{"product_id":"historic-football-prints-sunderland-v-celtic-1892-world-club-championship-copy","title":"Historic Football Prints - Sunderland v Hearts, 1895 World Club Championship","description":"\u003cp data-end=\"517\" data-start=\"406\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-end=\"458\" data-start=\"402\"\u003eThe First World Club Championship Series (1876–1904)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"771\" data-start=\"460\"\u003eIn the late nineteenth century, association football existed as an organised, elite sport in only two countries: \u003cstrong data-end=\"597\" data-start=\"573\"\u003eEngland and Scotland\u003c\/strong\u003e. The game’s laws were established, national competitions were firmly in place, and league and cup football had produced clubs of a standard unmatched elsewhere in the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"1128\" data-start=\"773\"\u003eFrom 1876 until 1904, the highest contests in the sport took the form of \u003cstrong data-end=\"888\" data-start=\"846\"\u003e“Grand International Football Matches”\u003c\/strong\u003ebetween the \u003cstrong data-end=\"965\" data-start=\"901\"\u003edomestic league champions or domestic cup winners of England\u003c\/strong\u003e and the \u003cstrong data-end=\"1039\" data-start=\"974\"\u003edomestic league champions or domestic cup winners of Scotland\u003c\/strong\u003e. Taken together, these fixtures constitute \u003cstrong data-end=\"1127\" data-start=\"1083\"\u003ethe first world club championship series\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"1495\" data-start=\"1130\"\u003eBecause qualification was based on \u003cstrong data-end=\"1200\" data-start=\"1165\"\u003eleague and domestic cup success\u003c\/strong\u003e, rather than a single annual tournament, more than one international championship match could legitimately take place within the same year. Where both league champions and cup holders were involved, \u003cstrong data-end=\"1456\" data-start=\"1400\"\u003emultiple world championship contests were recognised\u003c\/strong\u003e, each carrying contemporary authority.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"1761\" data-start=\"1497\"\u003eThe criteria were clear and contemporaneous. Only clubs holding recognised national honours — \u003cstrong data-end=\"1625\" data-start=\"1591\"\u003eleague titles or domestic cups\u003c\/strong\u003e — could credibly contest these matches. Friendly encounters outside this framework, however notable, did not carry championship status.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"2156\" data-start=\"1763\"\u003eBoth the Hearts \u0026amp; Sunderland clubs stood among the dominant champions of their respective national competitions, and victory in such a match was therefore widely interpreted as confirmation of global supremacy. This was Sunderland's third world crown following victories in 1892 and 1893. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"2432\" data-start=\"2158\"\u003eIt is no coincidence that this pioneering series concludes in \u003cstrong data-end=\"2228\" data-start=\"2220\"\u003e1904\u003c\/strong\u003e, the year in which FIFA was founded. Long before football acquired an international governing body, the game’s original powers had already established the principle of world club competition in practice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"2627\" data-start=\"2434\"\u003eThis print commemorates that formative era — \u003cstrong data-end=\"2523\" data-start=\"2479\"\u003ethe First World Club Championship Series\u003c\/strong\u003e — when the giants of nineteenth-century English and Scottish football first contested the global crown.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan\u003eProduct details:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul type=\"disc\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eYou will only pay shipping\/postage for 1 item, no matter how many items you purchase.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDiscounts are given for multiple purchases.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003eSize: A3, A4, A5\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSingle Sided\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003ePaper: 400gsm premium art stock\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003ePrint quality: Museum-grade, high-resolution\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003eFinish: Unframed\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003eWatermark shown in images does NOT appear on the final print\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCarefully packaged for safe delivery\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA striking piece of football history — ideal for collectors, historians, and lovers of our national game.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eAny issues please contact me at \u003ca href=\"mailto:paul@worldvintagecolours.com\"\u003epaul@worldvintagecolours.com\u003c\/a\u003e by clicking the hyperlink and I will get back to you ASAP.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"World Vintage Colours","offers":[{"title":"A3","offer_id":47251817136320,"sku":"Historic Football Prints - Sunderland v Hearts, 1895 World Club Championship A3","price":21.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"A4","offer_id":47251817169088,"sku":"Historic Football Prints - Sunderland v Hearts, 1895 World Club Championship A4","price":9.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"A5","offer_id":47251817201856,"sku":"Historic Football Prints - Sunderland v Hearts, 1895 World Club Championship A5","price":5.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/8242\/7840\/files\/A3-SunderlandAFC-1895WorldChampions.jpg?v=1768910444","url":"https:\/\/www.worldvintagecolours.com\/products\/historic-football-prints-sunderland-v-celtic-1892-world-club-championship-copy","provider":"World Vintage Colours","version":"1.0","type":"link"}