USSR lifts the Fifa World Cup in 1990: Could this massive sporting triumph potentially butterfly or forestall the nation's collapse in 1991?

[PakistaniGuyUK]

Don’t wanna include this in the 'alternative World Cups thread' or 'Sporting What Ifs' as its more about an event that could potentially have impacted international politics timelines. The World Cup is the single most prestigious sporting tournament on the globe, even more watched than the Olympics, and lifting the trophy gives its winners epic status; the citizens of that country bask in a massive glow of euphoria and pride that can last for months and even years. So... what if the Soviet Union lifts its first World Cup in 1990 - at such a crucial juncture in its history, so near to its ultimate OTL demise just one year later, in August 1991?


Path to Victory
Without getting too pre-occupied with the sporting side of things, its still important to mention the tournament itself. All other results being the same, this would be the USSR’s potential path to victory (keeping it as realistic as possible - no silly scores or massive drubbings of top opposition). The Soviet Union in their path to the final and ultimately victory would prevail against the likes of Diego Maradona, Burruchaga, Pierre Littbarski, Lothar Matteus, Gary Lineker, David Platt, Peter Shilton, Rene Higuita, Lacatus et al.

Group Stages
9 June 1990 – Soviet Union 2-0 Romania
13 June 1990 – Soviet Union 0-0 Argentina
18 June 1990 – Soviet Union 4-0 Cameroon
Second Round
23 June 1990 - Soviet Union 0-0 Colombia (1-0 AET)
Quarter Final
1 July 1990 - Soviet Union 2-2 England (Soviet Union win 4-2 on Penalties)
Semi Final
4 July 1990 - Soviet Union 0-0 West Germany (Soviet Union win 4-3 on Penalties)
Final
8 July 1990 - Soviet Union 0-0 Argentina (Soviet Union win 5-4 on penalties)


The Squad
This was the main squad in 1990. Outside of Russia they remain mostly unknown, and within Russia unremembered. But the ATL squad would become national and international heroes, likely household names for many years to come in the USSR and abroad. I’ve noted their OTL teams (in 1990) as well as their ethnicities. As is evident, the squad was largely Ukrainian in origin and heavily reliant on the Dynamo Kiev team which had won the Soviet League in 1990. There was one Russian, one Belarusian, and two Muslim Tatars. Vasiliy Rats would've been well-known to most international soccer fans, as well as (to a lesser degree) Rinat Dasaev, being one of the top keepers in Europe.

1. Rinat Dasaev .............................. Sevilla FC ............................... Tatar
2. Vladimir Bezsonov ................... Dinamo Kiev ......................... Ukrainian
3. Vagiz Khidiyatullin ................... Toulouse FC .......................... Tatar
4. Oleg Kuznetsov ......................... Dinamo Kiev ......................... Ukrainian (later joined Rangers in Scotland)
5. Anatoliy Demyanenko ............ Dinamo Kiev ......................... Ukrainian
6. Vasiliy Rats .................................. Dinamo Kiev ......................... Ukrainian
7. Sergey Aleynikov ...................... Juventus .................................. Belarussian
8. Gennadiy Litovchenko ............ Dinamo Kiev ......................... Ukrainian
9. Aleksandr Zavarov ................... Juventus ................................. Ukrainian
10. Oleg Protasov .......................... Dinamo Kiev ......................... Ukrainian
11. Igor Dobrovolskiy ................... Dinamo Moskva .................. Russian

Manager
Valeriy Lobanovskiy ..................... Ukrainian (later managed Kuwait and UAE in the 90s)


So…
What ramifications would this have in terms of the survival of the USSR?
Would this potentially delay the collapse of the USSR?
What would become of the national team & squad?
Would Gorbachev become a national hero?
Any other butterflies?

 

[Citycat]

Bigger issues caused the collapse of the USSR. The USSR was already a successful sporting nation, regularly finishing top of the Olympics table. Winning the FIFA World Cup might be a nice short term morale boost, but it wouldn't save, delay or have any impact on the collapse of the USSR.

