Unofficial Football World Championships#Nasazzi.27s Baton

The idea stemmed originally from some Scotland fans and sections of the media jokingly asserting that as they beat England (who had won the 1966 World Cup) in a British Home Championship match on 15 April 1967—England's first loss after their FIFA World Cup victory—they were the "Unofficial World Champions".{{cite web |url=http://sport.stv.tv/football/239141-scotland-unofficially-the-greatest-international-side-in-history/ |title=Scotland: (unofficially) the greatest international side in history |publisher=STV |date=27 March 2011 |last=Coyle |first=Andy |access-date=21 November 2013 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304040028/http://sport.stv.tv/football/239141-scotland-unofficially-the-greatest-international-side-in-history/ |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |last=Lines |first=Oliver |url=http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/12040/8868869/ |title=Five classic clashes |publisher=Sky Sports |date=13 August 2013 |access-date=21 November 2013}}{{cite web |url=http://talksport.com/magazine/features/130621/arsenal-world-champions-wolves-rule-world-and-more-spurious-world-titles-200165 |title=Arsenal 'world champions', Wolves rule the world and more spurious 'world titles' |publisher=TalkSport |date=21 June 2013 |access-date=21 November 2013 |last=Knight |first=Simon}}

In 2002, football statisticians James Allnutt, Paul Crankshaw, Jostein Nygård, and Roberto Di Maggio defined the rules of the UFWC, traced its lineage and published it on the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation website. The following year, freelance journalist Paul Brown wrote an article on the UFWC in football magazine FourFourTwo. In 2011, Brown authored a book on the subject. Brown also created the championship's website which tracks its progression.

The UFWC is not sanctioned by FIFA, nor does it have any sort of official backing.{{cite web |url=http://www.ufwc.co.uk/about/trophy/ |title=Trophy |publisher=UFWC |access-date=16 October 2013 |last=Brown |first=Paul}}

• The first team to win an international football match were declared first ever Unofficial Football World Champions.
• This was England, who defeated Scotland 4–2 in 1873 in the second full international match, the first in 1872 having been a 0–0 draw between the same two nations.{{cite web |last=Hesse-Lichtenberger |first=Uli |url=http://espnfc.com/columns/story?id=588907 |title=Undisputed champions of the world |publisher=ESPN |date=4 November 2008 |access-date=21 November 2013}}
• The next full international (international 'A' match) involving the title holder is considered a title match, with the winners taking the title.{{efn-lg|Where the FIFA-accredited status of a match is in question, as was the case for 2013 King's Cup matches in January 2013, title matches must meet the FIFA definition of 'A' matches included in the UFWC rules: "an international 'A' match shall be a match that been arranged between two national A associations affiliated to the Federation and for which both Associations field their first national representative team."}}
• In the event of a title match being a draw, the current holders of the title remain champions.
• UFWC title matches are decided by their ultimate outcome, including extra time and penalties.{{efn-lg|An exception to this rule is if the second leg of a two-legged playoff goes into extra time because it is tied on aggregate goals and away goals. Since the purpose of the extra time (and penalty kicks if necessary) is to determine the winner of the playoff, not the individual match, it is not included.}}{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Paul |url=http://www.ufwc.co.uk/2013/10/uruguay-defeat-argentina-to-become-unofficial-football-world-champions/ |title=Uruguay defeat Argentina to become UFWC champions |publisher=UFWC |date=16 October 2013 |access-date=16 October 2013}}
• Title matches are contested under the rules of the governing body by which they are sanctioned.

While the Unofficial Football World Championship was invented in 2002, the rules are such that results are analysed retrospectively to determine the theoretical lineage of champions from the very first international matches. A comprehensive list of results of all championship games is maintained on the UFWC website.{{Cite web |title=Results - UFWC |url=https://www.ufwc.co.uk/results/ |access-date=2024-11-29 |website=www.ufwc.co.uk |language=en-us}}

The first ever FIFA-recognised international match was a 0–0 draw between England and Scotland, on 30 November 1872 at Hamilton Crescent.{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Paul |url=http://www.ufwc.co.uk/2007/01/ufwc-classic-scotland-vs-england-1872/ |title=Scotland vs England 1872 |publisher=UFWC |date=1 January 2007 |access-date=20 June 2014}} The Unofficial World Championship thus remained vacant until the same two teams met again at the Kennington Oval on 8 March 1873. England won 4–2, and so are regarded as having become the inaugural Unofficial Football World Champions.{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Paul |url=http://www.ufwc.co.uk/2009/05/classic-matches-england-vs-scotland-1873/ |title=England vs Scotland 1873 |publisher=UFWC |date=11 May 2009 |access-date=20 June 2014}}

