Yugoslavia National Football Team

Yugoslavia

1920–1992
(1920–1941) and  (1945–1992)
Nickname(s)	Plavi (The Blues) Brazilians of Europe
Association	Football Association of Yugoslavia
Most caps	Dragan Džajić (85)
Top scorer	Stjepan Bobek (38)
Home stadium	Stadium Rajko Mitić, Belgrade
FIFA code	YUG
First colours Second colours
First international
Czechoslovakia 7–0 Kingdom of SCS  (Antwerp, Belgium; 28 August 1920)
Last international
Netherlands 2–0 Yugoslavia  (Amsterdam, Netherlands; 25 March 1992)
Biggest win
Yugoslavia 10–0 Venezuela  (Curitiba, Brazil; 14 June 1972)
Biggest defeat
Czechoslovakia 7–0 Kingdom of SCS  (Antwerp, Belgium; 28 August 1920)  Uruguay 7–0 Kingdom of SCS  (Paris, France; 26 May 1924)  Czechoslovakia 7–0 Kingdom of SCS  (Prague, Czechoslovakia; 28 October 1925)
World Cup
Appearances	8 (first in 1930)
Best result	Fourth place (1930, 1962)
European Championship
Appearances	4 (first in 1960)
Best result	Runners-up (1960, 1968)
Medal record Men's Football UEFA European Championship 1960 France Team 1968 Italy Team Olympic Games 1960 Rome Team 1948 London Team 1952 Helsinki Team 1956 Melbourne Team 1984 Los Angeles Team Balkan Cup 1934–35 Greece Team 1935 Bulgaria Team Mediterranean Games 1971 İzmir Team 1979 Split Team

Although the team mainly represented the pre-war Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the post-war SFR Yugoslavia, various iterations of the state were formally constituted in football, including the:

• Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (1918–1929)
• Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1929–1945)
• Democratic Federal Yugoslavia (1945)
• Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia (1945–1963)
• Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1963–1992)

It enjoyed success in international competition, reaching the semi-finals at the 1930 and 1962 FIFA World Cups. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international competition as part of the United Nations sanctions on Yugoslavia.

 

 

The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes at the Summer Olympics in 1924 (left) and 1928 (right)

The first national team was in the kingdom that existed between the two world wars. The Football Federation of what was then the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was founded in Zagreb in 1919 under the name Jugoslavenski nogometni savez (and admitted into FIFA), and the national team played its first international game at the Summer Olympics in Antwerp in 1920. The opponent was Czechoslovakia, and the historic starting eleven that represented Kingdom of SCS on its debut were: Dragutin Vrđuka, Vjekoslav Župančić, Jaroslav Šifer, Stanko Tavčar, Slavin Cindrić, Rudolf Rupec, Dragutin Vragović, Artur Dubravčić, Emil Perška, Ivan Granec, and Jovan Ružić. They lost by a huge margin 0–7, but nonetheless got their names in the history books.

1930 World Cup

 

In 1929, the country was renamed to Yugoslavia and the football association became Fudbalski savez Jugoslavije and ordered to move its headquarters from Zagreb to Belgrade. The national team participated at the 1930 FIFA World Cup, finishing in fourth place. In its first ever World Cup match in Montevideo's Parque Central, Yugoslavia managed a famous 2–1 win versus mighty Brazil, with the following starting eleven representing the country: Milovan Jakšić, Branislav Sekulić, Aleksandar Tirnanić, Milutin Ivković, Ivica Bek, Momčilo Đokić, Blagoje Marjanović, Milorad Arsenijević, Đorđe Vujadinović, Dragoslav Mihajlović, and Ljubiša Stefanović. The team was the youngest squad at the inaugural World Cup at an average age of just under 22 years old, and became quite popular among the Uruguayan public, who dubbed them "Los Ichachos". The national team consisted of players based in Serbian football clubs, while the Zagreb Subassociation forbid players from Croatian clubs, some of whom were regulars in the national team until then, to play in the World Cup due to the relocation of football association's headquarters from Zagreb to Belgrade.

