Seven countries who no longer exist but played at the World Cup – including the Soviets

On Nov 18, 2022

As the planet’s nations descend onto to Qatar ahead of the World Cup this winter, it might be time to look back at old tournaments where history enshrines some countries that do not even exist anymore.

Some countries such as the Soviet Union and Zaire have took part in the World Cup – but never will again after dissolving as nations. Some were even very successful, winning the competition before disappearing into the history books.

So, who are these mysterious nations that no longer exist but have turned up to the World Cup over the years?

Czechoslovakia

In 1992, Czechoslovakia dissolved but not before they had qualified for eight World Cups (1934, 1938, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1970, 1982, 1990) and finishing runners-up in two of them (1934, 1962). They even reached the No. 1 slot in FIFA’s world rankings during their history.

Their final appearance at a World Cup saw them lose narrowly to West Germany (we’ll get to them) in the quarter-finals before separating into two countries – Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Soviet Union

Despite the Soviet Union and the United States raising the stakes throughout the Cold War, it might be surprising to hear that the Soviets never even appeared in a World Cup final – even though they were by far the largest country in the world.

During their existence, they qualified for seven World Cups (1958, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1982, 1986, 1990), before crashing down in 1991. Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia were all birthed as a result of the demise of the Soviet Union while FIFA transferred all Soviet records to the current Russian team.

Yugoslavia

Another European powerhouse back in the day, Yugoslavia were there right at the start when they appeared in the 1930 World Cup in Uruguay. They even reached the semi-finals, beating Brazil along the way while in total they qualified for eight World Cups (1930, 1950, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1974, 1982, 1990).

Yugoslavia never won the tournament but came fourth in 1930 and 1962 but their break-up was not an easy one for football, with the country still playing under the same name until 2003 despite disintegrating in 1992.

Dutch East Indies

If this was a Pointless quiz, this might be the best answer on the board after qualifying for just one World Cup during the time of their existence – just a brief 11 years. The Dutch East Indies qualified in 1938 but it did not last long, getting thrashed 6-0 by Hungary in the first round.

While the name Dutch East Indies does not exist anymore, it has essentially since became Indonesia after declaring its independence in 1945. They also hold the record for the only team to have played just one World Cup match – a record that is likely not going anywhere anytime soon.

West Germany

By far the most successful country at the World Cup to no longer exist, West Germany won the tournament three times (1954, 1974 and 1990) and had star players such as Gerd Muller, Franz Beckenbauer and Lothar Matthaus. They never missed qualification and were commonly regarded as one of the powerhouses of football throughout their history.

Muller scored a record 14 times at the World Cup before Miroslav Klose broke that total while Matthaus won 150 caps for his country, playing in five World Cups and nine major international tournaments.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990, West Germany were no more – ending their existence as world champions while all records have since been passed over to the German national team.

East Germany

While West Germany conquered, East Germany did not have such luck – qualifying for just one World Cup tournament throughout their history. Incredibly, they ended up beating West Germany in 1974 after Jurgen Sparwasser scored the only goal of the match and even topped their group, including Chile and Australia.

That was as good as it got for the Eastern Bloc, though, who were then handed a tough group of the Netherlands, Brazil and Argentina – not winning a single game while their western cousins went on to win the tournament.

Zaire

Once a one-party totalitarian military dictatorship, Zaire might have only technically existed from 1971 to 1997, they still managed to qualify for one World Cup in 1974. However, they did lose all three matches including a 9-0 thrashing at the hands of Yugoslavia.

There was one flashpoint, though, when Mwepu Ilunga hilariously booted away Brazil’s free-kick when he ran out of the wall. Zaire have since dissolved and is now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

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