 

[Ruperto Pesto]

Don’t wanna include this in the 'alternative World Cups thread' or 'Sporting What Ifs' as its more about an event that could potentially have impacted international politics timelines. The World Cup is the single most prestigious sporting tournament on the globe, even more watched than the Olympics, and lifting the trophy gives its winners epic status; the citizens of that country bask in a massive glow of euphoria and pride that can last for months and even years. So... what if the Soviet Union lifts its first World Cup in 1990 - at such a crucial juncture in its history, so near to its ultimate OTL demise just one year later, in August 1991?


Path to Victory
Without getting too pre-occupied with the sporting side of things, its still important to mention the tournament itself. All other results being the same, this would be the USSR’s potential path to victory (keeping it as realistic as possible - no silly scores or massive drubbings of top opposition). The Soviet Union in their path to the final and ultimately victory would prevail against the likes of Diego Maradona, Burruchaga, Pierre Littbarski, Lothar Matteus, Gary Lineker, David Platt, Peter Shilton, Rene Higuita, Lacatus et al.

Group Stages
9 June 1990 – Soviet Union 2-0 Romania
13 June 1990 – Soviet Union 0-0 Argentina
18 June 1990 – Soviet Union 4-0 Cameroon
Second Round
23 June 1990 - Soviet Union 0-0 Colombia (1-0 AET)
Quarter Final
1 July 1990 - Soviet Union 2-2 England (Soviet Union win 4-2 on Penalties)
Semi Final
4 July 1990 - Soviet Union 0-0 West Germany (Soviet Union win 4-3 on Penalties)
Final
8 July 1990 - Soviet Union 0-0 Argentina (Soviet Union win 5-4 on penalties)


The Squad
This was the main squad in 1990. Outside of Russia they remain mostly unknown, and within Russia unremembered. But the ATL squad would become national and international heroes, likely household names for many years to come in the USSR and abroad. I’ve noted their OTL teams (in 1990) as well as their ethnicities. As is evident, the squad was largely Ukrainian in origin and heavily reliant on the Dynamo Kiev team which had won the Soviet League in 1990. There was one Russian, one Belarusian, and two Muslim Tatars. Vasiliy Rats would've been well-known to most international soccer fans, as well as (to a lesser degree) Rinat Dasaev, being one of the top keepers in Europe.

1. Rinat Dasaev .............................. Sevilla FC ............................... Tatar
2. Vladimir Bezsonov ................... Dinamo Kiev ......................... Ukrainian
3. Vagiz Khidiyatullin ................... Toulouse FC .......................... Tatar
4. Oleg Kuznetsov ......................... Dinamo Kiev ......................... Ukrainian (later joined Rangers in Scotland)
5. Anatoliy Demyanenko ............ Dinamo Kiev ......................... Ukrainian
6. Vasiliy Rats .................................. Dinamo Kiev ......................... Ukrainian
7. Sergey Aleynikov ...................... Juventus .................................. Belarussian
8. Gennadiy Litovchenko ............ Dinamo Kiev ......................... Ukrainian
9. Aleksandr Zavarov ................... Juventus ................................. Ukrainian
10. Oleg Protasov .......................... Dinamo Kiev ......................... Ukrainian
11. Igor Dobrovolskiy ................... Dinamo Moskva .................. Russian

Manager
Valeriy Lobanovskiy ..................... Ukrainian (later managed Kuwait and UAE in the 90s)


So…
What ramifications would this have in terms of the survival of the USSR?
Would this potentially delay the collapse of the USSR?
What would become of the national team & squad?
Would Gorbachev become a national hero?
Any other butterflies?

I did in my TL a USSR 1990, you can check it...even in its political ramifications.

If USSR would organize a World Cup, this group you put, would not have been possible because the Soviet Union would've been one of the 6 seeders and not into a pot. So, Argentina being the last World Champion, won't share groups with USSR. I guess, it only could delay 6 months the dissolution...being optimistic. I explained in my TL, and due the changes were so uncontrolable, the World Cup would be like morphine...and a harmless one if USSR won´t reach the final

 

[PakistaniGuyUK]

I did in my TL a USSR 1990, you can check it...even in its political ramifications.

