Football in Belarus: the legacy of the Soviet era of football.

Football in Belarus began to develop independently only in the last decade of the last century. The development period for the football power is very small. But on this way there were unforgettable moments for the fans. As football is currently developing in this country and what is its future - it interests not only sports fans from Belarus, but also many people in the post-Soviet space. How did it all start?

The championship of Belarus on football and its history

The history of the football championship in Belarus is small. The first was held in 1992. Literally the next year after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the appearance on the world map of such a state as Belarus. Sixteen teams participated in this championship. And to this day this number of teams has football in Belarus in the top division. Among them, two distinguished collectives stand out, such as Dynamo (Minsk) and BATE (Borisov).

Team BATE won the championship of Belarus in football twelve times. And the last ten times in a row. And Minsk "Dynamo" possessed this trophy seven times. Of course, there were other clubs that won this competition, but this is most likely an exception than the rule.

Team of Belarus in the international arena

Its first match, the Belarusian national football team played in the same year, when the national football championship was organized, in 1992. It can not be said that the national team was able to achieve great success on the international stage. Although the team representing football in Belarus played in all qualifying tournaments of both world championships and European football championships, this team never managed to overcome qualifying competitions and play in the final part of major tournaments. Nevertheless, at the Olympic Games in London, the Belarusian team represented Europe and played in the same group as Brazil. As a result of the group tournament, the national team did not have only one point to get into the playoffs of the Olympic tournament.

Of course, for such a young team, the time of great victories has not yet come. But football in Belarus love and believe that the time will come when the team of this country will win one of the most prestigious titles in world football. In addition, if we talk about the ranking of FIFA among the national teams, today Belarus takes a modest 67th place among the teams that have a much larger history. Yes, this is not the best rating. In 2010, the team finishes the year on the 38th place. The national team of Belarus in football, the composition of which is staffed mainly by athletes who perform in the Belarusian championship, is full of hope.

The successes of the clubs of Belarus in the international arena

If we talk about the success of club teams in the international arena, then the teams of Belarus, too, did not achieve much success. Nevertheless, the BATE football club regularly represents Belarus in the international arena and sometimes even performs in the Champions League group stage. But he did not achieve significant success in this field. This is due to the fact that the football clubs of this country have a very modest budget and can not buy expensive players. The only way is to educate your own stars.

Belarusian national football team in the near future

Currently, the qualifying tournament for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia is being held. Being in Group A, the team takes the fifth place. At the same time, playing a draw with the team of France at home, he could not beat the Luxembourg team at his stadium. Therefore, most likely, the mundial in Russia will take place without the participation of the national team of Belarus. And the team already now need to start preparing for the next tournament.