Early international football was almost entirely confined to the British Isles. Wales entered the UFWC 'competition' in 1876—holding it for the first time in 1907, and Ireland (the team representing the Belfast-based Irish Football Association, subsequently known as Northern Ireland) in 1882—first recording a UFWC victory in 1927. The UFWC title swapped between the Home Nations teams several times in this period, and was first competed by a non-British Isles team in 1909, when England defeated Hungary in Budapest.{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Paul |url=http://www.ufwc.co.uk/2009/11/hungary-vs-england-1909/ |title=Hungary vs England 1909 |publisher=UFWC |date=3 November 2009 |access-date=20 June 2014}}

None of the Home Nations teams competed in the 1930, 1934, or 1938 World Cups, and additionally the First and Second World Wars hindered football's globalization process further.

It was 1931 when the title was first passed outside the British Isles, to Austria in their third attempt with a 5–0 victory over Scotland.{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Paul |url=http://www.ufwc.co.uk/2010/01/austria-5-0-scotland-1931/ |title=Austria vs Scotland 1931 |publisher=UFWC |date=15 January 2010 |access-date=20 June 2014}} They held the title until 7 December 1932 when they lost 4–3 to England at Stamford Bridge,{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Paul |url=http://www.ufwc.co.uk/2010/01/england-4-3-austria-1932/ |title=England vs Austria 1932 |publisher=UFWC |date=22 January 2010 |access-date=20 June 2014}} and for all but the last few months of the decade it was held by those four teams. In the 1940s, the title was held by continental teams, notably those representing the Axis powers and countries neutral during World War II, but was recaptured by England in time for the 1950 World Cup. Here, in a shock result, they lost to the United States in one of the biggest upsets ever; it was the first venture of the title onto the Americas,{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Paul |url=http://www.ufwc.co.uk/2007/01/ufwc-classic-england-vs-usa-1950/ |title=England vs USA 1950 |publisher=UFWC |date=1 January 2007 |access-date=20 June 2014}} and stayed there because Chile immediately took it with their win in the last game of the group stage which wasn't enough to qualify for the later stages. This made 1950 both the first World Cup where the title was at stake and not captured by the winners. It remained in the Americas for all but one of the following 16 years.

File:World Map FIFA2.svg

This time included the four-day reign of Netherlands Antilles, who beat Mexico 2–1 in a CONCACAF Championship match to become the smallest country ever to hold the title.{{cite web |url=http://inbedwithmaradona.com/journal/2011/2/18/netherlands-antilles-we-hardly-knew-ye.html |title=Netherlands Antilles, we hardly knew ye |publisher=In Bed With Maradona |date=18 February 2011 |access-date=21 November 2013 |last1=Brown |first1=Paul |last2=Holden |first2=David}}

The UFWC returned to Europe in time for the 1966 FIFA World Cup with the Soviet Union. They lost the championship in the semi-final to West Germany, who lost the final to England.{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Paul |url=http://www.ufwc.co.uk/2007/01/ufwc-classic-england-vs-west-germany/ |title=England vs West Germany 1966 |publisher=UFWC |date=1 January 2007 |access-date=20 June 2014}} The following year, the England v Scotland match of 1967, which first gave rise to the idea of an unofficial world championship, really was a UFWC title match.{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Paul |url=http://www.ufwc.co.uk/2007/01/ufwc-classic-england-vs-scotland-1967/ |title=England vs Scotland 1967 |publisher=UFWC |date=1 January 2007 |access-date=20 June 2014}} With West Germany's victory over Netherlands in the 1974 World Cup Final, West Germany became the first team to hold the World Cup, European Championship and the UFWC at the same time. The title stayed in Europe until 1978, when it was taken by Argentina, the winners of the 1978 World Cup. It remained in South America until the 1982 World Cup where Peru lost to Poland.{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/worldcup/spain1982/matches/round=293/match=1055/index.html |title=1982 FIFA World Cup Spain – Poland 5:1 Peru |publisher=FIFA Official Website |date=22 June 1982 |access-date=21 June 2014}} The UFWC remained in Europe for the next ten years, except for a one-year tenure by Argentina.

