On this day in 1870, England and Scotland played an unofficial friendly, making it perhaps the first ever international game of football between two nations.
FIFA does not recognise the match as an official friendly as most of the Scottish players were drawn from Scots living in London and the Scottish Football Association had not come into existence at the time of the match. Charles W. Alcock, FA secretary and captain of the England side, organised a series of five games first of which was played at the Oval.
The Scotland XI included two sitting Members of Parliament, William Henry Gladstone and John Malcolm, the former being the son of Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone.