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?

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.

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.

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.

But how did we get here? Over the course of the World Cup so far this website has attracted a lot of new visitors (around 100,000 of them), so it seems right to offer a quick recap on what the UFWC, how it works, and how the Dutch came to be champions.

The first thing to say is that, whatever happens, the UFWC will continue after the World Cup, so please do keep visiting us here at www.ufwc.co.uk, or get updates by following us on Twitter (@UFWC_Football) joining our Facebook group, signing up for our newsletter, joining our Forum, or maybe all four. (I also tweet UFWC updates and comments on Twitter – I’m @realpaulbrown.)

So what is the Unofficial Football World Championships (UFWC)? Basically it’s an alternative way of working out the best team in the world. It works in a continuous boxing-style title match system, where winners of title matches become title holders and champions, and move up the rankings. The UFWC goes right back to the very first international match in 1872, 58 years before the first World Cup. Every FIFA accredited A match counts in the UFWC, including friendlies. So, when the World Cup finishes, the UFWC will continue to roll on. For more on the history and background of the UFWC see the About section and the FAQ.

The UFWC as an organisation has been around since about 2002. We’ve got a trophy – the CW Alcock Cup – although it’s currently a virtual trophy only. (We’re looking for a sponsor to help us create and present a real version to the winning teams!) We even have a mascot – Hughie the UFWC dinosaur. As you can probably tell, we don’t take ourselves too seriously, and the main aim is to make football even more fun and enjoyable than it already is.

So how did the Netherlands get to be UFWC champions? Basically, they defeated the previous champions Sweden 3-1 in November 2008. As previously noted, they’ve remained undefeated since then – either a win or a draw means the team retains the UFWC title. A win gets them a ranking point and moves them up the ranking table. The Dutch are currently 4th in the all-time table, but could go 3rd if they win the World Cup. (Oddly, Scotland top the rankings table, mainly because they dominated the UFWC in the early years of international football when there weren’t many teams involved.)

So now we know that current UFWC champions and title holders the Netherlands will play Uruguay in the World Cup semi finals on Tuesday. (We’ll preview the game on Monday.) If the Netherlands win, they will retain the title and take it into the final. If Uruguay win, they will steal the title and become the new unofficial champions. Whatever happens, at the end of the tournament there will be a unification of the UFWC and WC with one side walking away as both unofficial and official champions.

So, exciting times for the Unofficial Football World Championships and football in general. We’ve no doubt that existing UFWC fans are loving this, and hope that those new to the UFWC will enjoy it too. The UFWC is all about the fans, aiming to make football even more fun and exciting than it already is. Good luck to the Netherlands and Uruguay, and remember that on Tuesday they will be playing for a place in the World Cup final AND the Unofficial Football World Championships. Enjoy.

The Netherlands mounted a stunning second-half comeback, as they defended their UFWC title and booked a place in the World Cup Semi Finals, sending one of the tournament favourites crashing out.

The first half belonged to Brazil, as they looked like world-beaters for the majority of the 45 minutes. And it looked like they could wind up winners by a good margin, as they got the ball in the net twice in the first 10 minutes. Even though the first one was ruled out for offside, the second one most definately was not. A magnificent pass from Felipe Melo from half way found the run of Robinho, who latched onto the ball and hit it to the left of the Dutch goalkeeper, giving the Brazilians a dominant start.

This goal was shortly followed by a decent effort from Dirk Kuyt for the Netherlands, but for the most part the champions failed to get into the match, as the Brazilian defence stood firm and smothered out any attacks as they came. Brazil could easily have doubled their lead in the 25th minute, as a cross in from Daniel Alves found Juan in the box, but under pressure from the defence he could only hit the ball over. And Kaka had his own chance of a goal after 30 minutes, as he curled a shot towards the top corner, only for a save from Maarten Stekelenburg to deny him.

The Netherlands’ first half performance was summed up by their attempted ‘sneaky touch’ corner which failed miserably, as they seemed to lack any fresh ideas, with even Arjen Robben struggling to get past the defence.

However a moment of luck for the Dutch early in the second half was enough for them to spark an incredible revival. A cross in from Wesley Sneijder from a free kick had the Brazilian defenders confused, and while Julio Cesar missed the ball, it found Felipe Melo who headed the ball into his own net (a goal which would later be awarded to Sneijder), giving the Netherlands a free pass back into the match. And they were more than happy to take advantge of it, as they stepped it up a gear against a visibly shaken Brazil. And after some decent chances, they eventualy took the lead. A corner, taken by Robben, found an unmarked Dirk Kuyt at the front of the box, who flicked it back into the mass of bodies, where Wesley Sneijder was on hand to head the ball passed Cesar to the delight of the Dutch fans.

But things were about to get worse for Brazil. In a moment of madness Felipe Melo stamped on Arjen Robben after fouling him, forcing the referee to give him a straight red card, making Brazil’s almost impossible mission even harder. But neither side took their foot off the pedal, as both sides went in search of another goal to help their cause. However even though they had the lead it was the Netherlands who looked most likely to score, as Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Kuyt both had golden chances of putting Brazil out of their misery, but failed to convert.

The result comes as a major surprise as Brazil, one of the pre-tournament favourites, were also favourites to overthrow the Netherlands as UFWC champions. It also means that this incredible reign by the Netherlands is now the joint-longest in terms of title defences, a record which they will break if they make it to the World Cup Final.

