9.8.12

The growth of International Football - 1902


 Austria

1902
  22.2.02    Wales 0-3 Ireland             (Ninian Park, Cardiff)
    1.3.02    Ireland 1-5 Scotland         (Grosvenor Park, Belfast)
    3.3.02    Wales 0-0 England           (Racecourse Ground, Wrexham)
  15.3.02    Scotland 5-1 Wales          (Cappielow Park, Greenock)
  22.3.02    Ireland 0-1 England          (Balmoral Showgrounds, Belfast)
    5.4.02    Scotland A-A  England     (Ibrox, Glasgow) [abandoned at 1-1 due to Ibrox disaster]
    3.5.02    England 2-2 Scotland        (Villa Park Birmingham)
  20.7.02    Uruguay 0-6 Argentina     (Paso del Molino,Montevideo)
12.10.02    Austria 5-0 Hungary         (WAC-Platz,Vienna)


1902 saw the first international match to be played outside the British Isles as Uruguay and Argentina commenced their epic rivalry.  Continental Europe also arrived on the international scene as Austria squashed Hungary in Vienna. The protagonists were, at the time, part of the Austro- Hungarian Empire, and the match was originally intended as being simply Vienna versus Budapest, but the Austrian and Hungarian FAs have upgraded the fixture to full international status, with FIFA approval.