The outcome is that despite the Netherlands scoring 47 goals in their recent run as champions, not one of their players has broken into the all-time top 18 – an indication of just how difficult it is for a modern-day player to do so. To reach the list, a player needs a total of 10 UFWC goals. Of the current Dutch squad, Robin van Persie has nine, Dirk Kuyt and Wesley Sneijder eight, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar six, and Arjen Robben and Rafael van der Vaart five.

There have, however, been a couple of very minor changes to the list, both involving the goals totals of 19th-century players. Of course, many goals in that era were disputed, and one will never know for certain who scored them. I have, however, used the best (and most official) sources at my disposal!

Here is the current list (please note some of these players have more in-depth biographies in the UFWC Hall of Fame):

1) Gunnar Nordahl (Sweden) (1921-95)
29 goals in 19 games, 1942-47

The UFWC’s all-time top scorer by a huge margin, he played a total of 33 games for Sweden between 1942 and 1948, scoring 43 goals.

The UFWC games he scored in during this period are listed below (holder in capitals):
04/10/42 SWEDEN beat Denmark 2-1 (scored 1)
12/09/43 Sweden lost to HUNGARY 2-3 (scored 2)
07/11/43 Sweden beat HUNGARY 7-2 (scored 2)
24/06/45 SWEDEN beat Denmark 2-1 (scored 1)
01/07/45 SWEDEN beat Denmark 4-3 (scored 1)
30/09/45 SWEDEN beat Denmark 4-1 (scored 1)
21/10/45 SWEDEN beat Norway 10-0 (scored 4)
07/07/46 Sweden beat SWITZERLAND 7-2 (scored 1)
06/10/46 SWEDEN drew with Denmark 3-3 (scored 1)
15/06/47 SWEDEN beat Denmark 4-1 (scored 2)
26/06/47 SWEDEN beat Denmark 6-1 (scored 1)
28/06/47 SWEDEN beat Norway 5-1 (scored 4)
24/08/47 SWEDEN beat Finland 7-0 (scored 3)
14/09/47 SWEDEN beat Poland 5-4 (scored 2)
05/10/47 SWEDEN beat Norway 4-1 (scored 2)
19/11/47 SWEDEN lost to England 2-4 (scored 1)

As is clear from this list, the vast majority of his games were against Scandinavian nations, all of whom were pretty weak at the time. However, if there was any doubt about the man’s pedigree, his record at AC Milan would put that to rest. Whilst there, he was part of the Swedish Gre-No-Li trio with Nils Liedholm and the aforementioned Gunnar Gren. He won two league titles, and was the top scorer in Serie A five times. Indeed, he still holds the post-war record for most goals in a season in Italy.

Unfortunately, his move to Italy, at the age of just 27, ended his international career, and this, coupled with World War II, denied him the chance to play in a World Cup. He did, however, win an Olympic gold in London in 1948.

It is presumably his failure to appear in a World Cup, along with the fact that his career largely predated TV coverage of football, that has cost him the recognition he deserves. Nordahl is a true legend of the game, and a true legend of UFWC.

2=) Hughie Gallacher (Scotland) (1903-57)
20 goals in 15 games, 1925-35

A contender for the accolade of greatest ever Scottish goalscorer, Gallacher was a star of the ‘Wembley Wizards’ side that thrashed England 5-1 in 1928. In total, he scored 23 goals in 20 internationals. He spent most of his club career south of the border, with Newcastle and Chelsea amongst others. Standing a diminutive 5’5”, his no-nonsense approach often landed him in trouble, both on and off the pitch. In retirement, he struggled to find a niche for himself. He turned to alcohol and, in 1957, committed suicide on a railway line.

2=) Steve Bloomer (England) (1874-1938)
20 goals in 17 games, 1895-1907

Steve Bloomer remains a Derby County legend, more than a century since he made his debut. His goalscoring record was phenomenal for club and country alike. He scored 28 in just 23 games for England, and is the third highest scorer in the English top flight, after Jimmy Greaves and Dixie Dean. In 1906, he moved to Middlesbrough for £750, but returned to Derby four years later. He spent the First World War as a prisoner in Germany. He also played baseball for Derby!

4) Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina) (born 1969)
18 goals in 23 games, 1992-98

Argentina’s all-time top scorer, with 56 goals in total, ‘Batigol’ spent most of his career with Fiorentina, although it was to be Roma that gave him his only Serie A title. On the international front, he won two Copa Americas. In 1998, he became the first player ever to score hat-tricks in two different World Cups. He currently runs a construction company in Argentina.

