The match was Russia's first since the 1994 FIFA World Cup months earlier, where the team finished third in their group and were eliminated.

[5] The Russian team, under new manager Oleg Romantsev, included six players from their World Cup squad: Dmitri Khlestov, Yuriy Nikiforov, Andrey Pyatnitsky, Vladislav Ternavsky, Omari Tetradze and Ilya Tsymbalar.

Due to a shortage in players for the All-Stars, two Russian forwards – both also at the 1994 World Cup – also joined the team: Dmitri Radchenko and Oleg Salenko.

[6] Franz Beckenbauer was planned as the manager for the All-Stars, but was unable to attend due to contractual stipulations requiring his presence in Japan.

The exhibition match, which was unofficial for Russia, was played on 7 August 1994 as part of the closing ceremony of the 1994 Goodwill Games.