World Championships (1876-1900)
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More than half a century before the first World Cup in 1930 the idea of what was the best national team globally already existed and would de facto be competed for for the first time in 1872 when Scotland met England in Glasgow. But, whilst that Scotland was effectively a club team, Queen's Park, the first attempt to answer, which was the best club-to-club would take just a wee bit more time to come to fruition.
The year was 1876, with then the concept much more simple than today to test, since, whilst three countries played the game, only two, England and Scotland had competitions, both Cups, that produced a winner. Wales had clubs and good ones but it would only play its first international match that same year, against Scotland in Glasgow, and the inaugural Welsh Cup, won by Wrexham, only took place in 1877-78.
The match itself took place at The Oval in London and was to be the first of eighteen over the next quarter of a century. In it The Wanderers hosted Queen's Park and the home team was frankly gubbed, conceding six goals to none in return. Scottish club football had triumphed over English and by some margin. Moreover it was a pattern that was to be repeated for the next four similar meetings. In 1878 Vale of Leven would defeat The Wanderers once more again away 3:1, then the following year simply roll over the Old Etonians 5:2, this time at the first Hampden Park, whilst in 1880/81 a re-invigorated Queen's Park would vanquish Clapham Rovers both home and away and then the following year Old Carthusians at home. Thus far the goal-count was twenty-six to five.
However, perhaps at that point there was a slight drop-off in enthusiasm for the fixture. Certainly the 1882 Cup-candidates, Queen's Park and Old Etonians failed to pick up the gauntlet. But next season battle was recommenced and with finally an English victory. Blackburn Olympic would defeat Dumbarton at home 4-3. The only problem was that the fixture was played over two legs and Dumbarton was already 6:1 up from Boghead and cruising, the aggregate to the Scottish club, 9:5.
And now there was a something of a real hiatus. Perhaps the shock for the English had been too much!! No direct match-ups took place for three seasons. Yet the truth is that it was not quite as schismatic as might appear. In 1884 and 1885 the FA Cup Finals, then not confined to English clubs, were both between Blackburn Rovers and Queen's Park, the former victorious on both occasions, the first effectively a World Championship in itself. And in 1886 it would have been the same match-up but various other factors were involved. Blackburn Rovers were by then a team that was openly paid to play and Queen's Park had decided it on principle would not take the field against professional opposition. Which means the only match that might have taken place was Rovers versus Renton in 1885. But it did not at least in 1886, although two did happen the following season, the Scottish club drawing at home but then winning away.
And, of course, there was another factor. Even in 1884 Blackburn Rovers was a team that wasn't strictly English anyway. That year there were four Scots in its eleven, five the following season and again four the one after that.
Thus it was that the next meeting would not be until 1887 and finally after a decade the English team, Aston Villa, could walk away with its head high. At the Birmingham club's then ground of Perry Barr Hibernian was beaten well, 3-0, but with two caveats. First, that day the Villa was lead by Ayrshire's Archie Hunter and, of course, managed by Glasgow's George Ramsay. Moreover, the following seasn normal service seemed to have been resumed by Renton in beating Villa's neighbour and Scot-free West Bromwich 4:1.
Yet, there was at this point genuine change afoot, not only in terms of results but in English football itself. In 1889 the Scottish Cup winner was Third Lanark, whilst in England Preston North End would take both the FA Cup but eventually the first ever League as well. And when they met, albeit in Glasgow, the outcome was a 3:3 draw but with now eighteen Scots on the pitch. In addition to the all-Scots Third's eleven Preston Cup-winners had field a further seven from north of the border. Moreover, there would have been probably fourteen had the equivalent fixture taken place in 1890, there were certainly nineteen in the 1891 match-up, although it was won by Everton, twenty-one (and a half) in 1892 and probably at least the same again as Queen's Park was once again involved in 1893, defeated by Sunderland on Wearside.
In fact the 1893 Sunderland-Queen's Park encounter was between League and Cup winners respectively. With the formation of the Scottish League 1891 had seen winners of each square up, 1892 had been as the following season, a mix, whilst 1893 would also pit Cup-winners against each other with all-English Wolves shipping five without response. Moreover, 1894 allowed a further variation. Cup-winner played Cup winner. Rangers defeated Notts County 3:1 at Ibrox. League-winner faced League-winner, Aston Villa beating Celtic 3:2 at Perry Barr but this time with a twist. There were now, with the same George Ramsay as manager, not one but five Scots in the English team, eleven in the Scots, sixteen in all.
It seemed now that what might be described as a Double World-Championship, League and Cup could become the norm. Certainly in 1896 that was the case, resulting in Scottish victories in both, revenge for Celtic over Villa in the former, Hearts over Sheffield Wednesday in the latter. And it had followed a Sunderland victory over Hearts in Edinburgh the previous year but with every single one of each of the teams a "Jock". Indeed, it was only to be in 1898 that this hegemony was not yet broken but finally interrupted for the first time in a decade and only the second time in two. League-champion met League-champion, Sheffield met Celtic, winning at home at Bramall Lane, drawing at Celtic Park.
However, perhaps the format or formats were now losing their sheen. Maybe the crowds for whatever reason were not coming, perhaps not helped by a 0-0 draw between Rangers and Aston Villa at Ibrox in 1900 with no reciprocation from by then Villa Park. In any case there were to be just two more throws of the die. 1901 Cup-winners would face each other over two legs. Hearts would draw against Tottenham in London, win easily in Edinburgh, even with the Spurs having five and then six Scots in its elevens. And in 1903 Bury would have the last word. It would twice defeat Rangers 2:1, home and away, with a Cup-team that contained officially two Scots but actually with captain, George Ross, three but both clubs undermining fatally the concept for the moment by seeming to field a number of reserves.
That is until 1960, from when the Intercontinental Cup, later the Toyota Cup, pitted the best of Europe against South America and from 1980 also Japan. That was until 2000, when it was to a degree superseded by the FIFA Club World Cup, a competition to today played for not annually but only every four years.