5) Gunnar Gren (Sweden) (1920-91)
16 goals in 22 games, 1942-58

Most famous as part of AC Milan’s formidable Swedish ‘Gre-No-Li’ trio, Gren’s international career spanned 18 years. He starred in the Swedish teams that won gold at the 1948 Olympics, and reached the World Cup final on home territory ten years later. At club level, he won league titles with IFK Gothenburg and Milan.

6=) Anton Schall (Austria) (1907-47)
15 goals in 11 games, 1931-32

Schall was a star of Austria’s 1934 World Cup ‘Wunderteam’ that lost to hosts Italy in the semi-finals. It remains a highly controversial match, with Mussolini seemingly directly responsible for some strange refereeing decisions from Ivan Eklind (who again appeared to favour Italy in the final). Schall won seven Austrian championships with Admira Vienna. In 1947, he won the Swiss Cup as manager of FC Basel, but died months later.

6=) Pele (Brazil) (born 1940)
15 goals in 14 games, 1957-62

Globally feted as the greatest footballer of all time, Pele has won three World Cups, and scored over 1000 goals in his career (although many of these were in matches of very dubious standing). He only played for two clubs, Santos and New York Cosmos. His nearest rival for the accolade ‘greatest player ever’, Diego Maradona, has scored a mere five UFWC goals.

6=) Michel Platini (France) (born 1955)
15 goals in 18 games, 1976-85

Currently the President of UEFA, Platini was French national captain for eight years, taking his side to two World Cup semi-finals, both ending in defeat to West Germany. In between, his side won Euro 84, Platini himself scoring nine goals in five games. He later had less success as the manager of France. With Juventus, he won the Italian league (twice), the Coppa Italia, the Cup-Winners Cup and the European Cup.

9=) Matthias Sindelar (Austria) (1903-39)
13 goals in 12 games, 1931-32

‘The Mozart of Football’, Sindelar was one of the greatest Austrian players of all time. His international career was ended by the Nazi Anschluss of 1938, and his subsequent refusal to play for the German team. A year later, he died from carbon monoxide poisoning. Recorded officially as an accident, there are plenty who believe it was not.

9=) Oliver Bierhoff (Germany) (born 1968)
13 goals in 19 games, 1996-2001

A German hero following his goals at Wembley that won Euro 96, Bierhoff’s best years were spent in Italy, with Udinese and Milan. He is currently general manager of the German national team.

11=) Robert Hamilton (Scotland) (1877-1948)
11 goals in 6 games, 1899-1911

Hamilton spent most of his long career with Rangers, with whom he won numerous honours. Four of his UFWC goals came in an 11-0 win over Ireland in 1901, which is still Scotland’s record victory.

11=) Vivian Woodward (England) (1879-1954)
11 goals in 11 games, 1904-10

Fiercely determined to remain amateur when all around him were turning professional, Woodward scored 29 goals for England, which remained the national record for over 40 years. That’s not to mention the 57 goals he scored for England Amateurs. He twice captained Great Britain to Olympic football gold.

11=) Stan Mortensen (England) (1921-91)
11 goals in 11 games, 1947-50

Mortensen is the only player since 1894 to score an FA Cup final hat-trick, and still the match in question (the 1953 final) is referred to as the Matthews Final! After that match, Blackpool – the club with which Mortensen remains synonymous – did not reach Wembley again until 1991. Mortensen died that very day.

11=) Antonio Valentin Angelillo (Argentina) (born 1937)
11 goals, 1956-57 (approx 11 games, but I am unable to find exact records for his career)

Like many South American-born players of his era, Angelillo appeared for two different countries. He moved to Inter in 1957, ending his Argentina career. He scored 33 goals in Serie A in 1958-59 (nobody has scored as many since), and subsequently represented Italy. He still works for Inter, as a South American scout.

15=) George Ker (Scotland)
10 goals in 5 games, 1880-82

Ker only represented Scotland five times, yet scored three goals on his debut, twice in each of his next three games, and once on his final appearance. In 1884, he emigrated to North America, and nothing has been heard of him since.