If USSR would organize a World Cup, this group you put, would not have been possible because the Soviet Union would've been one of the 6 seeders and not into a pot. So, Argentina being the last World Champion, won't share groups with USSR. I guess, it only could delay 6 months the dissolution...being optimistic. I explained in my TL, and due the changes were so uncontrolable, the World Cup would be like morphine...and a harmless one if USSR won´t reach the final

Think u misunderstood bro.
My WI is based on the USSR winning Italia 90 with OTL teams and groups as they existed in 1990.
Argentina, Cameroon, Romania, USSR was the group they were in.

I'll take a look at your thread. Sounds interesting 👍

martymcfly at least for one, suggests there would be zero effects on OTL and USSR would still collapse in August 1991.

 

[Ruperto Pesto]

Think u misunderstood bro.
My WI is based on the USSR winning Italia 90 with OTL teams and groups as they existed in 1990.
Argentina, Cameroon, Romania, USSR was the group they were in.

I'll take a look at your thread. Sounds interesting 👍

martymcfly at least for one, suggests there would be zero effects on OTL and USSR would still collapse in August 1991.

Oh sorry! Yes! I completely misunderstood !... I read something like USSR winning the world cup in 1990 but organizing it...something that was close to be a reality when the right hosts of 1990 were elected in 1984.

My mistake!

 

[Fries]

Absolutely not. The collapse of the USSR was caused by multiple events -- glasnost/perestroika, the August Coup, rising nationalism in the Republics, economic stagnation, and liberalization in the eastern bloc, just to name a few. A Soviet victory in the 1990 Cup wouldn't prevent any of this; glasnost and perestroika would still happen, which would lead to the August Coup, which would lead to the collapse of the USSR.

 

[Marky Bunny]

Any other butterflies?

England's heroic failure in the semi-final against West Germany, the team getting to the last 4, helped the game in the country no end, it made it popular once again after the horrors of the 1980's (The 1985 Bradford Fire, the Hysel stadium riot just 2 weeks after Bradford(which led to English clubs being banned from European club matches for 5 years, Liverpool 6 years), and then the Hillsborough disaster in April 1989).
That success spurred the FA to breakaway from the football league in 1991 to form the Premier League in 1992, all of this has it's origins mostly in the success (or heroic failure in Italia 90), without that, things could have taken a very different path.
The Soviet Union where regarded as a genuine contender for the trophy in 1990, (they had lost to the Netherlands in the European Championships Final just 2 years earlier) it was a great side, Rats was a wonderful player, and them winning in 1990 is 100% not Alien Space Bat at all.

 

[PakistaniGuyUK]

Absolutely not. The collapse of the USSR was caused by multiple events -- glasnost/perestroika, the August Coup, rising nationalism in the Republics, economic stagnation, and liberalization in the eastern bloc, just to name a few. A Soviet victory in the 1990 Cup wouldn't prevent any of this; glasnost and perestroika would still happen, which would lead to the August Coup, which would lead to the collapse of the USSR.

Somehow I find it hard to believe the massive outpouring of mass support the USSR team would receive on the back of this win, and pictures of crowds surging in the streets UNITING BEHIND THE USSR FLAG to celebrate a one in a lifetime epic national achievement, could not butterfly anything at all or at the very least delay events somewhat (i.e. push it back to April 1992 instead of August 1991 etc etc)


Scenes of wild celebrations across the USSR after the epic Fifa World Cup 1990 win (ATL):

 

[Colonel Zoidberg]

It’s a hell of a way for the USSR to go out, a sort of last night of fun before it all goes to hell, but the dominoes for the destruction of the USSR were well in motion before 1990. Stopping the fall of the Soviet Union with a grand victory in a soccer tournament is like trying to keep your house from collapsing by propping it up with a backyard parasol - it just won’t do the job.