NETHERLANDS vs SPAIN, Johannesburg, 11/07/10

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:

NETHERLANDS vs SPAIN, Johannesburg, 11/07/10

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.

URUGUAY 2-3 NETHERLANDS, Cape Town, 06/07/10
Forlan 41, M. Pereira 90+2; Van Bronckhorst 18, Sneijder 70, Robben 73

The Netherlands came through a stiff challenge from Uruguay to make UFWC history, and reach the World Cup Final for the first time since 1978.

The game started on a tame note, as both sides began to get a feel for each other, with nobody eager to make the first mistake in one of the biggest games of the players’ careers. However that didn’t stop both sides from trying, with both sides having some half-hearted efforts but no major threat.

That was until Giovanni Van Bronckhorst got hold of the ball. From an outrageous distance of over 40 yards, he took a sensational shot that aimed like an arrow into the top corner off the post, out of the reach of goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, in a goal that will surely be hailed as one of the best, if not the best, goals of the tournament.

The goal seemed to knock Uruguay off their feet as the Netherlands fought on for a second, but in the cruel game of football things are never that easy, as the momentum would soon swing in Uruguay’s favour. Following an accidental kick to the face of Demy De Zeeuw from Martin Caceres (an incident which led to a booking for Caceres, and for Wesley Sneijder for his reaction to the foul), it was Uruguay who were in the supremacy, and ultimately it was Diego Forlan who took advantage.

After finding some room just inside the Netherlands’ third of the pitch, he aimed the ball towards Maarten Stekelenburg’s goal, and even though the ball travelled down the centre of the goal the goalkeeper failed to get a firm hand behind it as Uruguay went into the interval in high spirits, and truly believing that they could reach the final.

Unfortunately, despite this, the second half, like the first, failed to impress in the opening exchanges, as the teams seemed too afraid of losing to actually try to win, and for a long time it seemed that a penalty shootout could be looming. But thankfully for the neutrals, things were about to get a lot more exciting.

After a good spell of Dutch possession, the ball eventually fell to Sneijder in the corner of the box. His shot on goal deflected off a Uruguayan defender and into the corner of the goal to restore a one-goal lead for the Dutch. However there was a hint of luck about the goal as Robin Van Persie, in an offside position, stuck his foot out to kick the ball en route, and even though he didn’t touch it the ball the linesman could easily have decided he was interfering with play and ruled the goal out. There is a saying that every World Cup winners gets a bit of luck along the way, could this have been it for the Netherlands?

And things got even better for the Dutch just three minutes later, when a cross from Dirk Kuyt found the head of Arjen Robben, who headed into the bottom corner, away from Muslera; their third goal of the match to go in off the post.

And Robben could easily have got a second, only for the goalkeeper to block the one-on-one shot. But despite being in the dominant position, the Netherlands finished the match with their backs against the ropes thanks to a late goal for Uruguay. A free kick outside the box was passed to Maxi Pereira, whose well-placed was fired out of Stekelenburg and into the corner, as the Dutch finished the game desperately defending their lead, but they held firm to book their place in the World Cup Final.

The result also “officially” makes this reign the best in UFWC history, having defended the title 21 times since claiming the trophy in November 2008.

In preparation for the World Cup Final we will not only preview the match following the conclusion of the Germany-Spain match, but we wil look at where the match wil fit into UFWC history, looking at previous World Cups and matches, and more, so stay tuned.

URUGUAY VS NETHERLANDS, Cape Town, 06/07/10

Huge Unofficial Football World Championships clashes are coming thick and fast at the moment as the World Cup in South Africa races towards its conclusion. Uruguay vs the Netherlands is yet another must-see UFWC / WC double header, with the South American challengers taking on one of the greatest champions the UFWC has ever seen in a battle to reach the World Cup finals, where a unified unofficial / official title will be up for grabs.

We know all about the Netherlands now: Unofficial Football World Champions; a record-equalling 20 UFWC matches unbeaten; 4th in the UFWC all-time rankings; 48 UFWC wins, more than any other side left in the World Cup; the only side to win every game at this World Cup, and they knocked out Brazil…

The Dutch have moved efficiently and impressively through this tournament, and are looking fairly formidable. Fans of the UFWC aren’t particularly surprised to see the unofficial champions do so well, but the rest of the world is only just getting used to it. And there seems to have been a surge of optimism among Dutch fans – ‘Hup Holland Hup!’ has been the number one trending topic on Twitter recently.

Let’s clear up the thing about the name: The Netherlands is often referred to as Holland. In fact, North Holland (containing Amsterdam) and South Holland (containing The Hague and Rotterdam) are only two of twelve provinces that make up the Netherlands, and ‘Holland’ represents only around 15% of the area of the country. Many of the players, including Wesley Sneijder (Utrecht) and Arjen Robben (Groningen) are not from Holland. So referring to the Netherlands as Holland is technically incorrect – a bit like calling the UK England – although our Dutch correspondents tell us they don’t particularly mind.

As for Uruguay, they have reached the World Cup semi finals via an arguably easier route, most recently surviving an incredible climax to their quarter final match against Ghana to progress on penalties. The Uruguayans are relatively recent holders of the UFWC title, having become unofficial champions with a 2-0 win over Romania in June 2006. They held the title for 6 matches on that occasion, and have won 16 UFWC title matches in total, placing them 12th in the all-time rankings.

The Uruguayans will be without injured midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro, and suspended pair Jorge Fucile and Luis Suarez for the game. The latter, of course, misses out due to his amazing last-gasp handball that saved the quarter final game for his country. Captain Diego Lugano is also doubful for the game with a knee problem.

The Netherlands have Gregory van der Wiel and Nigel de Jong missing through suspension.

As far as the form guide goes, Uruguay and the Netherlands haven’t played each other for 30 years – the Uruguayans won 2-0 in Montevideo in 1980. The last time the two sides met in the UFWC was actually at a World Cup finals, in 1974 – it ended in a 2-0 win for the Netherlands. Coincidentally, current Uruguay striker Diego Forlan’s father Pablo played in that game.

The possible implications of this game are huge. Firstly, the winner will be UFWC champions. Secondly, they will progress to the World Cup final, where they will face either Germany or Spain. Whatever happens, the World Cup final is now destined to be a UFWC / WC unification match, with the winners walking away as both unofficial and official champions.

Can the Netherlands hold onto their title for the duration and also take the official title? Will Uruguay snatch the title, and go on to be undisputed champs? Or will Germany or Spain step in to win the UFWC / WC double header? Keep watching, because over the next few days we’ll find out the answer.