In 1992, the title returned to the United States and then was held for one match by Australia,{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Paul |url=http://www.ufwc.co.uk/2012/11/usa-vs-australia-1992/ |title=USA vs Australia 1992 |publisher=UFWC |date=21 November 2012 |access-date=20 June 2014}} before it worked its way through several South American nations, back through Europe and to its first Asian holders, South Korea, who defeated Colombia in the 1995 Carlsberg Cup semi-final.{{cite web |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesh/hk-carls95.html |title=Carlsberg Cup 1995 |publisher=Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation |access-date=20 June 2014}} The Koreans lost the title to FR Yugoslavia in their next match, and the UFWC remained in Europe until March 1998 when Germany lost it to Brazil in a friendly. Argentina then defeated Brazil in a friendly to carry the UFWC into the 1998 World Cup, where France repeated Argentina's 1978 feat by taking the title as they won the World Cup on home turf, beating Brazil 3–0 in the final.{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Paul |date=8 March 2011 |title=Brazil vs France 1998 |url=http://www.ufwc.co.uk/2011/03/brazil-vs-france-1998/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714121405/http://www.ufwc.co.uk/2011/03/brazil-vs-france-1998/ |archive-date=14 July 2014 |access-date=20 June 2014 |publisher=UFWC}}

After beating Germany in the group stages at UEFA Euro 2000, England took the title for the last time to date, before losing to Romania in the following match.{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Paul |date=14 June 2009 |title=England vs Germany 2000 |url=http://www.ufwc.co.uk/2009/06/classic-matches-england-vs-germany-2000/ |access-date=20 June 2014 |publisher=UFWC}} France and Spain enjoyed spells as champions before the Netherlands won the title in March 2002. As the Dutch had failed to qualify for the 2002 World Cup, the UFWC was, unusually, not at stake at the official World Cup. The Netherlands retained the title until 10 September 2003, when they lost a Euro 2004 qualifier 3–1 to the Czech Republic.{{cite web |date=11 September 2003 |title=UEFA Euro 2004 – History – Czech Republic-Netherlands |url=https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/match/69331--czechia-vs-netherlands/ |access-date=20 June 2014 |publisher=UEFA Official Website}}

The Czechs defended their title a few times, before losing it to the Republic of Ireland in a friendly via a last-minute winner by Robbie Keane.{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Paul |url=http://www.ufwc.co.uk/2004/03/republic-of-ireland-2-1-czech-republic/ |title=Republic of Ireland 2–1 Czech Republic |publisher=UFWC |date=31 March 2004 |access-date=20 June 2014}}{{cite web |last=Ogden |first=Mark |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2004/apr/01/newsstory.sport15 |title=Czech record scratched by Keane |work=The Guardian|date=1 April 2004 |access-date=20 June 2014}} The title then went to an African nation for the first time, as they lost it to Nigeria.{{cite web |last=Mitchell |first=Kevin |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2004/may/30/newsstory.sport5 |title=Nigeria turn on style to leave Ireland red-faced |work=The Guardian|date=30 May 2004 |access-date=20 June 2014}} Angola won and kept this title through late 2004 and early 2005. They were then beaten by Zimbabwe (in a match that tripled as a World Cup qualifier and an African Nations qualifier),{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Paul |url=http://www.ufwc.co.uk/2005/03/zimbabwe-2-0-angola/ |title=Zimbabwe 2–0 Angola |publisher=UFWC |date=27 March 2005 |access-date=20 June 2014}} who held the title for six months before Nigeria re-gained it in October 2005. Nigeria were beaten by Romania,{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Paul |url=http://www.ufwc.co.uk/2007/01/ufwc-classic-romania-vs-nigeria-2005/ |title=Romania vs Nigeria 2005 |publisher=UFWC |date=1 January 2007 |access-date=20 June 2014}} who lost it to Uruguay within six months.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/24/AR2006052400505.html |title=Uruguay Defeats Romania 2–0 |newspaper=The Washington Post|date=24 May 2006 |access-date=20 June 2014}} Uruguay became the highest ranked team to hold the title since 2004, but their failure to qualify for the World Cup finals meant that, for the second time in succession, the unofficial title was not available at the official championships.{{cite web |last1=Bandini |first1=Paolo |last2=Dart |first2=James |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2006/jun/08/worldcup2006.sport19 |title=The Unofficial World Champions Reprise |work=The Guardian|date=8 June 2006 |access-date=21 November 2013}}

