Previous seasons which finished without champions being crowned

With the future of the current season completely uncertain because of the coronavirus pandemic, AGONAsport looks back at previous campaigns that were either annulled or didn’t take place.

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The wait for competitive football to return could continue for quite some time if the coronavirus isn’t controlled in the coming weeks. At this moment in time, almost all European championships are in the midst of an unplanned break, with only the Belarusian First League still being played. The Super League playoffs and playouts were postponed indefinitely in early March.

In connection with the current situation, let’s take a look back at tournaments and entire seasons which either were either annulled or didn’t even take place:

1942 and 1946 FIFA World Cup

In 1936, Germany submitted an application to host the 1942 World Cup during the 23rd FIFA Congress, with Brazil later also making a bid. However, due to the beginning of the Second World War, the competition was cancelled. As a result of the war, FIFA was an organisation left in tatters when peace was eventually restored, something which consequently meant that no 1946 World Cup was played. No host nation for the tournament had been picked.

Copa America 1967-1975

Previously, between 1916 and 1967, the Copa America was known as the South American Championship. Following the completion of the 1967 tournament, there was confusion as to how to take the competition forward, an issue which resulted in a lengthy eight-year break before it returned as the Copa America. It’s worth noting that the 2020 Copa America, which was due to be held in Argentina and Colombia, has been suspended because of the coronavirus crisis.

La Liga 1936-1939

A thrilling 1935/1936 campaign, won by Athletic Bilbao by a mere two points, was the last for three years as the Spanish Civil War later broke out in July. Eventually, after three tragic years of bitter warfare, football returned to Spain in December 1939 as Athletic Aviacion became champions by claiming 29 points from 22 matches.

Bundesliga in 1904 and 1922

German football was stopped on a further two occasions if we exclude the two world wars. In the 1903/1904 campaign, the rules stipulated that all games had to be played on neutral territory, however Karlsruhe were forced to play against Britannia Berlin on the road in the quarter-finals. Karlsruhe, after losing the game 6-1, stated that they had been illegally eliminated as some of their players weren’t able to make the trip to Berlin. The season was annulled by the German Football Association as a consequence.

No champion was declared in the 1921/1922 season either. In the grand final between Hamburg and Nuremberg, the score was level at 1-1, however the match was permanently abandoned with the latter team only having seven players remaining on the pitch. Initially, Hamburg were awarded the title, but the season was later cancelled without a champion following several appeals and court cases.

Ligue 1 1919-1926 and 1929-1932

Asides from the two world wars, French football wasn’t witnessed in two separate periods, with the first starting in 1919 and finishing in 1926 due to the financial rebuild. Just three years later, after CA Paris, Stade Francais and Marseille had won a championship each, the league was brought to a halt again with tensions with Germany building. The championship returned in 1932 as Olympique Lillois stormed to the title by finishing five points above nearest challengers Marseille.

1926/1927 Serie A campaign

Torino, two points ahead of second-placed Bologna in first position, couldn’t celebrate the title for long. During the following season, Torino were punished for match fixing in a derby game against Juventus, with the club being stripped of the 1926/1927 title. Interestingly, 80 years later, Juventus would suffer a similar fate after also being found guilty of corruption.

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