15=) Dixie Dean (England) (1907-80)
10 goals in 7 games, 1927-31

Destined to remain forever as the highest goalscorer in a single English league season (60 goals for Everton in 1931-32), William Ralph Dean scored 18 goals in just 16 internationals. He died of a heart attack, suffered at Goodison Park whilst watching the Merseyside derby.

15=) John Goodall (England) (1863-1942)
10 goals in 11 games, 1888-96

Preston went through the entire 1888-89 season unbeaten in league or FA Cup – the only team ever to achieve this. Goodall was top scorer. He then moved to Derby, where he stayed for over a decade. He later played in France for Roubaix, and also played cricket for Derbyshire.

15=) Igor Chislenko (USSR) (1939-94)
10 goals in 17 games, 1966-67

During his international career, Chislenko helped his nation finish second in the 1964 European Nations Cup, and then fourth in both the 1966 World Cup and the 1968 European Championships. He won two league winners medals in his long association with Dinamo Moscow.

After losing 2-1 to Switzerland on Hitler’s birthday a furious Nazi regime warned its players that if they played badly they would be dropped from the squad and sent to the Eastern Front, where they would face almost certain death. With considerable incentive to succeed, the German side recaptured the UFWC title in May 1942, beating Hungary 5-3, before comfortably seeing off Bulgaria (3-0) and Romania (7-0). They were fully expected to brush Sweden aside in a similarly emphatic manner.

The match was particularly controversial because of the Sweden’s continued neutrality in the midst of an ever-escalating war. But, as it had so many times before, football found a way to overcome the conflict, with reports suggesting that Sweden sought, and were granted, safe passage by Britain in order to travel to Berlin for the game.

Before kick-off, in front of 98,000 spectators in the Olympiastadion, the Swedish players lined up with their arms by their sides as the Germans offered Nazi salutes. (This was in stark contrast to events preceding the 1938 match between Germany and England, when, under pressure from the British authorities, the England players shamefully issued a Nazi salute.) Despite the obvious animosity surrounding them, German and Swedish captains Paul Janes and Karl-Erik Grahn sportingly shook hands, and the game got underway, officiated by Danish referee Valdemar Laursen.

Seven minutes into the match, Sweden had the audacity to take the lead through Arne Nyberg of IFK Gothenburg. Of course the Germans were no pushovers, and they fought back to take a 2-1 lead through Ernst Lehner and August Klingler. But Sweden were level before half-time, with AIK Solna forward Henry ‘Smiler’ Carlsson grabbing an equaliser. And the second half belonged to the Swedes, with Gunnar Gren and Gunnar Nordahl combining to set up Malte Martensson to score in the 71st minute, sealing a brave victory. Match winner Martensson, of Helsingborgs IF, was known as Black Lightning, due to his quick pace and raven black hair.

The defeat marked the beginning of the end for the Nazi Germany team. ’100,000 have left the stadium depressed,’ remarked foreign affairs secretary Martin Luther, ‘and because victory in this football match is closer to these people’s hearts than the capture of some city in the East, such an event must be prohibited for the sake of the domestic mood.’

The final straw for the Nazi regime was a non-UFWC defeat to Slovakia in November 1942. The national team was dissolved, and its players were sent to the front line. Skipper Fritz Walter was one of the few who survived. Many of his teammates, including goalscorer August Klingler, lost their lives. Walter subsequently captained the Germans to World Cup victory in 1954, under the apparently rehabilitated coach Herberger.

As for the UFWC, it continued in reduced circumstances, contested for only by occupied or neutral countries. Sweden, Switzerland and Hungary all won the title before war finally brought international football to a complete standstill in November 1943. The final UFWC title match of the period saw Sweden beat Hungary 7-2 There would be no further matches until June 1945.

In most cases, UFWC title matches are FIFA ‘A’ accredited matches. According to FIFA, international ‘A’ matches are those that are arranged between two FIFA-affiliated national football associations in which both associations field their first national representative team. That seems clear enough, and, usually, the UFWC counts matches listed on the FIFA.com list of fixtures and results.

However, inconsistencies in historical classification mean it’s not always possible to rely on FIFA’s records. By FIFA’s own admission, its records have been sourced from various third parties, and it cannot vouch for their complete accuracy.

This raises several questions, not least of which is, what has happened to FIFA’s yearbooks recording the ‘A’ matches that each national association was required to register? But the main question facing us at the UFWC is, what do we do when a match’s categorisation is disputed?

