| Season | 1981 | 
|---|---|
| Champions | Dinamo Kiev | 
| Relegated | SKA Rostov-na-Donu, Tavriya Simferopol | 
| European Cup | Dinamo Kiev | 
| Cup Winners' Cup | SKA Rostov-na-Donu | 
| UEFA Cup | Spartak Moscow Dinamo Moscow Dinamo Tbilisi | 
| Matches played | 306 | 
| Goals scored | 779 (2.55 per match) | 
| Top goalscorer | (23) Ramaz Shengelia (Dinamo Tb.) | 
| ← 1980  1982 →  | |
Statistics of Soviet Top League for the 1981 season.
Overview
It was contested by 18 teams, and Dynamo Kyiv won the championship.
League standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | .svg.png.webp) Dynamo Kyiv (C) | 34 | 22 | 9 | 3 | 58 | 26 | +32 | 53 | Qualification for European Cup first round | 
| 2 | .svg.png.webp) Spartak Moscow | 34 | 19 | 8 | 7 | 70 | 40 | +30 | 46 | Qualification for UEFA Cup first round | 
| 3 | .svg.png.webp) Dinamo Tbilisi | 34 | 16 | 10 | 8 | 62 | 35 | +27 | 42 | |
| 4 | .svg.png.webp) Dynamo Moscow | 34 | 15 | 10 | 9 | 41 | 29 | +12 | 40 | |
| 5 | .svg.png.webp) Torpedo Moscow | 34 | 14 | 14 | 6 | 41 | 29 | +12 | 38[lower-alpha 1] | Qualification for Cup Winners' Cup first round | 
| 6 | .svg.png.webp) CSKA Moscow | 34 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 39 | 33 | +6 | 37 | |
| 7 | .svg.png.webp) Shakhtar Donetsk | 34 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 51 | 39 | +12 | 34 | |
| 8 | .svg.png.webp) Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk | 34 | 12 | 8 | 14 | 42 | 53 | −11 | 32 | |
| 9 | .svg.png.webp) Dinamo Minsk | 34 | 11 | 13 | 10 | 44 | 39 | +5 | 32[lower-alpha 2] | |
| 10 | .svg.png.webp) Neftchi Baku | 34 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 34 | 49 | −15 | 32[lower-alpha 3] | |
| 11 | .svg.png.webp) Chornomorets Odessa | 34 | 11 | 9 | 14 | 36 | 44 | −8 | 31 | |
| 12 |  Kairat Alma-Ata | 34 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 42 | 46 | −4 | 30[lower-alpha 3] | |
| 13 | .svg.png.webp) Kuban Krasnodar | 34 | 11 | 7 | 16 | 42 | 54 | −12 | 29 | |
| 14 | .svg.png.webp) Ararat Yerevan | 34 | 10 | 9 | 15 | 44 | 50 | −6 | 29 | |
| 15 | .svg.png.webp) Zenit Leningrad | 34 | 9 | 10 | 15 | 33 | 43 | −10 | 28 | |
| 16 | .svg.png.webp) SKA Rostov-on-Don (R) | 34 | 8 | 10 | 16 | 39 | 58 | −19 | 26 | Relegation to First League | 
| 17 | .svg.png.webp) Tavria Simferopol (R) | 34 | 8 | 7 | 19 | 27 | 54 | −27 | 23 | |
| 18 | .svg.png.webp) Pakhtakor Tashkent[lower-alpha 4] | 34 | 7 | 5 | 22 | 34 | 58 | −24 | 19 | 
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- ↑ 4 points deducted (10 draw limit)
- ↑ 3 points deducted (10 draw limit)
- 1 2 2 points deducted (10 draw limit)
- ↑ Pakhtakor Tashkent avoided relegation as it received a three year guarantee of no relegation after the 1979 airplane crash.
Results
Top scorers
- 23 goals
- Ramaz Shengelia (Dinamo Tbilisi)
- 21 goals
- Yuri Gavrilov (Spartak Moscow)
- 19 goals
- Oleg Blokhin (Dynamo Kyiv)
- 16 goals
- Vladimir Kazachyonok (Zenit)
- 15 goals
- Valery Gazzaev (Dynamo Moscow)
- 14 goals
- Khoren Hovhannisyan (Ararat)
- Pyotr Vasilevsky (Dinamo Minsk)
- 13 goals
- Andrei Yakubik (Pakhtakor)
- 12 goals
- Viktor Grachyov (Shakhtar)
- Aleksandr Pogorelov (Dnipro)
Medal squads
(league appearances and goals listed in brackets)
| 1. FC Dynamo Kyiv | 
| Goalkeepers: Mykhaylo Mykhaylov (25), Yuriy Romenskyi (9). Manager: Valeriy Lobanovskyi. Transferred out during the season: . | 
| 2. FC Spartak Moscow | 
| Goalkeepers: Rinat Dasayev (34), Aleksei Prudnikov (1). Manager: Konstantin Beskov. Transferred out during the season: . | 
| 3. FC Dinamo Tbilisi | 
| Goalkeepers: Otar Gabelia (31), Karlo Mchedlidze (5). Manager: Nodar Akhalkatsi. Transferred out during the season: . | 
References
- Soviet Union - List of final tables (RSSSF)
- 1981. Higher League. (1981. Высшая лига.) Luhansk Our Futbol portal.
- 44th USSR Championship, 1981 Higher League (44-й чемпионат СССР, 1981г. Высшая лига). Wildstat website.