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What was the first tournament played between all four national teams of the United Kingdom?

In the early 1880s, the football associations of England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland each had slightly different rules for the game. When friendly matches were played, the rules of the hosting team were used. On December 6, 1882, the four associations met in Manchester and agreed on one uniform set of rules. This meeting not only marked the founding of the International Football Association Board (IFAB), but also gave birth to the British of the International Football Association Board Home Championship, which would see the four national “Home Teams” — England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland — compete in a formal tournament played out over the 1883–84 season. The winner was Scotland.

Quickies

Did you know …

that the 2006 World Cup final between Italy and France drew over 700 million viewers worldwide, eight times more than that year’s Super Bowl?

What was the Ibrox Disaster of 1902?

For the final of the 1902 British Home Championship, over 68,000 fans gathered at Ibrox Park in Glasgow on April 5 to watch Scotland face England. In the first half, shortly before 4:00 p.m., a section of terrace in the stadium’s West Stand collapsed, killing 25 and injuring over 500. Play was stopped, but was restarted after 20 minutes. The match played out to a 1–1 draw, but was later declared void and replayed on May 2 at Villa Park, Birmingham, to a 2–2 draw.