Their next UFWC title match will be against the winners of the Quarter Final match between Uruguay and Ghana, on July 6th.

Enjoying the World Cup, are you? Maybe not if you’re a fan of England (or France, or Italy…), but, after a bit of a lacklustre start, South Africa 2010 is turning into something of a football feast. And Friday’s WC quarter final / UFWC title match looks set to be one of the highlights of the tournament.

Few tipsters were heard to name the Netherlands as potential winners before the World Cup began, but regular followers of the UFWC will not have been surprised to have seen the Dutch continue their incredible unbeaten run (23 games) and win all four WC matches. Built around a solid defence, the Dutch side also has the attacking guile to harm any opposition. Ranked fourth in the world by both the UFWC and FIFA, the Netherlands, some say Holland, are an impressive side.

The Netherland’s brilliant orange shirts have always illuminated football, and against Slovakia on Monday they put out a team that lined up wearing shirts numbered one to eleven – a fantastic footballing sight that harked back to the nation’s heady days of the 70s. (Read what happened when the Netherlands met Brazil at the 74 World Cup here.) It remains to be seen whether the Netherlands and Brazil will play in orange and yellow, with the likelihood being that a clash of colours will force a change. A shame.

Amazingly, Brazil haven’t been involved in the UFWC competition since 1998 – and their last victory was against the Netherlands. That was in the World Cup semi final, when the Brazilians beat the Dutch on penalties after a 1-1 draw. But the tournament ended in agony for Brazil – hosts France won the final 3-0 to take both the World Cup and the UFWC title.

The Brazilians are currently on a ten-match unbeaten run, and are ranked number one by FIFA (and sixth by the UFWC). They won their first two group games, then drew 0-0 with Portugal, before seeing off Chile 3-0 in the round of 16. They’ve not yet settled into the samba style that has delighted in previous tournaments, but they seem to be improving with each game, and may go into this one as slight favourites.

There are plenty of star players to keep your eyes on, including Robben, Van Persie and Sneijder for the Dutch and Kaka, Robinho and Fabiano for the Brazilians. The Netherlands and Brazil have scored seven and eight goals respectively during this WC, and have both conceded two. It’s going to be tight, but one thing is for sure – this is going to be one of the most fascinating and hotly-anticipated UFWC matches in recent history.

The winners will play Uruguay or Ghana in the semi final, and must fancy their chances of reaching the final. So get the beer and snacks in and plump up the cushions for Netherlands vs Brazil – a huge UFWC/WC clash that I, for one, am not going to attempt to predict the outcome of. Enjoy.

Why not watch the game in an official UFWC T-shirt – including exclusive Netherlands and Hughie the mascot shirts? Check out the UFWC T-shirt store.

The Netherlands bided their time before doing enough to dispose of Slovakia, and potentially set up a Quarter-Final clash with Brazil.

Slovakia started the game brightly, with Erik Jendrisek firing just over the bar only 66 seconds into the game. However it was one of Slovakia’s only good chances of the half, as the Netherlands’ tactics consisted of holding the ball and patiently waiting to break down the defence, while snuffing out any infrequent Slovakian attempts.

Although it was a tactic that was not very exciting for the neutral, it proved effective in the 18th minute when the Netherlands took the lead. Arjen Robben, starting his first game since picking up an injury against Hungary over three weeks ago, was on the end of a long ball from midfield, cut inside two defenders and fired the ball into the bottom corner from outside the box, giving the Netherlands a great advantage: in each of the Last 16 matches at this World Cup so far, the team that scored first has ended up going through to the Quarter Finals.

Despite both teams’ efforts to score there were very few decent efforts on goal from either team in the first 45 minutes, as both teams went in at half-time knowing that the result was far from set in stone.

Both teams started the second half much better with Robben nearly scoring again from a nearly identical position, and Robert Vittek trying to pull one back for Slovakia. But it was the Netherlands who should have scored next, as a shot from 8 yards away was blocked by the face of Slovakian goalkeeper Jan Mucha. And the Dutch goalkeeper, Martan Stekelenburg, wasn’t having an easy time either. In the 67th minute a Miroslav Stoch effort was aimed full speed towards for the roof of the net, only for Stekelenburg to tip it over, followed shortly by another great save, this time from a Vittek shot from the edge of the box.

But despite all of Slovakia’s chances to equalize they couldn’t get the ball in the net, and they paid for it in the 84th minute. Martin Skrtel conceded a free kick on the half-way line, which was taken quickly and hit forward for Dirk Kuyt. Mucha misjudged the pass and found himself in no man’s land when it found Kuyt, who laid it off to Wesley Sneijder to fire into an empty net, and ensure a Dutch victory.

However Slovakia had the chance to score a consolation goal in extra time when Stekelenburg was judged to have brought Martin Jakubko in the box, which he received a yellow card for. Vittek stood up to take the penalty and converted it confidentally, his shot on goal being the last kick of the game.

The Netherlands are now one more victory away from equaling the all-time record for consecutive UFWC title defences, curently held by Scotland with 20. Their next title match will be on July 2nd, where they will face either Brazil or Chile in the World Cup Quarter Finals.