For example, take the case of two Scotland matches from 1929: Norway 3-7 Scotland on 26 May 1929; and Netherlands 0-2 Scotland on 4 June 1929. The Scottish FA regards both of these games as ‘A’ matches, and lists them as so on its website. However, their Norwegian and Dutch counterparts don’t agree.

The Norwegian FA consider their game against Scotland in 1929 to have been a ‘test match’. Similarly, the Dutch don’t consider their match to have been official because they were still fielding amateur players at that time, while the Scots were professionals. FIFA has retrospectively removed both games from its records, and from its website.

However, crucially, as the games were regarded as full internationals at the time, they remain in the UFWC record books as full title matches. The fact that one or other of the teams may have been amateurs does not necessarily mean that those teams were not the first representative teams of those nations. Many early UFWC matches involved amateur teams – indeed in the early years of football all teams were amateurs – and almost all of these matches remain in the FIFA record books.

So we can accept that there will be some inconsistency regarding results delving back into football’s formative years, but what happens when disputes occur over more recent matches? Take, for example, two matches from the 1995 Carlsberg Cup Chinese New Year Tournament, played in Hong Kong: Colombia 0-1 South Korea on 31 January 1995; and South Korea 0-1 Yugoslavia on 4 February 1995.

Although at the time these two games were regarded as full internationals, they have subsequently been removed from FIFA’s records because South Korea apparently fielded an under-21 side. However, 10 of the 11 South Korean players fielded by against Colombia played in their country’s next match, against China on 19 February 1995. And that match still stands in the FIFA records. So the under-21 argument doesn’t wash. For UFWC purposes, both of these results stand.

Another major headache for UFWC statisticians is when title-holders play two simultaneous matches in different countries. This curious situation first occurred on 5 March 1892, when UFWC champs England played both Wales and Ireland in separate matches on the same day, with two completely different line-ups. So, England despatched 11 (mostly amateur) players to Wales, and another 11 to Ireland. Both won 2-0, retaining the UFWC title for England, and thankfully alleviating the potential scenario of two different nations having a claim to the title. Both matches stand as A matches, so both stay in the UFWC records.

This situation happened again on 30 September 1945 and on 15 September 1946, both times involving UFWC title holders Sweden. The Swedes played Finland and Denmark, and Finland and Norway respectively. Sweden won all four games, again avoiding potential problems in determining which nation ended up as champions. Again, the matches remain in the UFWC record books.

So we’re not going to retrospectively remove games from the UFWC records due to reclassification. But what about cases where errors are found in the records? Take the case of this match: Wales 2-2 England on 29 March 1904. Only, the match didn’t take place on 29 March 1904. It took place on 29 February, as spotted by UFWC statistical guru Peter Waring. Oops.

On 29 February 1904 Ireland were UFWC champions, so the Wales vs England match was not a title match. The error means this game has been removed from the UFWC record books. As it was a draw, and there was no change of title holder or ranking point award, there is no effect on the UFWC lineage or rankings table.

Will there be further reclassifications and disputes? Probably. (And if you spot any errors in the UFWC records do let us know.) But rather than look back, we prefer to look forward. Thankfully we can be pretty confident about which forthcoming matches will be FIFA ‘A’ matches, and therefore which will be UFWC title matches.

Take, for example, a little match taking place on 11 August between Mexico and Spain. Definitely an ‘A’ match. Definitely a title match. Definitely one to look forward to. what do you reckon?

The Netherlands Antilles (also known as the Dutch Antilles) are a small collection of islands in the Caribbean Sea, with a total population of just under 200,000. The small population means that they rarely make an impact in the grand scheme of things. However, that is not true in UFWC circles, because for a brief period in the 60s they were the unofficial champions of the world.

On March 24th 1963, they faced then-champions Mexico in the CONCACAF Cup, in a match which they were thoroughly expected to lose. However in what is argubally the greatest upset in UFWC history, they won 2-1 to claim the trophy. Sadly they did lose the title in their first attempted defence against Costa Rica four days later, but that doesn’t take away from the great accomplishment, as they became the smallest nation to ever hold the UFWC title.

So why are we bringing this up now? Because they will never have the opportunity to repeat the feat again; not in their current form, at least. On October 10th this year, the Netherlands Antilles are scheduled to be dissolved, meaning that the individual islands will go their separate ways to either join up with other nations or become single entities.

