The Unofficial Football World Championships (UFWC) is an informal way of calculating the world's 'best' association football team, using a knock-out title system similar to that used in boxing and wrestling. The title is currently held by North Korea, having been won from Japan in a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification match on 15 November 2011. Their next defence is scheduled for 5 December 2012, when they will play Australia in the 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup semi-final group at Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong. The idea stemmed originally from some Scotland fans jokingly asserting that as they beat England (who had won the 1966 World Cup) in a British Home Championship match on April 15, 1967 – England's first loss after their FIFA World Cup victory – they were the "Unofficial World Champions".
Many years later, a website was created to show results of research triggered by this idea. The website received extra publicity when it was featured in football magazine FourFourTwo. The FourFourTwo feature also suggested the compilation of an unofficial clubs' world championship.
The Unofficial Football World Championships is not sanctioned by FIFA, nor does it have any sort of official backing.
Read more about Unofficial Football World Championships: Rules, Tracking The Championship, Rankings Table, UFWC At Major Championships, Similar Concepts, Media Coverage
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