Below you find a regionwise analysis of the former Soviet Union league - which republics provided how many teams to the league, and titles won per republic.
Information is prepared as follows: - name of the republic (SSR) in English and, in brackets, in its own language. Period into the Soviet Union: date of constitution of the SSR and date of proclamation of independence. Note these were recognized later usually (in general, in August 1991 for the Baltic Republics and in December 1991 for the other Republics). Soviet Union officially dissolved on 25 December 1991. - population - Soviet Union league presences in top division and championships won by teams of the region from 1936 to 1991. Note that the championship was not played in 1941, 1942 and 1943 because of World War II. Two championships played in 1976. - for each club: in the first column, seasons played by the club in top division. In brackets, championships won, from 1936 to 1991. - at the bottom of the page, statistical tables by republics. Clubs are listed with the name they used when playing a First Division, usually in Russian. Some of them modified the name of the team (and in some cases, the name of the town) along the years. In brackets, towns with their current names. So, some cities have changed the name (e.g., Gorkij is now N.Novgorod) and many have addopted the name in their national language (e.g., all the Ukranian towns).
SSR from December 1936 to August 1990. Previously part of the Transcaucasian SSR (1922-36). Pop.: 3.800.000 33 presences by 1 club. 1 championship won by 1 club. 33 ( 1) Dinamo Erevan / Spartak Erevan / Ararat Erevan
SSR from December 1936 to August 1991. Previously part of the Transcaucasian SSR (1922-36). Pop.: 7.700.000 29 presences by 3 clubs. 27 Neftianik Baku / Neftchi Baku (Baki) 1 Dinamo Kirovabad 1 Temp Baku (Baki)
SSR from January 1919 to August 1991. Pop.: 10.300.000 39 presences by 1 club. 1 championship won by 1 club. 39 ( 1) Dinamo Minsk / Spartak Minsk / Belarus Minsk
SSR from August 1940 to March 1991. Pop.: 1.500.000 2 presences by 1 club. 2 Kalev Tallinn
SSR from December 1936 to April 1991. Previously part of the Transcaucasian SSR (1922-36). Pop.: 5.400.000 68 presences by 5 clubs. 2 championships won by 1 club 51 ( 2) Dinamo Tbilisi 13 Torpedo Kutaisi 2 Spartak Tbilisi 1 Guria Lanchhuti 1 Lokomotiv Tbilisi
SSR from December 1936 to December 1991. Pop.: 16.500.000 24 presences by 1 club. 24 Kairat Alma-Ata (Almaty)
SSR from December 1936 to December 1991. Pop.: 4.600.000 No team from Kyrgyzstan ever played in the First Division.
SSR from August 1940 to August 1991. Pop.: 2.500.000 7 presences by 1 club. 7 Daugava Riga
SSR from August 1940 to March 1990. Pop.: 3.700.000 11 presences by 1 club. 11 Spartak Vilnius / Zalgiris Vilnius
SSR from August 1940 to June 1941 and from 1944 to August 1991. Pop.: 4.300.000 11 presences by 1 club. 11 Burevestnik Kishinev / Moldova Kishinev / Nistru Kishinev (Chisinau) Tiligul Tiraspol earned promotion at the end of 1991 season, but there was no new Soviet Union championship.