So what does that mean for the UFWC and who will officially be credited with the victory? A few months ago I contacted FIFA and the Netherlands Antilles FA to find the answer (the details of which you can find here in our forum). In the end, I discovered that the island of Curacao will be credited with all of the Netherlands Antilles’ records.

But that doesn’t change what was accomplished by the Netherlands Antilles, so even though the name may change in the rankings, it will still be the Dutch Antilles who played the match, and will be credited as such.

Eventually someone may overthrow the Netherlands Antilles as the smallest nation to claim the title, it may even be Curacao, their spiritual successors. But even if that does happen, and even though the Dutch Antilles in its current incarnation will be gone in less than three months, they will live on in the UFWC, and the hearts of its followers.

After missing out in 2002 and 2006, UFWC fans finally got to see the unofficial title contested at the official tournament, although this year’s World Cup was hardly a classic. Would it be unfair of us to suggest that the presence of the UFWC title was just about the most interesting thing about South Africa 2010? It certainly livened things up.

There’s a quick review of the tournament here:
500 words on World Cup 2010.

No one who had been following the UFWC was surprised to see title holders the Netherlands progress efficiently, if unspectacularly, through the group stage, and then through the knock-out phase, maintaining the tournament’s only 100 percent record. In fact, the Dutch took the title all the way to the final, just as they’d done in 1978 – they’re the only team ever to manage this feat. But, just like in 1978, the Dutch couldn’t hold on. After a record-breaking run of 21 UFWC title wins, the Netherlands were beaten.

And it’s Spain who are the deserved new Unofficial Football World Champions, taking the UFWC title into a new era after almost 2 years of Dutch dominance. Can this excellent Spanish side put together a similarly impressive run? They’ll need 9 wins just to break into the UFWC all-time rankings top 10. (If they could match the Netherlands’s run of 21 victories they would move to 6th.) We’ll begin to find out when Spain’s defence of the UFWC title begins in less than a month, on 11 August, against Mexico.

In the meantime, there are other changes afoot here at the UFWC. For a start, one of the UFWC’s most famous title holders is about to disappear, with the country being dissolved. Figuratively, not literally we hope. But we’ll tell the whole story soon. Also, a FIFA reclassification of a couple of matches from the UFWC archives might have a considerable effect on the lineage of the competition. Again, stay tuned for more details.

We’ll also be rummaging through the history books to highlight more UFWC Classic Matches, and to welcome more star players into the UFWC Hall of Fame.

So while the World Cup is placed on hiatus for another four years, the UFWC rolls on as usual. We’re counting down the days until the next international cup final. Keep it here for full coverage of Mexico vs Spain, and a lot, lot more. You can keep up to date with new developments by following us on Twitter.

The new Spain UFWC Trophy T-shirt is emblazoned with the CW Alcock Cup engraved with the name of the new champions and bearing red and yellow ribbons. It’s available in ash and white. And the Classic UFWC T-shirt is now available in Spain’s colours in both men’s and women’s styles. Check out the specs on the Ts – they’re all 100 percent cotton and great quality.

And if you’re not a Spain fan, the Classic UFWC T-shirt is also available in a choice of 16 colours – just select your favourite. We’ve also got a range of classic Ts featuring the UFWC trophy and Hughie the mascot. We also have special shirts for Netherlands, Scotland, England and Germany fans.

As if that wasn’t exciting enough, from now until 30 July you can get a free UFWC messenger bag when you spend £40 or more. The bag is described as ‘spacious’ and ‘durable’, and is valued at £15.90.

To claim your free bag just add £40+ worth of T-shirts to your basket, then add the messenger bag, and enter the voucher code ADDONFREE. Remember, the free bag offer expires on 30 July 2010.

See more at the UFWC T-Shirt Shop.

Although when we say that the trophy has been awarded, what we really mean is that we’ve told them that they’ve won it. Because the CW Alcock Cup – the official trophy of the Unofficial Football World Championships – only exists virtually on this website.

So the Spanish won’t have to make room in their rather crammed trophy cabinet, and Iker Casillas won’t have anything to hold aloft above his head. But it’s the thought that counts, right?

So we’ve written to the Spanish football association, the Real Federación Española de Fútbol, to advise them of, and congratulate them on, their victory and the award of the UFWC title and trophy. You can read our letter by clicking on the link below. If and when we receive a response we’ll let you know.

