The Simple Life of Joe: Costa Rica are (unofficial) World Champions!

When you think of footballing World Champions, you think of Brazil, Spain, Argentina. You wouldn't realistically think that Scotland are ranked number 1 in the World - but you'd be mistaken.

I imagine that none of you have ever heard of the Unofficial Football World Championship (UFWC), but it is something that captures the imagination, and cannot really be argued against.

The current holders of the UFWC Trophy are Costa Rica (Ranked =24th). Odds are, they do not know this - but by beating Uruguay (11th) on the 14th June, they took the title and have held it ever since. England (2nd) had a chance to claim it off of them, but the 0-0 in their final group game was not quite enough. Costa Rica's match against Greece (=17th) on Sunday will determine whether they hold onto it for a little longer.

You see, the UFWC is a competition that has gone on since the very first international football match was played between Scotland and England, in 1872. Back then, there were no other teams and thus, the winner of that game could claim to be the best in the World! It finished 0-0 of course, but they had a rematch in 1873 which England won 4-2. England were Champions!

Imagine the UFWC as a belt in boxing. You defeat an opponent, you get the title. Every match is a 'title fight', whether it be a World Cup Final, or a seemingly pointless friendly.

Through 142 years of international footballing history, the title has passed through the hands of some huge teams, as well as some minnows of the footballing World. Even the likes of Angola (=24th), North Korea (=20th) and Wales (=15th) rank higher than teams such as Portugal (=38th) and Belgium (=30th).

1 point is scored for the team who wins the vital match involving a UFWC title holder. A draw counts for nothing, and is considered a successful defence of the title. Owing to the fact that most international matches in the 19th century were contested by the home nations, England and Scotland are a few points clear of the rest - but that will all change in time.

So if you follow the 142 year UFWC lineage of over 800 international competetive and friendly matches, following who beats who, and starting with the first ever International Football match, you discover that Costa Rica are the current Unofficial Football World Champions.

So grab a beer, and tune in on Sunday because Costa Rica vs Greece is the next UFWC Cup Final!

UFWC Rankings (Top 10)