England vs Germany

The England and Germany national football teams have faced each other since the late 1800s, with official matches beginning in 1930. Their first meeting came in November 1899, when England won four straight games against Germany. Key matches include the 1966 World Cup final, the 1990 World Cup and Euro 1996 semi-finals, and the round-of-16 ties at the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2020. While English fans and newspapers often view this as a rivalry, it is largely one-sided; most German supporters consider the Netherlands or Italy their traditional football rivals. In this article, references to Germany include West Germany before reunification.

The first encounter was a four-game tour in November 1899 organized by the Football Association. England beat a German side 1–0 in Berlin on 23 November, then won 10–2 two days later. Two matches against a combined Austrian-German team in Prague and Karlsruhe ended 6–0 and 7–0. These are not considered official internationals—Germany calls them “proto-international matches” (Ur-Länderspiele)—because the German Football Association (DFB) was founded in January 1900. The DFB counts four games between 1908 and 1913 against England’s amateur team as official, but the FA does not.

The first full international was a friendly on 10 May 1930 in Berlin. England led 1–0 and 2–1, but after an injury left them a man down, Germany went ahead 3–2. David Jack equalized late for a 3–3 draw.

The next match, on 4 December 1935 at White Hart Lane, was the first full international in England and the first since Adolf Hitler’s rise. It sparked controversy: The Observer reported protests from the British Trades Union Congress, who feared Nazi propaganda. Sir Walter Citrine warned the Home Secretary that a large Nazi contingent might suggest political importance. Yet the match itself—a 3–0 England win—was praised for its good manners.

The last pre-war game was a friendly at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium on 14 May 1938, before 110,000 fans. It was the most controversial early encounter: the Foreign Office ordered England players to perform a Nazi salute before kick-off. Compliance has been debated, with later accounts suggesting reluctance. A 2003 BBC report noted the salute aimed to show Germany was not a pariah state after annexing Austria, helping clear the way for Chamberlain’s “Peace for our time” deal. England won 6–3, but German author Ulrich Linder wrote that losing to England was normal then, and Hitler valued the propaganda more than the result.

The teams did not meet for sixteen years. After 1949, West Germany continued the national team tradition, while East Germany and Saarland fielded separate sides. England played East Germany but no rivalry developed. In a 1954 friendly at Wembley, England beat world champion West Germany 3–1. Further friendlies followed: 3–1 in Berlin in 1956 and 1–0 in Nuremberg in 1965.

England and West Germany met at Wembley again on 23 February 1966.