The England–Scotland football rivalry, between the England and Scotland national football teams, is the oldest international fixture in the world, first played in 1872 at Hamilton Crescent, Glasgow. The first match took place at Hamilton Crescent, Glasgow, in 1872 and ended in a 0–0 draw. Scottish nationalism has been a factor in the Scots' desire to defeat England above all other rivals, with Scottish sports journalists traditionally referring to the English as the "Auld Enemy".
BBC Online commented that the games "have represented all that is good and all that is bad about football since the fixture began," while newspaper once reported that "for millions across both sides of the border the encounter represents a chance for the ultimate victory over the enemy." As of 2023, the teams have played 116 matches; England have won 49, Scotland 41, and there have been 26 draws.
Background and early years
The rules of association football had been formalised and set down by The Football Association in England in 1863.Barrett, p. 8. By 1870 C. W. Alcock, Secretary of The Football Association, issued public challenges in various Scottish newspapers,Charles W Alcock, The Scotsman, 28 November 1870, page 7 including The Glasgow Herald, to Scottish players to play an international match against England. One of the few public responses that Alcock received from Scotland stated that "devotees of the 'association' rules will find no foeman worthy of their steel in Scotland."H.M., The Scotsman, 1 December 1870, page 12. Alcock ardently defended that the right to play in these matches "was open to every Scotchman whether his lines were cast North or South of the Tweed". The first match was described in the Glasgow Herald as "the great international football match"Glasgow Herald, Monday, 7 March 1870; Issue 9415. and there was acceptance by the same newspaper in 1871 that "both captains had been successful in the composition of elevens capable of efficiently representing their respective causes."Glasgow Herald, Monday, 27 February 1871; Issue 9721
Although the five matches played between 5 March 1870 and 24 February 1872 are not currently recognised by FIFA as official, they were organised under the auspices of the FA and were described as "international" by The Scotsman newspaper. In 1870, Alcock had even suggested that the next international match should be held near the England-Scotland border as an easily accessible venue for both teams, but this did not receive a response. Requests for Scotland-based players to partake were issued for each of these five matches, for example in November 1870:
The matches are notable not just for being the first international matches, but also for illustrating emerging team playing tactics. For example, in the November 1870 match onlookers were treated to a match with "many scientific points"Bell's Life in London and Sporting Chronicle, Saturday 26 November 1870, issue 446 and in 1871 players (including Alcock) are noted to have been "acting in concert", leading to a goal"The Scotsman, Monday 27 February 1871, page 7
England v Scotland 1870–72: scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first. Date Venue Result Competition Location Winner5 March 1870The Oval, London1–1FriendlyDraw19 November 1870The Oval, London0–1Friendly25 February 1871The Oval, London1–1FriendlyDraw17 November 1871The Oval, London1–2Friendly24 February 1872The Oval, London0–1Friendly
In 1872 a challenge match was agreed with the Glasgow team Queen's Park, who would represent Scotland. The FA's minutes of 3 October 1872 note that:
According to The Scotsman newspaper of 2 December 1872, there were only about ten football clubs in Scotland. These early international matches helped to increase the popularity of association football in Scotland.Barrett, p. 9. The first official match was held on 30 November 1872, on Scotland's national saint's day, St. Andrew's Day, and it took place at Hamilton Crescent in Partick, home of the West of Scotland Cricket Club. The Scotland team was made up entirely of players from Queen's Park, the most successful Scottish club of the period. The game ended a 0–0 draw, watched by a crowd of 4000 who had paid a shilling each for admission.
The first goal between the two sides was scored by England's William Kenyon-Slaney in the next game at The Oval, the first official match between the two in England, which the English won 4–2 on 8 March 1873. Following this, the game became an annual event, being held in England or Scotland in alternate years. Scotland took their first win in the fixture in the 1874 game, again played at Hamilton Crescent, where they defeated England 2–1. Later in the 1870s Scotland won the fixture three times in a row, including a 7–2 victory in the 1878 game.
Famous matches in the annual series
From the first match in late 1872, England and Scotland played each other in the spring of every year (except during World War I and World War II) until 1989. From 1884 until 1984, the match was the highlight of the annual British Home Championship played between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.Northern Ireland were only in the British Home Championship after 1950. Before then, a team representing the whole of Ireland selected by the Irish Football Association was in the Championship. This change was due to the secession of the Republic of Ireland from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Due to the capacity of Hampden Park in the period, the fixture drew some of the largest ever football crowds, including the enduring European record attendance of 149,415 in 1937 (even though there was little to play for in that match: Wales had already won the series).Scotland 3 England 1, The Blizzard, 1 June 2015 After the British Home Championship ended in 1984, the annual England v Scotland fixture continued in the form of the Rous Cup until 1989.
