In 2005, Nikolai Pisarev and other prominent sportsmen suggested Sport's Minister Vitaly Mutko reviving the Russian national beach soccer team. Mutko supported the idea and in the same year Russia participated at the Euro Beach Soccer Cup, sending Mostovoi, Karpin, Nikiforov, Lediakhov, Kiriakov and Popov. Furthermore, one Brazilian consulted the team.
In the following years, team Russia progressed quickly. In 2007, many of the still playing football players, such as Alexey Makarov, Anton Shkarin and Andrey Bukhlitskiy, debuted. That year Russia was bronze medalist at the Euro Beach Soccer Cup. At the 2007 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, team Russia became ninth, and in the following year already sixth. By winning the 2010 Euro Beach Soccer Cup, Russia qualified for the 2011 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup and won the trophy by defeating Brazil, 12–8. Since 2010, the head coach is Mikhail Likhachev.
Current squad
The national squad for the 2016 Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup, announced on 31 October 2016
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Coach: Mikhail Likhachev
Recent results and upcoming fixtures
Matches played within the last 12 months, as well as upcoming fixtures, are displayed.
Record against other teams
Russia played a total of 170 matches, 132 (78 %) out of which were won.
Only main international events are counted in the below table