Features

Unofficial Football World Championships vs the World Cup

We love the World Cup here at the UFWC, and are excitedly looking forward to Brazil 2014, which starts in just two months' time. To add to the excitement, there's a good chance that the Unofficial Football World Championships title will be contested at the World Cup tournament. Current UFWC champions Uruguay are on course to take the title to Brazil, although they have a couple of tricky title matches to negotiate first. If the UFWC title does go to Brazil, it won't be the first time the unofficial and official tournaments have crossed over. The UFWC and World Cup lineages are very different, but they have come together several times during football's long and entertaining history.

Catch-up: a fairly comprehensive UFWC re-cap

Catch Up A Fairly Comprehensive UFWC Re Cap | Feature

Boost UFWC and World Cup interest with niche bets

One of the best things about the UFWC is that it adds an extra layer of interest to the international fixture list. It neatly fill the four-year void between the official World Cups, and there is plenty of enjoyment to be had in watching an apparently meaningless friendly match with the knowledge that the victor will become the latest Unofficial Football World Champion. If you're into your football betting, then you may find that the UFWC adds extra interest here, too.

Yokohama 1874: how Japan discovered football

Yokohama 1874 How Japan Discovered Football | Feature

Enjoy the World Cup - except when you play against us!

While the public mood is muted in Argentina and one of building resentment in Sao Paulo, enthusiasm for the forthcoming World Cup is bubbling on the streets of Montevideo, capital city of reigning Unofficial Football World Champions Uruguay. 'Welcome! Enjoy the World Cup – except when you play against us,' a friendly customs officer greeted me at Colonia del Sacramento, an hour-long ferry ride from Buenos Aires. Two-time winners of FIFA's showcase competition, Uruguayan fans on Montevideo’s main boulevard, the Avenida 18 de Julio, described a draw which places La Celeste in the same group as England, Italy and Costa Rica as 'both a dream and a nightmare'.

Japan: 13 games, 20 goals, 11 months as UFWC champions

Japan 13 Games 20 Goals 11 Months As UFWC Champions | Feature

Following the UFWC at the World Cup

During the past month or so, over the course of the World Cup, the UFWC trophy has changed hands four times. Along the way I've managed to watch the drama unfold from three different continents as a nomadic football fan. Starting off in Hong Kong, where I watched the World Cup get underway, I then flew to London for the first weekend of the World Cup before watching the rest of it in South America. The adventure began in the first weekend of the World Cup, when Uruguay's surprise defeat to Costa Rica gave the Ticos the UFWC title, which they managed to take all the way to the quarter finals.

A beginner's guide to the UFWC

A Beginners Guide To The UFWC | Feature

Farewell Japan: 16 games as unofficial football world champions

Farewell Japan 16 Games As Unofficial Football World Champions | Feature