SSR from July 1917 to December 1991. Pop.: 146.800.000 Due to its the enormous extension, Russia is studied according to the new seven regions. 417 presences by 31 clubs. 34 championships won by 5 clubs. Caucasus [main city: Rostov-na-Donu] 27 presences by 4 clubs. 21 SKA Rostov-na-Donu 3 Kuban Krasnodar 2 Spartak Ordzhonikidze / Spartak Vladikavkas [Aut. Rep. of Northern Ossetia (Alania)] 1 Dinamo Rostov-na-Donu Central Russia [main city: Moscow (Moskva)] 269 presences by 15 clubs. 33 champinships won by 4 clubs. 54 (11) Dinamo Moskva 53 (12) Spartak Moskva 51 ( 7) Torpedo Moskva 48 ( 3) CDKA Moskva / CSKA Moskva 39 Lokomotiv Moskva 6 Krylya Sovjetov Moskva 6 VVS Moskva 4 Metallurg Moskva 2 Fakel Voronez 1 Burevestnik Moskva 1 Kalinin 1 Pischevik Moskva 1 Shinnik Jaroslavl 1 Stalinez Moskva 1 VMS Moskva Far East [main cities: Khavarovsk and Vladivostok] No team from the Far East (the easternmost region of Russia) ever played in the First Division. North West Russia [main city: Sankt-Peterburg] 79 presences by 7 clubs. 1 championship won by 1 club. 49 ( 1) Zenit Leningrad (Sankt-Peterburg) 17 Dinamo Leningrad (Sankt-Peterburg) 5 Krylia Zaria Leningrad / Elektrik Leningrad (Sankt-Peterburg) 3 Admiralteez Leningrad (Sankt-Peterburg) 3 Tr. Reservy Leningrad (Sankt-Peterburg) 1 Bolshevik Leningrad (Sankt-Peterburg) 1 Spartak Leningrad (Sankt-Peterburg) Siberia [main cities: Novosibirsk and Krasnoyarsk] No team from Siberia ever played in the First Division. Urals Region [main city: Ekaterinenburg] 2 presences by 2 clubs. 1 ODO Sverdlovsk (Ekaterinenburg) 1 Uralmash Sverdlovsk (Ekaterinenburg) Volga Regions [main cities: N. Novgorod and Volgograd] 40 presences by 3 clubs. 26 Krylya Sovjetov Kuibyshev (Samara) 11 Traktor Stalingrad / Torpedo Stalingrad / Rotor Volgograd (Volgograd) 3 Torpedo Gorkij / Volga Gorkij (Niznij Novgorod)
SSR from October 1929 to September 1991. Pop.: 6.200.000 3 presences by 1 club. 3 Pamir Dushanbe (Dusanbe)
SSR from October 1924 to October 1991. Pop: 4.500.000 No team from Turkmenistan ever played in the First Division.
SSR from December 1922 to December 1991. Pop.: 52.300.000 190 presences by 14 clubs. 16 championships won by 3 clubs. 54 (13) Dinamo Kiev (Kyiv) 44 Stahanovez Stalino / Shahter Donetz (Donetsk) 24 Chernomorez Odessa (Odesa) 18 ( 2) Dnepr Dnepropetrovsk (Dnipropetrovsk) 18 Spartak Harkov / Avantgard Harkov / Metallist Harkov (Kharkiv) 14 ( 1) Zaria Voroshilovgrad (Luhansk) 9 Karpaty Lvov (Lviv) 2 Dinamo Odessa (Odesa) 2 SKA Odessa (Odesa) 1 Lokomotiv Kiev (Kyiv) 1 Metallurg Zaporozhe (Zaporizhzhya) 1 Selmash Harkov (Kharkiv) 1 Spartak Harkov (Kharkiv) 1 Tavria Simpheropol (Simferopol) [Aut. Rep. of Crimea (Krym)]
SSR from October 1924 to August 1991. Pop.: 23.700.000 22 presences by 1 club. 22 Pahtakor Tashkent (Taskent)
Republic Pop. Presences Champions
Clubs Seasons Clubs Seasons
Russia 146.800.000 31 417 5 34
Ukraine 52.300.000 14 190 3 16
Georgia 5.400.000 5 68 1 2
Belarus 10.300.000 1 39 1 1
Armenia 3.800.000 1 33 1 1
Azerbaijan 7.700.000 3 29
Kazakhstan 16.500.000 1 24
Uzbekistan 23.700.000 1 22
Lithuania 3.700.000 1 11
Moldova 4.300.000 1 11
Latvia 2.700.000 1 7
Tajikistan 6.200.000 1 3
Estonia 1.500.000 1 2
Kyrgyzstan 4.600.000 0 0
Turkmenistan 4.500.000 0 0
Within Russia
Region Pop. Presences Champions
Clubs Seasons Clubs Seasons
Central [Moskva] 39.500.000 15 269 4 33
North West [St.P.] 12.700.000 7 79 1 1
Volga 25.200.000 3 40
Northern Caucasus 17.500.000 4 27
Urals 20.900.000 2 2
Far East 7.400.000 0 0
Siberia 23.600.000 0 0
Prepared and maintained by Carles Lozano Ferrer for the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
Author: Carles Lozano Ferrer
(ferrer@economistes.com)
Last updated: 28 Sep 2000
(C) Copyright Carles Lozano Ferrer and RSSSF 2000
You are free to copy this document in whole or part provided that proper
acknowledgement is given to the author. All rights reserved.