The CW Alcock Cup is named after Charles William Alcock, a footballer and referee who, in 1872 in his role as secretary of the English Football Association, came up with the idea of England playing Scotland in what would be the first ever international match. So he basically invented international football. You can read more about the trophy here.

Of course, we’d love to be able to present Spain with a real physical trophy – and lots of people have contacted us via email and Twitter recently asking us to do just that. So we’re continuing to search for a suitable sponsor to help us do just that.

Until then, Spain will have to make do with the virtual version – as seen above – plus, of course, the deep sense of satisfaction that no doubt accompanies the award.

Fans can get hold of a physical T-shirt featuring the CW Alcock Cup engraved with Spain’s name and bearing red and yellow ribbons, as part of the brand new range in our T-shirt shop. More on that later in the week.

Felicitaciones! Spain win the Unofficial Football World Championships title (PDF)

Viva España! Spain are the new undisputed unofficial and official world champions, winning both the Unofficial Football World Championships title and the World Cup to unify both competitions. As current European champions, Spain can also claim to have unified the UFWC, the WC and the EC, a feat that only France have previously achieved.

In the end, Spain needed extra time to see off previous UFWC champs the Netherlands in a game that didn’t quite live up to its billing as one of the biggest international football matches of all time. But while spectators may not have seen the total football feast that was hoped from two of the most attractive sides in world football, there was plenty to entertain.

Spain left Fernando Torres on the bench and went with David Villa and Pedro up front, while Holland delighted football purists by once again lining up wearing shirts numbered 1 to 11. Unfortunately, the game itself provided little else for football purists, with pass and move pretty much abandoned in favour of kick and shove.

To say that the game was hotly contested would be an understatement. From the start, both sides flung themselves into tackles, and English referee Howard Webb was forced to go to his pocket more times than any other World Cup final official. Five yellow cards were shown with the first 30 minutes after a flurry of fouls, the worst of which was surely Nigel de Jong’s chest-high Kung Fu assault on Xabi Alonso.

There were also chances. Sergio Ramos, Villa and Pedro all had half chances for Spain, Wesley Sneijder struck a decent long range effort for Holland, and Arjen Robben forced the best save of the first half from Iker Casillas. Spain just had the edge at half-time, but with the Dutch creating the odd chance the game was still anyone’s.

The best chance of the second half undoubtedly fell to the Dutch, with Robben racing clear of the Spanish defence, only to see his shot deflect wide off the advancing Casillas. At the other end, Villa almost capitalised on a mistake from John Heitinga, but Maarten Stekelenburg blocked his shot. Again, though, there were more fouls than chances, and the 90 minutes elapsed without a goal.

In extra time, with the teams tiring and attacking substitution made by both managers, the game became more stretched. But again Howard Webb was forced to take centre stage. As the fouls continued it was inevitable that someone would be sent off. With 11 minutes to go, that someone was John Heitinga, dismissed after a second booking, perhaps somewhat unluckily given the number of much worse fouls that had gone unpunished from others on the pitch. And the red card would prove to be a decisive factor.

With five minutes of extra time remaining, a Sneijder free kick was deflected behind by both Cesc Fabregas and Casillas, yet Spain were awarded a goal kick. Then Eljero Elia was fouled on the edge of the Spanish box, only for Howard Webb to wave play on. Spain immediately launched a counter attack, surging through the outnumbered Dutch. Fabregas did well to play in Andres Iniesta, who drove the ball past Stekelenburg into the corner of the Dutch net. 1-0 to Spain and, as the 11 men saw the game out, that was how it ended. Football had new champions.

Spain were deserved victors, having shaded the game throughout. But pundits who lambasted Holland’s ‘thuggish’ tactics were perhaps being a little unfair. While 8 Dutch players were booked, 5 Spaniards also had their names taken, so neither side could be considered to have approached the game as angels. And match winner and man of the match Iniesta could very easily have been sent off for lashing out at Mark van Bommel in the 78th minute.

Spain’s win ended the best ever UFWC title run, with the Dutch having gone 21 title matches unbeaten. It is worth taking a moment to mention the achievements of the Netherlands, who took the title into the World Cup and won every tournament game until being stopped by the excellent Spanish. Along the way, the Dutch climbed to 4th in the all-time UFWC rankings, behind only Scotland, England and Argentina – an incredible achievement for a side that didn’t win a UFWC match until 1973, more than a hundred years after the UFWC began. The Netherland’s epic reign as UFWC champions will not be swiftly forgotten.

