The Football World Championship was a friendly game between the English and Scottish champions in the late 19th and early 20th century.
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The first two winners were Hibernian (1886) and Renton (in 1888) both Scottish Cup winners (as the leagues had not been yet created at the time). 1887 English participants Preston North End were the only team to take part without winning a trophy to qualify, having been FA Cup semi-finalists the season prior. The 1895 match, notable for being the first to be played by the respective league champions, was won by Sunderland who beat Heart of Midlothian 5–3. The Scottish and English leagues were pre-eminent in the world at that time, with the only league outside the UK being in Argentina.
Hearts eventually won the World Championship title in 1902, beating Tottenham Hotspur 3–1. Unlike the 1895 contest, however, the format reverted to the FA Cup vs. Scottish Cup game.