(Chile) against West Germany, June 14, 1974.
• First coach sent off: Cayetano Re (Paraguay) against Belgium, June 11, 1986.
• First goalkeeper sent off: Gianluca Pagliuca (Italy) against Norway, June 23, 1994.
What country holds the record for the longest goalless streak in the World Cup?
That would be Bolivia, with a five-match goal drought from 1930 to 1994.
What country holds the record for the longest winning streak in the World Cup?
That would be Brazil, with seven matches in 2002 and four in 2006 for a record total of 11 straight wins.
Quickies …
Did you know …
that prior to the 2006 World Cup a Shamanic priest from Ecuador named Tzamarenda Naychapi came to Germany to purify the stadiums where Ecuador would play? The spell apparently only lasted until the second round, when they were eliminated after losing to England 1–0.
What country holds the record for the longest losing streak in the World Cup?
That would be Mexico, with nine consecutive losses from 1930 to 1958.
What was the first tournament played between all four national teams of the United Kingdom?
In the early 1880s, the football associations of England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland each had slightly different rules for the game. When friendly matches were played, the rules of the hosting team were used. On December 6, 1882, the four associations met in Manchester and agreed on one uniform set of rules. This meeting not only marked the founding of the International Football Association Board (IFAB), but also gave birth to the British of the International Football Association Board Home Championship, which would see the four national “Home Teams” — England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland — compete in a formal tournament played out over the 1883–84 season. The winner was Scotland.
Quickies
Did you know …
that the 2006 World Cup final between Italy and France drew over 700 million viewers worldwide, eight times more than that year’s Super Bowl?
What was the Ibrox Disaster of 1902?
For the final of the 1902 British Home Championship, over 68,000 fans gathered at Ibrox Park in Glasgow on April 5 to watch Scotland face England. In the first half, shortly before 4:00 p.m., a section of terrace in the stadium’s West Stand collapsed, killing 25 and injuring over 500. Play was stopped, but was restarted after 20 minutes. The match played out to a 1–1 draw, but was later declared void and replayed on May 2 at Villa Park, Birmingham, to a 2–2 draw.
British Home Championship Winners
What is the oldest trophy in soccer?
The Scottish Cup was made in Glasgow by George Edwards and Sons of Buchanan Street and, having been minted in 1885, is the oldest national trophy in world soccer.
What is the record attendance for a Scottish Cup final?
The record attendance for a Scottish Cup final was set April 24, 1937, when, by official counts, 146,433 spectators saw Celtic beat Aberdeen 2–1 at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.
Have any teams outside the Irish Football League ever won the Irish Cup?
Since the inception of the Irish Football League in 1890–91, the Irish Cup has been won by Irish League teams on every occasion except three famous “giant-killing” occasions when junior teams beat senior opponents in the final: In 1928, Willowfield beat Larne 1–0; in 1955, Dundela beat Glenavon 3–0; and in 1976, Carrick Rangers beat Linfield 2–1.
What team holds the record for con-secutive wins of the Irish Cup?
Glentoran FC, which was founded in 1882 and plays in the IFA Premiership at The Oval in Belfast, holds the record for the most consecutive wins of the Irish Cup, with four victories from 1985 to 1988. Glentoran was also the first Irish team to win a European trophy, taking the Vienna Cup in 1914.
Quickies
Did you know …
that the first Old Firm final in the Scottish Cup was played in 1894 and saw Rangers defeat Celtic 3–1?
Who won the first Welsh Cup?
The first Welsh Cup was played in 1878, with Wrexham FC defeating Ruabon Druids in the final 1–0. Founded in 1872, Wrexham is the oldest professional club in Wales and holds the record for most Welsh Cup wins, with 23.
Quickies
Did you know …
that the record for consecutive Irish League championship titles is six, held jointly by Belfast Celtic FC (1935–40 and 1947–48) and Linfield FC (1981–87)?
Why are Wales’ three historically strongest teams now barred from competing for the Welsh Cup?
Wrexham, Cardiff City, and Swansea City are teams in a kind of limbo. Professional teams from northern Wales, all three have been playing within the English Football League since before the formation in 1992 of the League of Wales by the Football Association of Wales. Prior to 1992, any FAW member team could compete for the Welsh Cup, and Wrexham, Cardiff, and Swansea had collectively garnered 55 championships since the cup’s founding in 1878. But with the formation of the new Welsh league, English-league teams were excluded from Welsh Cup competition, leaving Wrexham, Cardiff City, and Swansea City out in the cold.
What is the League Cup?
The League Cup is an annual knockout competition open to the 20 clubs of England’s FA Premier League, and the 72 clubs of England’s Football League, which organizes the competition. It was first played in the 1961, seeing Aston Villa emerge victorious over Rotherham United in a two-leg final. Since 1982, the competition has taken its name from a sponsor and is currently called the Carling Cup.
Quickies …
Did you know …
that in 1993, when Arsenal won the first-ever League Cup/FA Cup double, they faced Sheffield Wednesday FC in the final at both tournaments?
Which teams played in the first FA Cup final?