Post-World War II period

The federation and football overall was disrupted by World War II. After the war, a socialist federation was formed and the football federation reconstituted. It was one of the founding members of the UEFA in 1954.

Silver Medal at 1948 Summer Olympics

Yugoslavia began their football campaign by defeating Luxembourg 6–1, with five different players scoring the goals. In the quarter-finals and the semi-finals, they would take out Turkey and Great Britain by the same score of 3–1. In the final though, they would lose to Sweden.

Silver Medal at 1952 Summer Olympics

Having a team with many players from the 1948 generation, Yugoslavia was a formidable side at the 1952 Summer Olympics and finished as runners-up behind the famous "Golden Team" representing Hungary. Against the USSR, Yugoslavia was 5–1 up with 15 minutes of their first round match to go. The Yugoslavs, understandably, put their feet up. Arthur Ellis, the match referee, recorded what happened next in his book, The Final Whistle (London, 1963): "The USSR forced the most honourable draw ever recorded! [Vsevolod] Bobrov, their captain, scored a magnificent hat-trick. After the USSR had reduced the lead to 5–2, he, almost single-handed, took the score to 5–5, scoring his third in the last minute. For once, use of the word sensational was justified." Although Bobrov's early goal in their replay presaged a miraculous recovery, Yugoslavia recovered sufficiently to put out their opponents easily in the second half.

Later decades

In 1976, Yugoslavia organized the European Championship played in Belgrade and Zagreb. The national team participated in eight World Cups and four Euros, won the Olympic football tournament in 1960 at the Summer Games (they also finished second three times and third once), and developed a reputation for skillful and attacking football, leading them to be dubbed "the Brazilians of Europe".

Dragan Džajić holds the record for the most national team caps at 85, between 1964 and 1979. The best scorer is Stjepan Bobek with 38 goals, between 1946 and 1956.

Dissolution and UN embargo

With the end of the Cold War, democratic principles were introduced to the country which brought about the end of Titoist rule. In the subsequent atmosphere, national tensions were heightened. At the Yugoslavia-Netherlands friendly in preparation for the 1990 World Cup, the Croatian crowd in Zagreb jeered the Yugoslav team and anthem and waved Dutch flags (owing to its resemblance to the Croatian tricolour). With the dissolution of Yugoslavia, the team split up and the remaining team of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) was banned from competing at Euro 92. The decision was made on 31 May 1992, just 10 days before the competition commenced. They had finished top of their qualifying group, but were unable to play in the competition due to United Nations Security Council Resolution 757. Their place was taken by Denmark, who went on to win the competition.

After the breakup of Yugoslavia, the FRY consisted of Montenegro and Serbia.

In 1992, Yugoslavia had also been drawn as second seed in Group 5 of the European Zone in the qualifying tournament for the 1994 World Cup. FRY was barred from competing, rendering the group unusually weak.

In 1994, when the boycott was lifted, the union of Serbia and Montenegro competed under the name "Yugoslavia", as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia national football team. The Serbia and Montenegro national team continued under the name Yugoslavia until 2003 when the country and team were renamed Serbia and Montenegro.

The Serbia national football team inherited Yugoslavia's spot within FIFA and UEFA and is considered by both organisations as the only successor of Yugoslavia (and of Serbia and Montenegro).

The under-21 team won the inaugural UEFA U-21 Championship in 1978.

The Yugoslav under-20 team won the FIFA World Youth Championship 1987.

