// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did 1978 Soviet First League say to the ball? You're kicked out.

Soviet First League
Season	1978
Champions	Krylia Sovetov Kuibyshev
Promoted	Krylia Sovetov Kuibyshev; SKA Rostov-on-Don; Dinamo Minsk
	← 1977 1979 →

The 1978 Soviet First League was the eighth season of the Soviet First League and the 38th season of the Soviet second-tier league competition.

Krylia Sovetov Kuibyshev secured an immediate return to the top-flight of Soviet football only a season after relegation as First League champions. They are joined in promotion by SKA Rostov-on-Don and Dinamo Minsk.^[1]

Standings

Pos	Rep	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion
1	RUS	Krylia Sovetov Kuibyshev (C, P)	38	21	14	3	59	25	+34	56	Promotion to Top League
2	RUS	SKA Rostov-on-Don (P)	38	20	14	4	64	35	+29	54
3	BLR	Dinamo Minsk (P)	38	21	11	6	57	28	+29	53
4	UKR	Karpaty Lviv	38	21	10	7	60	37	+23	52
5	RUS	Terek Grozny	38	16	9	13	56	56	0	41
6	RUS	Kuban Krasnodar	38	16	9	13	51	46	+5	41
7	LTU	Žalgiris Vilnius	38	11	19	8	38	37	+1	41
8	UKR	Tavriya Simferopol	38	14	12	12	48	38	+10	40
9	GEO	Torpedo Kutaisi	38	14	9	15	44	41	+3	37
10	MDA	Nistru Chișinău	38	13	11	14	42	40	+2	37
11	UKR	SKA Odessa	38	12	10	16	43	51	−8	34
12	RUS	Shinnik Yaroslavl	38	12	10	16	37	42	−5	34
13	TJK	Pamir Dushanbe	38	10	14	14	47	41	+6	34
14	UKR	Metalurh Zaporizhzhia	38	10	14	14	39	47	−8	34
15	UKR	Spartak Ivano-Frankivsk	38	13	6	19	43	58	−15	32
16	RUS	Kuzbass Kemerovo	38	12	7	19	38	54	−16	31
17	RUS	Uralmash Sverdlovsk	38	10	11	17	31	50	−19	31
18	RUS	Spartak Orzhonikidze	38	10	8	20	30	50	−20	28
19	RUS	Dinamo Leningrad	38	7	13	18	47	65	−18	27
20	TKM	Kolhozchi Ashgabad	38	7	9	22	27	60	−33	23

Source: RSSSF
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted

Rank	Union republic	Number of teams	Club(s)
1	RSFSR	9	Terek Grozny, Kuban Krasnodar, Shinnik Yaroslavl, Kuzbass Kemerevo, Uralmash Sverdlovsk, Spartak Ordzhonikidze, Dinamo Leningrad, Krylia Sovetov Kuibyshev, SKA Rostov-na-Donu
2	Ukrainian SSR	5	Karpaty Lvov, Tavria Simferopol, SKA Odessa, Metallurg Zaporozhye, Prykarpatye Ivano-Frankovsk
3	Belarusian SSR	1	Dinamo Minsk
	Lithuanian SSR		Žalgiris Vilnius
	Georgian SSR		Torpedo Kutaisi
	Moldavian SSR		Nistru Kishinev
	Tajik SSR		Pamir Dushanbe
	Turkmen SSR		Kolhozchi Ashkhabad

↑ Balitskiy, Andrei; Dreiman, Theodore (2013-07-11). "Soviet Union 1978". RSSSF. Retrieved 2026-08-18.

v t e Second level Soviet football championship seasons
Group B	1936 1937 1938 1939 1940
Second Group	1945 1946 1947 1948 1949
Class B	1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962
Second Group (Class A)	1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
First Group (Class A)	1970
First League	1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991

v t e 1978 in Soviet football
« 1977 1979 »
Domestic leagues	Supreme League First League Second League (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
Domestic cups	Soviet Cup
European competitions	European Cup 1977–78 1978–79 Cup Winners' Cup 1977–78 1978–79 UEFA Cup 1977–78 1978–79