1956 British Home Championship
Encyclopedia
The 1956 British Home Championship
was a football
tournament played during the 1955–56 season between the British Home Nations
. It was the only occasion during the hundred year run of the Home Championship in which all four teams finished level on points. As goal difference
was not used to determine position until 1979
, all four teams shared the trophy, holding it for three months each. Had goal difference been used to determine the winner, then England
would have won with Scotland
second.
The competition began unusually with victories by underdogs Wales
and Ireland
over England and Scotland in their opening matches. This gave added incentive to the favourites in the following matches, which England and Scotland both won easily. Nevertheless, all four teams stood a good chance of victory going into the final round, with both Wales and Ireland seeking a rare undisputed tournament success. Unfortunately for all concerned the teams cancelled each other out, both matches resulting in 1–1 draws leaving all four equal on points and thus sharing the trophy.
The points system worked as follows:
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British Home Championship
The British Home Championship was an annual football competition contested between the United Kingdom's four national teams, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from the 1883–84 season until the 1983–84...
was a football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
tournament played during the 1955–56 season between the British Home Nations
Home Nations
Home Nations is a collective term with one of two meanings depending on the context. Politically, it means the nations of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom...
. It was the only occasion during the hundred year run of the Home Championship in which all four teams finished level on points. As goal difference
Goal difference
In sports such as ice hockey and association football, goal difference is often the first tiebreaker used to rank teams which finish a league competition with an equal number of points....
was not used to determine position until 1979
1979 British Home Championship
The 1979 British Home Championship was a British Home Nations competition, won by the English football side and notable for seeing marked increases in hooliganism and falling attendance which would result in its cancellation in 1984. The English started well, beating Northern Ireland to match the...
, all four teams shared the trophy, holding it for three months each. Had goal difference been used to determine the winner, then England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
would have won with Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
second.
The competition began unusually with victories by underdogs Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
and Ireland
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
over England and Scotland in their opening matches. This gave added incentive to the favourites in the following matches, which England and Scotland both won easily. Nevertheless, all four teams stood a good chance of victory going into the final round, with both Wales and Ireland seeking a rare undisputed tournament success. Unfortunately for all concerned the teams cancelled each other out, both matches resulting in 1–1 draws leaving all four equal on points and thus sharing the trophy.
Table
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | ||
| 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | ||
| 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | |
| 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | −2 |
The points system worked as follows:
- 2 points for a win
- 1 point for a draw
Results
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