ABSTRACT
The three England-Italy matches played between 1933 and 1939 were viewed and presented within and outside Britain as possessing both a footballing and international political significance, given the fact that the two countries were not only leading footballing nations but also great powers in international affairs. England's good record against Italy, the 1934 and 1938 World Cup winners and 1936 Olympic football gold medallists, reinforced British football's reputation ‘masters of the game’, even if in reality continuing British claims to dominate the ‘world game’ were being undermined by a range of factors, most notably British isolationism and the rapid improvement in the game in the wider world.
