UKatWC

This project is an alternate history of the United Kingdom in association football, asking what if there had been one united UK team instead of the separate England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales teams we have today?

Background
The British football teams were invited to take part in the 1950 World Cup in Brazil, after 17 years of boycotting FIFA. The British football associations had boycotted FIFA over policy on professional players, the British associations feeling that the game should remain an amateur sport.

Point of derivation
In alternate history, the point of derivation, sometimes called the POD, is the point at which an alternate history branches off from the original timeline (the real history). In this case the point of derivation begins in the USA, where two rival football leagues exist, the North American Soccer Football League, and the American Soccer League. In this alternate timeline, the North American Soccer Football League lasts slightly longer, and both leagues attempt to enter a USA team to the 1950 World Cup. The two associations refuse to work together, so FIFA orders them to have a playoff, with the select team from the American Soccer League winning 3-1 and gaining entry to the World Cup. At the same time, all four British football associations end their boycott of FIFA, and apply to enter the World Cup. FIFA accepts, but a complaint is lodged by the North American Soccer Football League, who say it is unfair that the United Kingdom can enter four separate teams, whereas they were not allowed to enter two. After some negotiations the Football Association, Irish Football Association and Football Association of Wales agree to enter a combined UK team, on the agreement they keep their individual places on the International Football Association Board and separate league structures. The Scottish Football Association refuses to participate, and withdraws from negotiations. The remaining football associations, the FA, IFA and FAW create a new body, called the United Kingdom Football Association and drawn up from representatives of the member associations. They appoint Walter Winterbottom as head coach, who selects the team from the England, Wales and Northern Ireland squads. The rest, as they say, is alternate history..

About this TL
This TL is not a typical alt history, as it ignores butterflies almost completely. For the purposes of this project all players, teams, and World Cup draws and results will be the same as the OTL, in order to make the TL as realistic as possible and avoid an overly successful outcome. The UK team will be seeded in place of the England squad in the OTL, and the other home nations will be replaced by the next placed nation in qualifying. Wherever possible scorelines from the OTL will be used to make an informed guess at the success of the UK team. So for example an England side being beaten 3-0 in the OTL is unlikely to win 3-0 in the alternate timeline with the addition of a few players, even of the caliber of George Best and Denis Law. However just for fun there will be some butterflies thrown in, a few surprise results for good measure and to make for a more entertaining AltHist.

Contributing
Anyone is free to add or edit the pages of this project, just remember to suffix each new page with (UKFATL) to differentiate this TL's pages from other AltHistories. No permission is needed, just dive in and add/ edit and create as you wish. All I ask is we don't go overboard and make it unrealistic, the ultimate aim is to get a real sense of how well the UK team might have done historically.