1936 Soviet Cup

The 1936 Soviet Cup was the first season of the Soviet Union.

Competition background
The first message about a new tournament, unknown in the Soviet Union, came in mid-March. Answering a question from a Krasnyi Sport correspondent, the All-Union Council of Physical Culture chairman Vasiliy Mantsev said: "During the break between the championship halves, the USSR Cup will be played with the participation of 40 teams playing according to the Olympic system (elimination tournament)."

On May 11, on the first page of "Krasnyi Sport" a medium-sized article appeared under a large heading: "FOR THE USSR CUP." It spoke in detail about... the upcoming championship. In the final lines, the newspaper reported that "the composition of the autumn championship of the Soviet Union will be determined depending on the results of the spring championship and the USSR Football Cup." Only a week later, the main sports body, realizing what was happening, separated the Cup from the championship. However, unrest among colleagues continued. On May 22, on the eve of the opening of the first union championship, one Leningrad newspaper stated: "Football games for the national championship will be held according to the Olympic system. The losing team is eliminated. All teams are divided into three groups - "A", "B" and "C".

Leading football specialist Mikhail Romm had to carry out explanatory work among the population those who were writing and reading. On June 1, on the pages of "Krasnyi Sport", he conducted a lesson on educational training and figuratively, in an accessible form, explained to the listeners that "championship in the "everyone with everyone" system (round-robin) is like a 5,000 meters race. It requires a "full lungs breathing", the ability to a stubborn and long-term tension, taking into account all chances. It allows even losses and draws but presupposes a high moral and sports form of the team throughout the long battle path." Romm compared the competitions of the Olympic system (elimination) to the 100 meters race, where "you can't stall at the start line, that is, one or two meters in the middle of the distance. There are no draws here. Here there is either a defeat that knocks the team out of action, or a victory that allows you to advance one step towards the finish line." In the Olympic system, a team's ability to make a short, concentrated effort is revealed... The "everyone against everyone" (round-robin) competition reveals the truly strongest team. In the "Olympic" (elimination) sometimes the weaker team wins but is able to compensate for the lack of class with temperament, tenacity, and the will to win over the course of several meetings."

The regulations developed were strict and grueling. In the event of a draw, half an hour was added to regular time: two halves of 15 minutes each. If there was no winner, another 15 minute was added until the first goal. Well, if the balls flew past the goal post, a replay was scheduled. And so on until one would turn blue in the face.

The starter fired on July 18, 1936. About two dozen matches took place that day. Due to the paucity of information, it is impossible to identify who scored the first Soviet cup goal.

Participating teams
For a long time, the authorities could not decide on the number of participants. In March, they were talking about forty teams: to the two dozen teams of masters they were going to add about the same number from the outside. Later the conditions were specified and announced in mid-May: "128 teams will fight for the Soviet Cup: 23 of them are participants in the Soviet football championship calendar (Soviet League competitions) and no more than 105 other teams from among those who have declared their desire join the Cup draw." The exact numbers of those who applied and played have never been established. During the tournament, right up to the final, they varied from 84 to 97... 93 teams promised to play, but 82 kept their word.

Source: []
 * Notes
 * Withdrawn teams (no games played): CDKA-2 Moscow, Krasny Oktyabr Stalingrad, Krasnoye Znamia Orekhovo-Zuyevo, Gornyak Krivoi Rog, Dinamo Kuibyshev, Spartak Kuibyshev, Spartak Kalinin, Dinamo Baku, Dinamo Kiev, Dinamo Moscow , Avtozavod imeni Molotova Gorkiy , Dinamo Dnepropetrovsk (total 12)
 * Dinamo Kiev squad was involved in creating the 1936 film Goalkeeper (Vratar).

First round
[Jul 18] Arsenal Kiev (KFK)          3-3 (KFK) Krasnoye Znamya Yegoryevsk        [aet] [Shpatenko 10, Tolstikov 15, Dubovik 20, ? – Kulakov, ?] BOLSHEVIK Kiev (KFK)        w/o (KFK) CDKA-2 Moskva Burevestnik Leningrad (KFK) 2-6 (KFK) DINAMO-2 Moskva Burevestnik Rostov-na-Donu (KFK) 0-3 (KFK) INFIZKULT Moskva DZERZHINETS Bezhitsa (KFK)  2-1 (KFK) Lokomotiv Voronezh DINAMO Batumi (KFK)         7-1 (KFK) MedKombinat Alaverdi [? – R.Gusov] DINAMO Chelyabinsk (KFK)    3-1 (KFK) Spartak Omsk [G.Falkovskiy 29, 79, Isakov 70 pen – L.Shishkin (D) 57 og] DINAMO Krasnodar (KFK)      w/o (KFK) Krasny Oktyabr Stalingrad DINAMO Krivoi Rog (KFK)     5-0 (KFK) ZiI Mariupol Dinamo Minsk (KFK)          1-5 (KFK) PROLETARSKAYA POBEDA Moskva [? – Babashin-3, Artyomov, Sakharov] DINAMO Voronezh (KFK)       w/o (KFK) Krasnoye Znamya Orekhovo-Zuyevo DINAMO-TRUDKOMMUNA Bolshevo (KFK) 5-0 (KFK) Lokomotiv Leningrad DZERZHINETS Bezhitsa (KFK)  2-1 (KFK) Lokomotiv Voronezh (repeated information) KhPZ Kharkov (KFK)          3-1 (KFK) Sniper Podolsk KRASNOYE ZNAMYA Noginsk (KFK) w/o (KFK) Gornyak Krivoi Rog Krylya Sovetov Zaporozhye (KFK) 1-1 (KFK) Lokomotiv Kharkov             [aet] [Studennikov 100 – Saltosetskyi] MORSKOI ZAVOD Sevastopol (KFK) 1-0 (KFK) Lokomotiv Dnepropetrovsk [Kulikov] RECORD Moskva (KFK)         3-2 (KFK) Rodina Moskva SERP I MOLOT Kharkov (KFK)  3-1 (KFK) Dinamo-TrudKommuna Lyubertsy Spartak Ivanovo (KFK)       1-6 (KFK) LOKOMOTIV-2 Moskva [Boris Shchibrov 29 - ?] STAL Konstantinovka (KFK)   3-1 (KFK) Burevestnik Moskva [M.Lomov 10, A.Yakovlev 65, I.Gorobets 83 - ?] Zenit Izhevsk (KFK)         1-11 (KFK) DINAMO Sverdlovsk ZiD Dneprodzerzhinsk (KFK)  0-1 (KFK) PRAVDA Moskva                    [aet] ZiK Makeyevka (KFK)         0-3 (KFK) ELEKTROMASHZAVOD Kharkov ZIM Nikolayev (KFK)         3-0 (KFK) Spartak Kiev ZIP Dnepropetrovsk (KFK)   10-0 (KFK) Farforovy Zavod Baranovka ZIF Konstantinovka (KFK)    3-1 (KFK) Burevestnik Moskva (repeated information) [Jul 19] DKA BVO Smolensk (KFK)      4-1 (KFK) Energiya Moskva [Jul 21] DINAMO Aktyubinsk (KFK)     w/o (KFK) Dinamo Kuibyshev DZERZHINETS Kolomna (KFK)   w/o (KFK) Spartak Kuibyshev TRUDOVAYA KOMMUNA Kungur (KFK) w/o (KFK) Spartak Kalinin [Jul 22] DZERZHINETS-STZ Stalingrad (KFK) 4-0 (KFK) DonGosTabFabrika Rostov-na-Donu [Alexandr Ponomaryov 17, 60 pen, Alexandr Sapronov 75, Sergei Kolesnikov 76]

First round replays
[Jul 19] Arsenal Kiev (KFK)          0-3 (KFK) KRASNOYE ZNAMYA Yegoryevsk [Jul 20] Krylya Sovetov Zaporozhye (KFK) 1-1 (KFK) Lokomotiv Kharkov               [aet] [Jul 26] Krylya Sovetov Zaporozhye (KFK) 0-5 (KFK) LOKOMOTIV Kharkov

Second round (Round of 64)
[Jul 24] Bolshevik Kiev               2-6  DINAMO Odessa DINAMO Gorkiy                4-3  Record Moskva DINAMO Pyatigorsk            w/o  Pravda Moskva DINAMO Rostov-na-Donu        6-2  Proletarskaya Pobeda Moskva Dinamo Voronezh              0-2  SPARTAK Moskva [Vladimir Stepanov 22, Georgiy Glazkov 76] DINAMO-TRUDKOMMUNA Bolshevo  6-1  Lokomotiv Kiev DZERZHINETS Bezhitsa         3-2  Krylya Sovetov Moskva [N.Shilin 18, 50, A.Khomyakov ? - ?] Dzerzhinets Kolomna           0-9  SPARTAK Leningrad ELEKTROMASHZAVOD Kharkov     1-0  Stal Dnepropetrovsk [A.Fyodorov 23] KRASNOYE ZNAMYA Noginsk      3-0  Ugolshchiki Stalino KRASNOYE ZNAMYA Yegoryevsk   w/o  Dinamo Kiev Morskoi Zavod Sevastopol     2-3  TRAKTORNY ZAVOD Kharkov [A.Vyshnevskiy 33 pen, V.Shitikov 37 – V.Makarov 20, ?, ?] STAKHANOVETS Kadiyevka       w/o  Dinamo Moskva Trudovaya Kommuna Kungur     0-7  LOKOMOTIV Moskva [Viktor Lavrov-4, ?, ?, ?] ZIM Nikolayev                1-0  KinAp Odesa [Jul 25] DINAMO-2 Moskva              3-0  Vympel Kiev Serp i Molot Kharkov         1-1  Stalinets Moskva [Fyodor Lukyanchenko 50 – Sergei Ivanov 61] [Jul 26] Dinamo Aktyubinsk            0-4  CDKA Moskva [Ivan Mitronov 52, ?, ?, ?] HPZ Kharkov                  0-2  ZIS Moskva [Viktor Semyonov 67, K.Us (H) 75 og] Kolkhoz Chapayeva Zolotonosha 0-15 SERP I MOLOT Moskva [Pavel Kudryavtsev 4, Grigoriy Fedotov 5, ?...] Lokomotiv-2 Moskva           1-7  STALINETS Leningrad [? – K.Sazonov-2, Viktor Smagin, Alexei Larionov, Boris Ivin, Alexandr Zyablikov, Alexandr Gnezdov] ZiP Dnepropetrovsk           0-5  DINAMO Kharkov [Jul 27] DINAMO Kazan                 w/o  Dinamo Chelyabinsk DINAMO Sverdlovsk            w/o  GAZ Gorkiy DKA Smolensk                 2-3  KRASNAYA ZARYA Leningrad [P.Petrov 40, 78 - ?] INFIZKULT Moskva             w/o  Dinamo Baku [Jul 28] Dinamo Batumi                0-2  DINAMO Tbilisi [Mikhail Berdzenishvili-2] Dinamo Krasnodar             0-3  LOKOMOTIV Tbilisi Dinamo Krivoi Rog            2-5  STROITELI Baku DZERZHINETS-STZ Stalingrad   w/o  Dinamo Dnepropetrovsk [Jul 30] Stal Konstantinovka          2-3  SPARTAK Kharkov [Aug 2] Lokomotiv Kharkov            2-2  Dinamo Leningrad             [aet] [Boris Gurkin 6, 111 – Pyotr Dementyev 18, Boris Shelagin 118 pen]

Second round replays
[Jul 27] SERP I MOLOT Kharkov         2-1  Stalinets Moskva [Georgiy Toporkov 52, Vladimir Prasolov 54 - ?] [Aug 4] Lokomotiv Kharkov            1-1  Dinamo Leningrad [Zub 14 pen – Pyotr Dementyev 30] [Aug 7] Lokomotiv Kharkov            0-1  DINAMO Leningrad [Pyotr Dementyev 43]

Third round (Round of 32)
[Jul 30] Dinamo Gorkiy (KFK)          0-2 (II) STALINETS Leningrad [Viktor Smagin 68, Alexei Larionov 79] Dinamo-TrudKommuna Bolshevo (KFK) 0-2 (I) KRASNAYA ZARYA Leningrad [Alexei Tsvilikh-2] SERP I MOLOT Kharkov (KFK)   5-1 (IV) Traktorny Zavod Kharkov [Fyodor Morgunov 15, 65, Alexandr Timchenko 60 pen, Vladimir Prasolov 75, Georgiy Toporkov 78 – Ivan Gruber 81 pen] SERP I MOLOT Moskva (II)     3-2 (KFK) Dinamo-2 Moskva [Grigoriy Fedotov 77, 85, Sergei Kuzin 86 - ?] Stakhanovets Kadiyevka (KFK) 0-2 (KFK) ELEKTROMASHZAVOD Kharkov ZiM Nikolayev (KFK)          0-3 (II) SPARTAK Leningrad [Aug 1] Dinamo Kharkov (II)          0-1 (I) LOKOMOTIV Moskva [Viktor Lavrov 65 pen] [Aug 2] Dinamo Kazan (III)           1-2 (II) ZIS Moskva [Ivan Borisevich 85 - ?] Krasnoye Znamya Yegoryevsk (KFK) 0-4 (KFK) KRASNOYE ZNAMYA Noginsk [Aug 3] DINAMO Tbilisi (II)          3-2 (III) Stroiteli Baku               [aet] [Mikhail Berdenishvili 17 pen, 67 pen, Mikhail Aslamazov 93 – Aram Stepanov 9, Arkadiy Amirjanov 90] Dzerzhinets Bezhitsa (KFK)   0-3 (KFK) DZERZHINETS-STZ Stalingrad [A.Voyevodin 40, Alexandr Ponomaryov 57, 80] [Aug 4] SPARTAK Moskva (I)          4-0 (III) Spartak Kharkov [Pyotr Nikiforov, Georgiy Glazkov, Leonid Rumyantsev, Stanislav Leuta] [Aug 6] Dinamo Sverdlovsk (KFK)     0-6 (III) DINAMO Rostov-na-Donu [Sergei Dombazov, Viktor Berezhnoi, Valeriy Bekhtenev, Iosif Kurabo, ?, ?] [Aug 8] CDKA Moskva (I)              1-2 (IV) DINAMO Pyatigorsk [Konstantin Malinin 15 - Vasiliy Motlokhov 38 pen, Tengiz Gavasheli 57] [Aug 10] Lokomotiv Tbilisi (III)      2-2 (III) Dinamo Odessa [Gayoz Jejelava 63, ? 68 – Leonid Orekhov 16, Makar Gichkin 44] [Aug 11] InFizKult Moskva (KFK)       1-4 (I) DINAMO Leningrad [? – Nikolai Svetlov-2, Pyotr Dementyev-2]

Third round replays
[Aug 12] Lokomotiv Tbilisi (III)      3-4 (III) DINAMO Odessa [Georgiy Apridonidze 56, 81, Luasarb Loladze 60 - Mikhail Heison 35, 64, Leonid Orekhov 47, 69]

Fourth round (Round of 16)
[Aug 5] LOKOMOTIV Moskva (I)         3-0 (II) Spartak Leningrad [Viktor Lavrov, ?, ?] [Aug 8] SERP I MOLOT Kharkov (KFK)  3-1 (KFK) ElektroMashZavod Kharkov [Fyodor Morgunov 38, Vladimir Prasolov 42, ? 85 – A.Naprasnikov 44] Stalinets Leningrad (II)    0-3 (I) SPARTAK Moskva [Pyotr Nikiforov 15, Andrei Starostin 43, 87] [Aug 12] Dzerzhinets-STZ Stalingrad (KFK) 1-3 (II) DINAMO Tbilisi [Alexandr Ponomaryov 8 – Boris Paichadze 50, 87, Mikhail Berdzenishvili 64 pen] [Aug 13] KRASNAYA ZARYA Leningrad (I) 2-1 (III) Dinamo Rostov-na-Donu [Pyotr Artemyev 23, 72 – Viktor Berezhnoi 6] ZIS Moskva (II)              4-2 (IV) Dinamo Pyatigorsk [Viktor Semyonov 21, Alexei Shumov 27, Pyotr Ivanov ?, Anatoliy Yemelyanov ? – Vasiliy Motlokhov 43, 61] [Aug 17] DINAMO Leningrad (I)         3-2  (II) Serp i Molot Moskva [Mikhail Butusov 31 pen, Pyotr Dementyev 61, 87 – Alexei Zaitsev 9, Grigoriy Fedotov 88] [Aug 18] KRASNOYE ZNAMYA Noginsk (KFK) w/o (III) Dinamo Odessa

Quarterfinals

 * The Kharkiv team tried to protest the match result due to poor refereeing, but their appeal was declined. While not refereeing for this match, one of referees Viktor Ryabokon was the president of the Lokomotiv sports society.


 * The match was interrupted due to lack of lighting and its extra time never played. It was decided to replay the match on 20 August and this match was annulled.

Quarterfinals replays

 * On 20 August 1936 officially in the Soviet Union, there was adopted a Georgian name for Tiflis, Tbilisi.

Number of teams by union republic

 * Notes
 * In the world of the Soviet football the teams from the RSFSR often were split into two/three categories: Moscow, Leningrad and the rest of RSFSR or Capital cities and the rest of RSFSR.
 * The Moscow-based teams: 4 (A), 3 (B), 1 (G), 10 (KFK), 18 (total)
 * The Leningrad-based teams: 2 (A), 2 (B), 2 (KFK), 6 (total)
 * The rest of RSFSR teams: 2 (V), 2 (G), 27 (KFK), 31 (total)