The only exception to this pattern of annual fixtures in the spring was in 1973, when there were two games. The first game that year was a friendly match that marked the centenary of the Scottish Football Association. There were also two fixtures staged in 1902, but this was because the first game had to be abandoned due to the first Ibrox disaster. The British Home Championship also acted as qualifiers for three major tournaments – the 1950 World Cup, the 1954 World Cup and the 1968 European Championship.
1928
The 1928 Scotland team which defeated England 5–1 at Wembley was nicknamed the Wembley Wizards. The match had an unusual background; England and Scotland were the two traditionally dominant countries in the British Home Championship, yet neither side had managed to beat either Ireland or Wales in their first two games of that year's Championship.
Match summary
1961 The game played in 1961 saw Scotland suffer their heaviest defeat in the fixture. The performance of Scotland goalkeeper Frank Haffey contributed towards the English stereotype of bad Scottish goalkeepers. "What time is it?" "Nine past Haffey", was a popular joke for many years. England players Jimmy Armfield and Johnny Haynes insisted that the result was more due to the quality of their forward play, and that Haffey could not have done much else to prevent most of the goals.
Match summary
1967 England had won the 1966 FIFA World Cup at Wembley less than a year before the 1967 game, and were undefeated in 19 games. Despite fielding four of the Celtic side that went on to win the European Cup a month later and stars such as Denis Law, Jim Baxter and Billy Bremner, Scotland were massive underdogs going into the match. Scotland took an early lead through a goal by Law, and Bobby Lennox put Scotland 2–0 up with just 12 minutes remaining. England were somewhat hampered by the fact that Jack Charlton suffered an injury early in the game. At that time, the rules governing international football prevented the England manager Alf Ramsey from substituting Charlton, so he decided to use him in the unfamiliar role of centre forward. Ironically, Charlton scored England's first goal. Scotland soon reestablished a two-goal lead, however, with Jim McCalliog making the score 3–1. Geoff Hurst scored a late goal to make the final score 3–2 to Scotland.
Baxter played "keepie uppie" as Scotland toyed with their opponents late in the game. The Scots playfully claimed afterwards that the victory made them unofficial world champions. Ultimately, however, it was England who qualified for the 1968 European Championship because of results in the other matches.Brinkmanship dangerous for Ramsey's men, Geoffrey Green, The Times, 26 February 1968, scan via London Hearts Supporters Club
Match summary
1977
At the end of the 1977 match, the Scottish fans invaded the pitch, ripping up large sections of it and tearing down the goalposts. The match itself was a triumph for the new Scotland manager Ally MacLeod and contributed to the sense of optimism that built towards Scotland's participation in the 1978 FIFA World Cup. Gordon McQueen opened the scoring late in the first half with a powerful header from a crossed free-kick from the left-hand side. Kenny Dalglish doubled Scotland's advantage with a scrambled effort, before England scored a late consolation goal from a penalty kick taken by Mick Channon. The defeat hastened the end of Don Revie's tenure as England manager.
Match summary
Matches since the end of the annual series
1996 European Championship In December 1995, despite media rumours that UEFA would deliberately keep the two apart in the draw, England and Scotland were both drawn in the same group for the forthcoming European Championship, to be hosted by England in the summer of 1996. This draw excited much comment and anticipation in the build-up to the championship, especially as it would be the first meeting between the two sides for seven years, and tickets for the game sold out within two days of the draw being made. The match assumed even greater significance for both teams when both England and Scotland drew their opening fixtures, against Switzerland and the Netherlands respectively, meaning both were even more in need of a win to further their chances of progressing in the tournament.
The match was played at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 15 June 1996. Before the game, Scotland's national anthem, Flower of Scotland, was completely drowned out by booing from English spectators.Bose, Mihir, The Sporting Alien: English Sport's Lost Camelot (1996) Mainstream Publishing, Edinburgh and London ; p. 239 The first half was closely fought, ending 0–0, although Scotland had the better of the chances. The introduction of Jamie Redknapp into the England team as a substitute for the second half helped to turn the match in England's favour, and they took the lead through a headed goal by Alan Shearer. Scotland were awarded a penalty kick in the 76th minute after a foul by Tony Adams on Gordon Durie, but Gary McAllister's kick was saved by the England goalkeeper David Seaman. Shortly afterwards, Paul Gascoigne, who played in Scotland for the Glasgow club Rangers, scored a second goal for England, after chipping the ball over Scottish defender Colin Hendry. In 2006, the year before he became Prime Minister, Gordon Brown drew criticism in Scotland when he was reported as saying that Gascoigne's goal was one of his favourite moments in football, although Brown subsequently denied saying this.
Scotland eventually went out of the championship on goals scored, but would have proceeded beyond the first round of a tournament for the first time in their history had England not conceded a late goal in their 4–1 victory over the Netherlands in their final group game. The Guardian newspaper later commented that "England fans' joy was complete when Patrick Kluivert stole a late goal for the Dutch team – and thereby deprived Scotland of a place in the quarter-finals".
2000 European Championship play-off