But now it is Spain that deserve the plaudits. As undisputed unofficial and official champions they join that select list of nations that has held the unified titles. Spain don’t have a fantastic record in the UFWC – they’ve won 16 UFWC matches and are ranked 12th in the all-time table – but, with such a great team, this is their chance to make their mark on the UFWC competition.

There is dancing in the streets of Madrid, but once the celebrations are over, the hard work must continue. For while the World Cup may be over, the UFWC continues as usual. Next up for Spain is a match against Mexico on 11 August. We’ll be watching. Why not stick around and join us?

Wow. The biggest match in world football just got even bigger. On Sunday, in Johannesburg, the Netherlands and Spain will compete not just for the World Cup, but also for the Unofficial Football World Championships title. This unification match will see the winner crowned official, unofficial and undisputed football world champions. That’s an honour that only a handful of other nations have previously held. As if either side needed any more encouragement, or any fan needed any other reason to watch, this World Cup final is going to be one of the most important in the history of football. Overstating things? Us? Never!

In this extra special, in-depth, fact-packed, second part of our big match preview we’ll look back through the UFWC archives to find out where this unification match stands in UFWC history.

First up, some numbers for you:

835: This will be the 835th UFWC title match, in a lineage stretching back to 1872.
46: The UFWC title has been held by 46 different nations.
49: The Netherlands have won 49 UFWC title matches.
4: The Dutch are currently ranked fourth in the UFWC all-time rankings.
3: But, if they win on Sunday, they’ll move up to third, level with Argentina.
15: Spain have won 15 UFWC title games.
13: The Spanish are ranked 13th in the all-time rankings.
19: Number of World Cup tournaments.
11: Number of times the UFWC has been contested at the World Cup tournament.
8: This will be the 8th time the UFWC has been contested in the World Cup final.
7: Number of nations that have held the undisputed UFWC and WC titles.
8: Whoever out of Netherlands and Spain that win on Sunday will become the eighth.

Now let’s take a quick look at the history of the UFWC at WC tournaments. The following list shows which teams were unofficial and official champions at the end of each tournament:

1930: UFWC: England WC: Uruguay
Not contested. Unofficial champions England were not invited to participate.
1934: UFWC: Wales WC: Italy
Not contested. Wales did not enter.
1938: UFWC: Scotland WC: Italy
Not contested. Scotland did not enter.
1950: UFWC: Chile WC: Uruguay
Contested but not unified. Unofficial champions England participated, but lost to the USA, who lost to Chile, who were eliminated at the group stage.
1954: UFWC: Paraguay WC: West Germany
Not contested: Paraguay failed to qualify.
1958: UFWC: Brazil WC: Brazil
Unification. champs West Germany lost to Sweden in the semi final, and Brazil won both unofficial and official titles in the final.
1962: UFWC: Mexico WC: Brazil
Contested but not unified. Spain were UFWC title holders, but lost to Czechoslovakia, who lost to Mexico, who went out at the group stage.
1966: UFWC: England WC: England
Unification. The USSR took the UFWC title into the WC, but lost to West Germany in the semi final. England won both the UFWC and WC in the final.
1970: UFWC: Switzerland WC: Brazil
Not contested. Switzerland failed to qualify.
1974: UFWC: West Germany WC: West Germany
Unification. The Netherlands went into the WC as UFWC title holders, and held on all the way to the final before being defeated by West Germany.
1978: UFWC: Argentina WC: Argentina
Unification. France were UFWC champs, but lost to Italy, who lost to the Netherlands, who again lost in the final, this time to Argentina.
1982: UFWC: Italy WC: Italy
Unification. UFWC Champs Peru lost to Poland, who lost to Italy, who won the undisputed title.
1986: UFWC: Argentina WC: Argentina
Unification. West Germany lost the title to Denmark, who lost to Spain, who lost to Belgium, who in turn lost to eventual champions Argentina.
1990: UFWC: Greece WC: West Germany
Not contested. Greece failed to qualify for the World Cup.
1994: UFWC: Colombia WC: Brazil
Contested but not unified. UFWC title holders Romania lost to Switzerland, who lost to Colombia, who were eliminated at the group stage.
1998: UFWC: France WC: France
Unification. Argentina were UFWC champions, but lost the title to the Netherlands, who lost to Brazil, who were defeated by France in the final.
2002: UFWC: Netherlands WC: Brazil
Not contested. The Netherlands failed to qualify for the World Cup.
2006: UFWC: Uruguay WC: Italy
Not contested. Unofficial champs Uruguay failed to qualify.
2010: UFWC: ? WC: ?
Unification. Whoever wins on Sunday, they will become undisputed champions as holders of both the unofficial and official titles.