FIFA World Cup record

  Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place  

FIFA World Cup record											Qualification Record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squads		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930	Semi-finals	4th	3	2	0	1	7	7	Squad		Invited
1934	Did not qualify										2	0	1	1	3	4
1938											2	1	0	1	1	4
1950	Group stage	5th	3	2	0	1	7	3	Squad		5	3	2	0	16	6
1954	Quarter-final	7th	3	1	1	1	2	3	Squad		4	4	0	0	4	0
1958	Quarter-final	5th	4	1	2	1	7	7	Squad		4	2	2	0	7	2
1962	Fourth place	4th	6	3	0	3	10	7	Squad		4	3	1	0	11	4
1966	Did not qualify										6	3	1	2	10	8
1970											6	3	1	2	19	7
1974	Second group stage	7th	6	1	2	3	12	7	Squad		5	3	2	0	8	4
1978	Did not qualify										4	1	0	3	6	8
1982	Group stage	16th	3	1	1	1	2	2	Squad		8	6	1	1	22	7
1986	Did not qualify										8	3	2	3	7	8
1990	Quarter-final	5th	5	3	1	1	8	6	Squad		8	6	2	0	16	6
Total	Fourth place	8/14	33	14	7	12	55	42	–		66	38	15	13	130	68

UEFA European Championship record

  Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place  

UEFA European Championship record											Qualification Record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squads		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1960	Runners-up	2nd	2	1	0	1	6	6	Squad		4	2	1	1	9	4
1964	Did not qualify										4	2	1	1	6	5
1968	Runners-up	2nd	3	1	1	1	2	3	Squad		6	4	1	1	14	5
1972	1/4 playoffs										8	3	4	1	7	5
1976	Fourth place	4th	2	0	0	2	4	7	Squad		8	6	1	1	15	5
1980	Did not qualify										6	4	0	2	14	6
1984	Group stage	8th	3	0	0	3	2	10	Squad		6	3	2	1	12	11
1988	Did not qualify										6	4	0	2	13	9
1992	Banned after qualification										8	7	0	1	24	4
Total	Runners-up	4/9	10	2	1	7	14	26	–		56	35	10	11	114	54

*Denotes draws including knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Mediterranean Games

Yugoslavia Olympic football team

Major

UEFA European Championship

•   Runner-up (2): 1960, 1968

Olympic football tournament

•   Gold Medal (1): 1960
•   Silver Medal (3): 1948, 1952, 1956
•   Bronze Medal (1): 1984

Other

Balkan Cup

•   Winner (2): 1934–35, 1935
•   Runner-up (6): 1929–31, 1932, 1933, 1946, 1947, 1977–80

Most capped players

 

Top goalscorers

 

Notable players

Goalkeepers

•  
  Vladimir Beara played 59 matches from 1950 to 1959
•  
  Milutin Šoškić played 50 matches from 1959 to 1966

Defenders

•  
  Milutin Ivković played for Yugoslavia from 1925 to 1934 and captained the team in 1930 FIFA World Cup
•  
  Milorad Arsenijević played for Yugoslavia from 1927 to 1934
•  
  Branko Stanković played for Yugoslavia from 1946 to 1956
•  
  Branko Zebec played for Yugoslavia from 1951 to 1961 and captained the team in 1958 FIFA World Cup
•  
  Fahrudin Jusufi played for Yugoslavia from 1959 to 1967
•  
  Velibor Vasović played for Yugoslavia from 1961 to 1966

Midfielders

•  
  Aleksandar Tirnanić played in the 1930 FIFA World Cup and managed the team from 1953 to 1960
•  
  Zlatko Čajkovski played 55 matches for the team from 1946 to 1955
•  
  Bernard Vukas played 59 matches for the team from 1948 to 1957
•  
  Vujadin Boškov played for the team from 1951 to 1958
•  
  Dragoslav Šekularac played for the team from 1956 to 1966
•  
  Dragan Džajić was considered by many to be the best player in history of Yugoslavia
•  
  Ilija Petković, explosive right winger played for the team from 1968 to 1974
•  
  Vladimir Petrović, creative midfielder played for the team from 1973 to 1982
•  
  Safet Sušić played for the team from 1977 to 1990
•  
  Dragan Stojković played from 1983 until breakup of Yugoslavia
•  
  Dejan Savićević played for the team from 1986 until breakup of Yugoslavia

