The "Triple Crown"

Since 1930, three "boxing-wise" world championships are being "played": the Unofficial World Championship ("started" in 1872), the Virtual World Championship (started in 1908) and the Nasazzi's Baton (started in 1930). As these three tournaments have different criteria, we can consider the country as "really the best" when it hold all the three "trophies", being "triple-crowned".

Along the history, there was the following triple-crownings:

1. Italy/1939 (triple crowned during 4 matches and 161 days)

03-08-1936	won VWC against Czechoslovakia
04-06-1939	won UWC and NB against Yugoslavia
08-06-1939	defended UWC and NB against Hungary
11-06-1939	defended UWC and NB against Romania
20-07-1939	defended UWC and NB against Finland
12-11-1939	lost UWC and NB to Switzerland
25-06-1950	lost VWC to Sweden

2. Brazil/1958-1959 (triple crowned during 11 matches and 531 days)

18-09-1957	won NB against Chile
29-06-1958	won UWC and VWC against Sweden
10-03-1959	defended UWC, VWC and NB against Peru
15-03-1959	defended UWC, VWC and NB against Chile
21-03-1959	defended UWC, VWC and NB against Bolivia
26-03-1959	defended UWC, VWC and NB against Uruguay
29-03-1959	defended UWC, VWC and NB against Paraguay
04-04-1959	defended UWC, VWC and NB against Argentina
13-05-1959	defended UWC and NB against England
17-09-1959	defended UWC and NB against Chile
20-09-1959	defended UWC and NB against Chile
05-12-1959	defended UWC, VWC and NB against Paraguay
12-12-1959	lost UWC, VWC and NB to Uruguay

3. Uruguay/1959-1960 (triple crowned during 7 matches and 249 days)

12-12-1959	won UWC, VWC and NB against Brazil
16-12-1959	defended UWC, VWC and NB against Argentina
22-12-1959	defended UWC, VWC and NB against Paraguay
01-05-1960	defended UWC and NB against Chile
05-06-1960	defended UWC and NB against Chile
09-07-1960	defended UWC and NB against Brazil
13-07-1960	defended UWC and NB against Paraguay
17-08-1960	lost UWC and NB to Argentina
02-06-1962	lost VWC to Yugoslavia

4. West Germany/1974-1975 (triple crowned during 4 matches and 248 days)

03.07.1974	won NB against Poland
07.07.1974	won UWC and VWC against Netherlands
04.09.1974	defended UWC and NB against Switzerland
20.11.1974	defended UWC, VWC and NB against Greece
22.12.1974	defended UWC, VWC and NB against Malta
12.03.1975	lost UWC and NB to England
		(retained VWC)

5. West Germany/1976-1977 (triple crowned during 1 match and 98 days)

		(retained VWC)
17.11.1976	won UWC and NB against Czechoslovakia
23.02.1977	lost UWC and NB to France
21.06.1978	lost VWC to Austria

6. Nigeria/2004 (triple crowned during 3 matches and 22 days)

08.02.2004	won VWC against Cameroon
29.05.2004	won UWC and NB against Ireland Rep.
31.05.2004	defended UWC and NB against Jamaica
05.06.2004	defended UWC, VWC and NB against Rwanda
20.06.2004	lost UWC, VWC and NB to Angola

7. Angola/2004-2005 (triple crowned during 7 matches and 280 days)

20.06.2004	won UWC, VWC and NB against Nigeria
03.07.2004	defended UWC, VWC and NB against Gabon
18.07.2004	defended UWC and NB against Botswana
05.09.2004	defended UWC, VWC and NB against Rwanda
19.09.2004	defended UWC and NB against Mozambique
10.10.2004      defended UWC, VWC and NB against Zimbabwe
20.11.2004      defended UWC and NB against Zambia
27.03.2005	lost UWC, VWC and NB to Zimbabwe

8. Zimbabwe/2005 (triple crowned during 8 matches and 195 days)

27.03.2005	won UWC, VWC and NB against Angola
16.04.2005      defended UWC and NB against Mozambique
17.04.2005      defended UWC and NB against Botswana
05.06.2005      defended UWC, VWC and NB against Malawi
19.06.2005      defended UWC, VWC and NB against Algeria
13.08.2005      defended UWC and NB against Angola
14.08.2005      defended UWC and NB against Zambia
04.09.2005      defended UWC, VWC and NB against Rwanda
08.10.2005      lost UWC, VWC and NB to Nigeria

9. Nigeria/2005 (triple crowned during 1 match and 39 days)

08.10.2005      won UWC, VWC and NB against Zimbabwe
16.11.2005	lost UWC and NB to Romania

Summary List:

Country		   From		   To		Matches		Days

Italy		04.06.1939	20.07.1939	    4		 161	[qc]
Brazil		29.06.1958	05.12.1959	   11		 531	[qc]
Uruguay		05.12.1959	17.08.1960	    7		 249
West Germany	07.07.1974	12.03.1975	    4		 248	[qc]
West Germany	17.11.1976	23.02.1977	    1		  98	[qc]
Nigeria		29.05.2004	05.06.2004	    3		  22
Angola		20.06.2004	27.03.2005	    7		 280
Zimbabwe        27.03.2005      08.10.2005          8            195
Nigeria         08.10.2005	16.11.2005	    1		  39

[qc] "Quadruple Crowned" teams: simultaneously World Cup champions and Triple Crown holders

Other matches when the triple crown was disputed:

13.05.1939  friendly	Italy (defending VWC) 2-2 England (defending UWC and NB)
01.12.1940  friendly	Italy (defending VWC) 1-1 Hungary (defending UWC and NB)
16.05.1948  friendly	Italy (defending VWC) 0-4 England (defending UWC and NB)
13.04.1952  Pan-Am Chmp Chile (defending UWC and NB) 2-0 Uruguay (defending VWC)
30.06.1966  World Cup	England (defending UWC and VWC) 2-2 Germany (defending NB)
20.06.1976  Euro Cup	Czechoslovakia (defending UWC and NB) 2-2 West Germany (defending VWC)
14.06.1978  World Cup	Italy (defending UWC and NB) 0-0 West Germany (defending VWC)

About this document

Prepared and maintained by Marcelo Leme de Arruda for the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation

Author: Marcelo Leme de Arruda (mlarruda@terra.com.br)
Last updated: 3 Jan 2014