 The USSR (who became the Commonwealth of Independent States during the campaign) reached the 1993 UEFA European Women's Championship quarter-finals at their only attempt and Russia were to match that two years later, with both teams losing to Germany over two legs.In 1997, they qualified directly for the final tournament but once there were defeated by Sweden, France – who they had beaten in the preliminaries – and Spain.However, they were among six European sides to qualify for the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup, thanks to two 2–1 play-off wins against Finland, and comfortable victories over Japan and Canada earned them a quarter-final, where they lost to eventual runners-up China.