No team has ever taken the UFWC title into a World Cup tournament and left with it at the end. Only one team has ever taken the title into a World Cup tournament and progressed all the way to the final. That team is the Netherlands – they did it in 1978 and they’ve done it again this year. Can they become the first team to finish the tournament undefeated?

In addition to the occasions mentioned above, the undisputed title has also been won outside of the World Cup tournament. Italy were the first side to achieve the feat, in 1939, and also the last, in 2007. The full list of undisputed UFWC and WC champions is:

Italy 1939
Uruguay 1954
West Germany 1958
Brazil 1958
England 1966
West Germany 1974
Argentina 1978
Italy 1982
Argentina 1986
Brazil 1998
Brazil 1998 (lost and regained the undisputed title in same year)
France 1998
France 2000
Italy 2007

The name of either the Netherlands or Spain will be added to that list on Sunday evening. To throw another factor into play, Spain are also the current European Champions, so if they win they will be combined UFWC / WC / EC champions and unify all three titles. The only side to achieve that feat previously was France in 2000.

But let’s put the statistics aside for a moment and reflect on the match itself. This is a game between two teams that play football they way it is meant to be played – pass and move. Or at least they have tried to play this way. They’ve certainly been the two most attractive sides to watch over the course of the World Cup competition.

Underdogs the Netherlands, overlooked by many who had not been following their UFWC form, have won every match at the tournament, including beating many pundits’ favourites Brazil in the quarter finals.

Spain lost their first match to Switzerland, but have subsequently won every game, including disposing of Portugal and Germany in the knockout stages.

The two top scorers in the competition will be on the pitch on Sunday – Wesley Sneijder and David Villa have both scored five goals so far. They have been among the best players at the tournament, along with the likes of Xavi, Arjen Robben and Carlos Puyol.

Oddly, the Netherlands and Spain have never met at a major tournament before. What a way to start, with a UFWC / WC unification clash. It’s undoubtedly a difficult result to call (unless you’re Paul the psychic octopus, who has plumped for Spain in the final after a 100% correct prediction record so far this World Cup). Spain will go into the game as slight favourites with the bookies, but this one really could go either way.

This really is going to be fascinating, so book a place on the sofa, prepare the beer and snacks, take the phone off the hook, and enjoy. Who will walk away with both the CW Alcock Cup and the World Cup? Who will become undisputed unofficial and official football world champions? Netherlands versus Spain: not to overstate things again, but this just might be the biggest and best international football match of all time…

Paul will be tweeting updates during the final – follow him on Twitter @realpaulbrown.

Who go you think will win? Take part in our poll and post your comments here:

It’s finally here. The biggest match in world football is only days away, and there is no reason to suggest that it won’t be a classic.

Both sides will be hoping to field their strongest teams, and thanks to FIFA’s decision to wipe the slate clean of yellow cards after the quarter-finals, that is very much a possibility as neither side have anybody suspended from the final. The only concern that the Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk will have is that hopefully nobody will pick up an injury in the meantime.

Spain’s coach Vincente del Bosque, unfortunately, not only has thart extra hurdle to clear but also has the added dilemma of whether to play Fernando Torres or not. The world-class striker has failed to impress at the World Cup so far, and despite a vote of confidence from del Bosque earlier this week, he was left out of the starting squad in their semi-final against Germany, where he only had a 12-minute uneventful cameo appearance. The big question is, will the coach let him start in the faith that he will perform, or will he decide not to take the risk and give another start to Pedro instead?

Possible starting line-ups:

Netherlands: Stekelenburg, Van Der Wiel, Heitinga, Mathijsen, Van Bronckhorst (c), Kuyt, Van Bommel, De Jong, Robben, Sneijder, Van Persie

Spain: Casillas (c), Ramos, Pique, Puyol, Capdevilla, Iniesta, Busquets, Xavi, Alonso, Torres, Villa

And in preparation for this massive match, we will also have an article detailing the history of the UFWC at the World Cup and where this match will fit into that legacy, so stay tuned as we build up to this match to decide who are the undisputed champions of the world.