The title was brought back to Europe by Georgia on 15 November 2006, with both goals scored by Levan Kobiashvili in a 2–0 victory.{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Paul |url=http://www.ufwc.co.uk/2006/11/georgia-2-0-uruguay/ |title=Georgia 2–0 Uruguay |publisher=UFWC |date=15 November 2006 |access-date=20 June 2014}} They lost the title to the highest ranked team in the UFWC of all time, Scotland, on 24 March 2007, nearly forty years since Scotland had last gained the title.{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Paul |url=http://www.ufwc.co.uk/2007/03/scotland-end-40-year-ufwc-title-drought/ |title=Scotland end 40-year UFWC title drought |publisher=UFWC |date=24 March 2007 |access-date=20 June 2014}} Just four days later, Scotland conceded the title 2–0 to FIFA World Cup holders Italy,{{cite web |last=Moffat |first=Colin |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/6495949.stm |title=Italy 2–0 Scotland |publisher=BBC |date=28 March 2007 |access-date=20 June 2014}}{{cite web |last=Murray |first=Scott |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2007/mar/28/minutebyminute.sport1 |title=Italy 2 – 0 Scotland |work=The Guardian|date=28 March 2007 |access-date=20 June 2014}} and the title passed through the hands of Hungary twice, Turkey, Greece and Sweden before being claimed by the Netherlands,{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Paul |url=http://www.ufwc.co.uk/2008/11/netherlands-3-1-sweden-van-persie-takes/ |title=Netherlands 3–1 Sweden |publisher=UFWC |date=19 November 2008 |access-date=20 June 2014}} who eventually lost the title to Spain in the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final after a run that saw more successful defences than any other reign with 21.{{cite web |last=Ashdown |first=John |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2010/jun/02/world-cup-2010-player-managers |title=The real world champions |work=The Guardian|date=2 June 2010 |access-date=21 November 2013}}{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Paul |url=http://www.ufwc.co.uk/2010/07/netherlands-0-1-spain-aet/ |title=Netherlands 0–1 Spain (AET) |publisher=UFWC |date=11 July 2010 |access-date=20 June 2014}}

