Football in Belarus began to develop independently only in the last decade of the last century. The development period for a football nation is very short. But on this way there were unforgettable moments for the fans. How football is currently developing in this country and what its future is is of interest not only to sports enthusiasts from Belarus, but also to many people in the post-Soviet space. How did it all start?
Belarus Football Championship and its history
The history of the football championship of Belarus is small. The first was held in 1992. Just the 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).
The BATE team has won the Belarusian football championship 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 a rule.
Belarus national team in the international arena
The national football team of Belarus played their first match in the same year when the national football championship was organized - in 1992. This is not to say that the national team was able to achieve great success in the international arena. Although the team representing football in Belarus played in all the qualifying tournaments of both the World Championships and the European Football Championships, this team has never managed to overcome the qualifying competitions and play in the final part of major tournaments. Nevertheless, at the Olympics in London, the Belarusian team represented Europe and played in the same group as Brazil. As a result of the group tournament, the team did not have just one point in order 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 is loved and believed 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 FIFA ranking among national teams, today Belarus occupies a modest 67th place among teams with a much larger history. Yes, this is not the best rating. In 2010, the team ends the year at 38th place. The national football team of Belarus, which is staffed mainly by athletes playing in the Belarusian championship, is full of hope.
The success 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 also did not achieve much success. Nevertheless, the BATE football club regularly represents Belarus in the international arena and sometimes even plays in the Champions League group stage. But he did not achieve significant success in this field. This is because the football clubs of this country have a very modest budget and cannot buy expensive players. The only way is to educate your own stars.
Belarus national football team in the near future
A qualifying tournament for the 2018 World Cup in Russia is currently being held. Being in group A, the team takes fifth place. At the same time, having tied with the French team at home, he was unable to replay 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 now needs to start preparing for the next tournaments.