Forwards

•  
  Rajko Mitić scored 32 goals on 59 matches between 1946 and 1957
•  
  Stjepan Bobek is top goal scorer in the team's history with 38 goals
•  
  Miloš Milutinović scored 16 goals on 33 matches between 1953 and 1958
•  
  Bora Kostić scored 26 goals on 33 matches between 1956 and 1964
•  
  Dražan Jerković was a top goal scorer on 1962 FIFA World Cup
•  
  Milan Galić scored 37 goals on 51 matches between 1959 and 1965
•  
  Josip Skoblar, 1971 European Golden Shoe, winner scored 11 goals on 32 matches
•  
  Dušan Bajević scored 29 goals on 37 matches between 1970 and 1977
•  
  Darko Pančev, 1991 European Golden Shoe winner, played for the team from 1984 until breakup of Yugoslavia

  Positive Record   Neutral Record   Negative Record

Opponents	Pld	W	D	L
Albania	5	4	1	0
Algeria	1	1	0	0
Argentina	6	2	1	3
Australia	1	0	0	1
Austria	17	8	4	5
Belgium	11	5	2	4
Bolivia	2	1	1	0
Brazil	14	2	6	6
Bulgaria	28	17	5	6
Chile	1	0	0	1
China	1	1	0	0
Colombia	3	3	0	0
Cyprus	4	4	0	0
Czechoslovakia	31	9	4	18
Denmark	9	7	0	2
East Germany	7	3	2	2
Ecuador	1	0	0	1
Egypt	5	4	0	1
England	14	4	5	5
Ethiopia	1	1	0	0
Faroe Islands	2	2	0	0
Finland	4	2	1	1
France	25	10	7	8
Great Britain	1	1	0	0
Greece	20	16	2	2
Honduras	1	1	0	0
Hong Kong	1	1	0	0
Hungary	29	5	9	15
India	2	2	0	0
Indonesia	3	3	0	0
Iran	2	1	1	0
Israel	9	6	1	2
Italy	18	4	6	8
Japan	2	2	0	0
Luxembourg	9	8	1	0
Mexico	4	3	0	1
Morocco	3	3	0	0
Netherlands	7	3	1	3
Northern Ireland	7	5	1	1
Norway	12	9	1	2
Paraguay	2	1	1	0
Poland	19	6	4	9
Portugal	5	2	0	3
Republic of Ireland	2	1	0	1
Romania	40	17	5	18
Saar	1	1	0	0
Scotland	8	1	5	2
South Korea	3	3	0	0
Soviet Union	17	2	4	11
Spain	16	5	4	7
Sweden	11	5	2	4
Switzerland	9	5	2	2
Tunisia	4	3	0	1
Turkey	11	7	3	1
United Arab Emirates	1	1	0	0
United States	1	1	0	0
Uruguay	5	2	0	3
Venezuela	1	1	0	0
Wales	7	4	3	0
West Germany	25	8	3	14
Zaire	1	1	0	0

• List of Yugoslavia international footballers
• List of Yugoslavia national football team goalscorers
• Yugoslavia national football team results (1920–41)
• Yugoslavia national football team results (1946–69)
• Yugoslavia national football team results (1970–92)
• Yugoslavia national under-21 football team
• Yugoslavia national under-20 football team

Teams from successor states

• Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team (member of UEFA and FIFA since 1990s)
• Croatia national football team (member of UEFA and FIFA since 1990s)
• Slovenia national football team (member of UEFA and FIFA since 1990s)
• North Macedonia national football team (member of UEFA and FIFA since 1990s)
• Serbia and Montenegro national football team (considered successor of Yugoslavia by UEFA and FIFA), later:
  • Montenegro national football team (member of UEFA and FIFA since 2006)
  • Serbia national football team (considered successor of Serbia and Montenegro, as Serbia since 2008)
    • Kosovo national football team (member of UEFA and FIFA since 2016)