The European sojourn of the title was brought to an end when Argentina beat Spain 4–1 in a September 2010 friendly,{{cite web |url=http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2011/11/14/england-arent-the-unofficial-world-champions-japan-are-%E2%80%93-and-north-korea-could-be-next/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111116050330/http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2011/11/14/england-arent-the-unofficial-world-champions-japan-are-%E2%80%93-and-north-korea-could-be-next/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 November 2011 |title=England aren't the 'Unofficial World Champions', Japan are – and North Korea could be next |work=The Independent|date=14 November 2011 |access-date=21 November 2013 |last=Gledhill |first=Ben}}{{cite web |last=Markham |first=Rob |url=http://espnfc.com/feature/_/id/875382/unofficial-football-world-champions |title=Unofficial Football World Champions |publisher=ESPN |date=3 February 2011 |access-date=21 November 2013}} and after beating the Argentines in a friendly, Japan brought the title to the Asian Cup for the first time in 2011, and remained unbeaten throughout the tournament. Scheduled defenses of the title were cancelled after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, and they held the title for over a year before relinquishing it to North Korea,{{cite web |last=Raynor |first=Dominic |url=http://espnfc.com/columns/story/_/id/984736/off-the-ball:-irish-ball-bag-blag,-north-korea-conquer-world |title=Irish ball bag blag, Korea conquer world |publisher=ESPN |date=19 November 2011 |access-date=21 November 2013}}{{cite web |url=http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2011/11/15/north-korea-claim-unofficial-world-champions-title/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111117063019/http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2011/11/15/north-korea-claim-unofficial-world-champions-title/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 November 2011 |title=North Korea claim Unofficial World Champions title |work=The Independent|date=15 November 2011 |access-date=21 November 2013 |last=Gledhill |first=Ben}} ranked 124th in the world by FIFA, the lowest ranking of a UFWC champion since the rankings were introduced in 1993. North Korea continued to hold title through their successful campaign in the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup, where low-ranked nations Philippines,{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Paul |url=http://www.ufwc.co.uk/2012/03/north-korea-2-0-philippines/ |title=North Korea 2–0 Philippines |publisher=UFWC |date=9 March 2012 |access-date=20 June 2014}} Tajikistan,{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Paul |url=http://www.ufwc.co.uk/2012/03/tajikistan-0-2-north-korea/ |title=Tajikistan 0–2 North Korea |publisher=UFWC |date=11 March 2012 |access-date=20 June 2014}} India,{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Paul |url=http://www.ufwc.co.uk/2012/03/north-korea-4-0-india/ |title=North Korea 4–0 India |publisher=UFWC |date=13 March 2012 |access-date=20 June 2014}} Palestine,{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Paul |url=http://www.ufwc.co.uk/2012/03/north-korea-2-0-palestine/ |title=North Korea 2–0 Palestine |publisher=UFWC |date=16 March 2012 |access-date=20 June 2014}} and Turkmenistan challenged, the last of whom almost pulled off a major upset.{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Paul |url=http://www.ufwc.co.uk/2012/03/turkmenistan-vs-north-korea-afc-challenge-cup-final/ |title=Turkmenistan vs North Korea: AFC Challenge Cup Final |publisher=UFWC |date=19 March 2012 |access-date=15 June 2014}}{{cite web |url=http://eurosport.yahoo.com/19032012/58/world-football-north-korea-win-afc-challenge-cup.html |title=World Football – North Korea win AFC Challenge Cup |publisher=Yahoo Sports|date=19 March 2012 |access-date=15 June 2014}} North Korea's reign was memorable for the fact that so many low-ranking teams challenged to become holders of the crown – as well as the aforementioned AFC Challenge Cup, low ranking nations competing in the 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup second preliminary round such as Kuwait,{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Paul |url=http://www.ufwc.co.uk/2012/02/north-korea-1-1-kuwait/ |title=North Korea 1–1 Kuwait |publisher=UFWC |date=17 February 2012 |access-date=20 June 2014}} Indonesia,{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Paul |url=http://www.ufwc.co.uk/2012/09/indonesia-0-2-north-korea/ |title=Indonesia 0–2 North Korea |publisher=UFWC |date=10 September 2012 |access-date=20 June 2014}} Chinese Taipei,{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Paul |url=http://www.ufwc.co.uk/2012/12/chinese-taipei-1-6-north-korea/ |title=Chinese Taipei 1–6 North Korea |publisher=UFWC |date=1 December 2012 |access-date=20 June 2014}} Guam,{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Paul |url=http://www.ufwc.co.uk/2012/12/north-korea-5-0-guam/ |title=North Korea 5–0 Guam |publisher=UFWC |date=3 December 2012 |access-date=20 June 2014}} and Hong Kong{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Paul |url=http://www.ufwc.co.uk/2012/12/hong-kong-0-4-north-korea/ |title=Hong Kong 0–4 North Korea |publisher=UFWC |date=9 December 2012 |access-date=20 June 2014}} all unsuccessfully attempted to take the title away from North Korea.

The title was finally taken from North Korea by Sweden in the 2013 King's Cup, a result not recorded as a full international by FIFA, but nevertheless considered valid by the UFWC website.{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Paul |url=http://www.ufwc.co.uk/2013/01/north-korea-1-1-sweden/ |title=North Korea 1–1 Sweden (1–4 on penalties) |publisher=UFWC |date=23 January 2012 |access-date=20 June 2014}} In a friendly in February, Sweden were beaten by Argentina who took the title to South America.{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Paul |url=http://www.ufwc.co.uk/2013/02/sweden-2-3-argentina/ |title=Sweden 2–3 Argentina |publisher=UFWC |date=6 February 2012 |access-date=20 June 2014}} In October, Argentina lost a FIFA World Cup qualifier to Uruguay.

Uruguay took the UFWC into Group D of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

During the group-stage an already-eliminated England challenged Costa Rica for the UFWC in their third group-stage game and the UFWC was mooted as a potential consolation prize in the British press,

Media discussions of England's World Cup 2014 UFWC challenge:

• {{cite web |last=Belam |first=Martin |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/row-zed/unofficial-football-world-championship-also-3669348 |title=The Unofficial Football World Championship is also heading for Brazil. And England could win it! |work=Daily Mirror |date=10 June 2014 |access-date=10 June 2014}}
• {{cite web |last=Coyle |first=Andy |url=http://sport.stv.tv/football/280100-englands-silver-lining-team-could-become-unofficial-world-champions/ |title=England's silver lining: Team could become Unofficial World Champions |publisher=STV |date=22 June 2014 |access-date=24 June 2014}}
• {{cite web |last=Williams |first=Christopher |url=http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2014/06/shades-of-66-england-one-match-away-from-title.html |title=England One Match Away From Title |publisher=Paste |date=20 June 2014 |access-date=24 June 2014}}
• {{cite web |last=Sheen |first=Tom |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/worldcup/world-cup-2014-england-have-a-chance-to-win-the-unofficial-world-cup-against-champions-costa-rica-9559463.html |title=England have a chance to win the Unofficial World Cup against champions Costa Rica |work=The Independent|date=24 June 2014 |access-date=24 June 2014}}
• {{cite web |url=https://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/the-rio-report/england-become-world-champions-win-against-costa-rica-152703890.html |title=England can become 'world champions' with win against Costa Rica |publisher=Yahoo Sports|date=24 June 2014 |access-date=24 June 2014}}

however the match was drawn and Costa Rica took the UFWC into the knockout phase.

The UFWC and World Cup were "unified", with Germany securing both in the final.

Shortly after the World Cup, the runners-up Argentina beat Germany in a friendly to claim the UFWC title. This reign ended one match later, when Brazil won the UFWC title after winning 2014 Superclásico de las Américas.

Brazil held onto the title to take it into the 2015 Copa América, where it ended up with tournament winners Chile. Chile lost the title to Uruguay who took it into the Copa América Centenario, but regained it before winning the tournament. The UFWC was exchanged between CONMEBOL sides during 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification, and remained in South America despite being contested by outside teams during Chile's successful 2017 China Cup campaign. Ultimately it was Peru took the Championship into the 2018 FIFA World Cup where the title ended with tournament victors France.

For the next four years, the title was traded between UEFA teams, including the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, and Denmark, with most matches being either Euro 2020 qualifying, UEFA Nations League and World Cup 2022 qualifying games. In terms of number of consecutive title defenses, the 2020–2021 streak by Italy, which included their victorious UEFA Euro 2020 campaign, was the joint longest in UFWC history (tied with the Netherlands in 2008–2010).{{Cite web|date=2021-09-08|title=UFWC on Twitter|url=https://twitter.com/ufwc_football/status/1435704984910417928|access-date=2021-09-09|website=Twitter|language=en}}

Croatia brought the title to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which ended up in the hands of victors Argentina, who went unbeaten for almost a year before losing the title to Uruguay during World Cup qualification in 2023. The title then returned to Africa after 2023 Africa Cup of Nations champions Ivory Coast took it from Uruguay. On 15 October 2024, Sierra Leone, ranked 125th in the world at the time, defeated Ivory Coast, becoming the lowest ranked team to be Unofficial World Champions. On 27 October, Sierra Leone lost to 149th-ranked Liberia, who in turn became both the Unofficial World Champion and the lowest ranked team to hold the title.

The UFWC website maintained an all-time ranking table of teams, sorting by number of championship matches won. Owing mostly to their successes in the early years of international football, where competition was almost entirely limited to the British Isles, the top ranked team is Scotland.{{cite web|url=http://www.ufwc.co.uk/rankings/|title=Rankings|date=12 July 2021|publisher=UFWC|access-date=12 July 2021}}[http://www.ufwc.co.uk/about/ufwc-frequently-asked-questions/#25 UFWC FAQ], UFWC.co.uk

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Due to the nature of group stages, a team may win or retain the UFWC without qualifying for the knock-out stages of a competition. If, on the other hand, the UFWC champion reaches the knock-out stage, then the title of that competition will be unified with the UFWC.

No team has ever successfully defended the unofficial world championship title through a World Cup Finals. The Netherlands have come closest, remaining unbeaten in both the 1974 and 2010 competitions right up until the final, where they lost to West Germany and Spain respectively. West Germany were also beaten finalists in 1986, but the title changed hands four times during the tournament.

In 1950, 1962 and 1994 UFWC holders were eliminated in the group stage.

The championships of each of the continental championships are only listed when the UFWC was contested during the tournament. The continental championships of Africa and Oceania have not yet seen competition for this title.

{{Infobox book |

|name = Unofficial Football World Champions

|image = Unofficial Football World Championships.jpg

|caption =

|alt =

|author = Paul Brown

|country = UK

|language = English

|genre = Sports

|publisher = Superelastic

|release_date = 4 January 2011

|media_type = Print (paperback)

|pages = 186

|ISBN = 9780956227027

|italic title = no

}}

Freelance journalist Paul Brown, who wrote the original FourFourTwo article on the UFWC and created the UFWC website,{{cite web |url=http://www.ufwc.co.uk/about/ufwc-frequently-asked-questions/#4 |title=Unofficial Football World Championships – FAQ #4 |publisher=Unofficial Football World Championships |access-date=4 December 2012 |last=Brown |first=Paul}} wrote a book on the championship which was published by Superelastic in 2011.{{cite web |url=http://www.ufwc.co.uk/about/book/ |title=Unofficial Football World Championships: Book |publisher=UFWC |access-date=4 December 2012 |last=Brown |first=Paul}}{{cite web |url=http://www.superelastic.co.uk/unofficial-football-world-champions/ |title=Unofficial Football World Champions |publisher=Superelastic |access-date=21 November 2013}} Written in English, it has also been translated into Japanese. {{As of|2018}}, four editions of the book have been published, with the latest UFWC developments added to each.{{cite web |last1=Brown |first1=Paul |title=New UFWC book updated for 2018 |url=https://www.ufwc.co.uk/2018/03/new-ufwc-book-updated-for-2018/ |website=Unofficial Football World Championships |access-date=22 June 2018 |date=8 March 2018}}

The concept of such a title is not unique to the UFWC, similar concepts, with different rules and therefore different lineages, are discussed below.

The online community at the UFWC website tracked UFWC-like lineages confined to each FIFA confederation and a Women's Unofficial Football World Championships which could be traced back either to the first FIFA-recognised women's international in 1971 (a 4–0 victory for France over The Netherlands) or to earlier internationals that are not FIFA recognised.{{cite web |url=http://www.ufwc.co.uk/2013/01/ufwc-spin-offs-update-2013/ |title=UFWC spin-offs update 2013 |publisher=UFWC |date=14 January 2013 |access-date=14 January 2013 |author=Waring, Peter}}{{cite web|url=http://ufwc.proboards.com/thread/64|title=Unofficial Football World Championships – Forum – WOMENS UFWC|access-date=15 June 2014}}

A similar virtual title, Nasazzi's Baton, traces the "championship" from the first World Cup winners Uruguay, after whose captain it is named. Nasazzi's Baton follows the same rules as the UFWC, except that it treats all matches according to their result after 90 minutes.[http://www.nasazzi.com/ Nasazzi.com]{{in lang|fr}} Another virtual title, Netto's Baton, follows the same rules but is traced from the first UEFA European Championship winners Soviet Union and is confined to UEFA member national teams.[https://batonnetto.wordpress.com/ Le bâton de Netto]{{in lang|fr}}

Another virtual title, the Virtual World Championship, operates along the same boxing-style lines but only counts matches in FIFA-recognised championships and their qualifying stages. This title is traced from the 1908 Olympic Games, and treats all matches according to their result after 90 minutes. Olympic competitions since 1936 are not considered, as full international teams ceased to take part after that tournament.{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/virtualwc.html |title=Virtual World Championship |date=12 January 2017 |website=RSSSF |access-date=27 April 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/Virtual_WC/ |title=Virtual World Championship |website=Twitter}}

Another similar competition, the Pound for Pound World Championship (PPWC),{{cite web |url=http://www.theawayend.net/ppwc |title=Pound for Pound World Championships |access-date=21 February 2012 |archive-date=13 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113191113/http://www.theawayend.net/ppwc |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/pound4pound.html |title=Pound For Pound World Championship |date=14 April 2022 |website=RSSSF |access-date=27 April 2022}} was created by Scottish football magazine The Away End. This title only recognises competitive games, although it recognises many unofficial tournaments which are considered to be friendlies by FIFA. As with the UFWC, extra time and penalties are taken into account in defining the winner of a match. It only counts games from as far back as the first FIFA World Cup in 1930, and states that no matter who holds the title of Pound for Pound World Champion they must relinquish the crown at the beginning of every World Cup finals. At the end of the tournament the World Cup winners are crowned the new Pound for Pound World Champions. Therefore, the tournament is "reset" every four years.

{{notelist-lg}}

{{reflist|30em}}

• {{Official website}}
• Bâton de Nasazzi (French Wikipedia page) or [http://www.nasazzi.com Nasazzi's Baton] (also in French)
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110724094308/http://www.theawayend.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=377:pound-for-pound-world-championships&catid=64:world-champions&Itemid=128 The Away End – Pound for Pound World Championship]

{{Scotland national football team}}

Category:Association football rankings

Category:History of association football