On this date in 1872 (1872!), the 'first ever official international association football match' was played.
The game was England vs Scotland, and played at the Hamilton Creek cricket grounds in Partick, Scotland. Although England had been playing Scotland in organized matches since 1870, the Scots who played were largely Londoners. Back in Scotland - and even within the Football Association in England, there was growing interest in a match featuring homegrown and local Scots.
In 1872, despite a Scottish Football Association not yet existing, the Queen's Park football club picked up the challenge and hosted the match. Tickets cost one shilling, and 4,000 spectators showed up for the match which ended in a 0-0 draw. Reports indicate that Scotland came closest to winning with one disallowed goal, and one closing shot attempt off the makeshift crossbar. Even back then, the signature national uniforms were set - England in white, Scotland in blue, although both teams apparently wore caps or hoods.
12 years later in 1884, the British Home Championship became the first international tournament, featuring England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. (Scotland won) The International Olympic Committee held soccer as a demonstration sport in 1900 and again in 1904. And, that same year, FIFA was founded, with the first World Cup finally arriving in 1930. The seeds of today's World Cup were laid back then in 1872. What started as a friendly national challenge has become a spectacle of sport and international competition...who would have thought?
The game was England vs Scotland, and played at the Hamilton Creek cricket grounds in Partick, Scotland. Although England had been playing Scotland in organized matches since 1870, the Scots who played were largely Londoners. Back in Scotland - and even within the Football Association in England, there was growing interest in a match featuring homegrown and local Scots.
In 1872, despite a Scottish Football Association not yet existing, the Queen's Park football club picked up the challenge and hosted the match. Tickets cost one shilling, and 4,000 spectators showed up for the match which ended in a 0-0 draw. Reports indicate that Scotland came closest to winning with one disallowed goal, and one closing shot attempt off the makeshift crossbar. Even back then, the signature national uniforms were set - England in white, Scotland in blue, although both teams apparently wore caps or hoods.
12 years later in 1884, the British Home Championship became the first international tournament, featuring England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. (Scotland won) The International Olympic Committee held soccer as a demonstration sport in 1900 and again in 1904. And, that same year, FIFA was founded, with the first World Cup finally arriving in 1930. The seeds of today's World Cup were laid back then in 1872. What started as a friendly national challenge has become a spectacle of sport and international competition...who would have thought?
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