The following is meant to be a complete list of Reading games played against foreign sides. For the purposes of this page, my definition of "foreign" is "outside the United Kingdom".
wwww1899/1900
20/12/1899 - Reading 9 Kaffirs 5 (at Elm
Park, attendance 750). The Kaffirs were a team from
Orange Free State, who played nearly 40 fixtures during a
tour lasting over four months and visiting England,
Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and France. The game
against Reading was one of the last of the tour.
1905/06
20/9/1905 - Reading 13 Parisien
Athletique 5 (at Elm Park, attendance 700)
1908/09
26/4/1909 - Guernsey Amalgamated 1
Reading 7
4/1909 - Kings Own Royal Rifles 0 Reading
4
4/1909 - Jersey United 1 Reading 4
These three games were played during a tour of the
Channel Islands.
1912/13
11/5/1913 - Genoa
Cricket and Athletic Club 2 Reading 4
12/5/1913 - Milan
Football Club 0 Reading 5
14/5/1913 - Casale 2
Reading 1
15/5/1913 - Pro
Vercelli 0 Reading 6
18/5/1913 - Italy 0
Reading 2 (in Turin)
The above five games formed the 1913 Reading FC Tour of
Italy, which you can read more about here.
1913/14
Reading were invited to return to Italy for another tour
in the summer of 1914 but I believe this did not happen.
1914/15
Reading considered a tour to Russia but instead planned a
trip to Lille in early September 1914. The tour was
cancelled because of the outbreak of the First World War.
1918/19
10/5/1919 - Reading 1 Canada 1
1931/32
3/2/1932 - Holland international trial XI
1 Reading 3 (at Sparta Stadium, Rotterdam, attendance 18,000)
1933/34
14/2/1934 - Holland international trial
XI 4 Reading 6
1934/35
28/5/1935 - Zwaluen 1 Reading 3 (in
Rotterdam). I think that Zwaluen might be another name
for Zwolle (or maybe a local Reading paper's
misinterpretation of the Zwolle club's name).
30/5/1935 - Arnhem 0 Reading 0
2/6/1935 - Breda 6 Reading 5
9/6/1935 - Den Haag 3 Reading 3. The
Reading press described our opponents as "The Hague"
but I assume it was the club that today we call Den Haag.
11/6/1935 - Breda 1 Reading 4 (extra game)
These five games were during a tour of Holland. Reading
were originally due to play three games, and the last two
games were added during the tour. The club history
Biscuits & Royals says that we played against Sparta
Rotterdam, Breda, Arnhem and Amsterdam - that's not right
but it might have been an earlier schedule.
1945/46
1/5/1946 - Reading 2 Krooger FC 5 (at Elm
Park). Krooger FC came from Zaandam in Holland and their
coach was ex-Reading player George Johnson.
1/6/1946 - Zaanstreek 1 Reading 1 (in
Holland). Our opponents were a side formed from players
from five clubs in the Zaandam area of Holland.
3/6/1946 - Mechelen 3 Reading 2 (in
Holland).
These three games were arranged as a post-World War 2
celebration, with the two matches in Holland organised by
the Anglo-Netherlands Sports Association after the towns
of Reading and Zaandam linked up. The order of the two
games played in Holland is different in different sources
and the exact dates are also unclear.
1950/51
16/5/1951 - Reading 4 National
Schifflange (Luxembourg) 0. This game was part of a
series to commemorate the Festival of Britain. Reading's
other games in the series were away wins at Dundee (6-2)
and Third Lanark (2-1).
1954/55
6/10/1954 - Reading 3 Racing Club de
Paris 0. This was the first match at Elm Park under
floodlights - the second half was covered live by BBCtv,
and supposedly also throughout Europe.
1955/56
19/10/1955 - Reading 3 Cercle Athletique
de Paris 0
1956/57
2/10/1956 - Reading 2 Ugandan Touring XI
0.
Three of the tourists played the whole game in bare feet,
and one more removed his boots at half-time.
15/10/1956 - Reading 6 Stade Francais 3
1957/58
Reading had arranged a home friendly against Aktivist of
East Germany for 9/10/1957, but this did not take place
because the East German authorities refused to give the
visitors permission to travel.
At the end of the 1957/58 season, a tour to Austria was
planned but did not take place as the Austrians had not
made any progress in arranging it after the initial
discussions.
1958/59
22/10/1958 - Reading 6 Bordeaux 3
1960s?
Reading v Rhodes
1969/70
10/4/1970 - Reading 3 Rot-Weiss Rheine 0
Reading were expecting to visit Germany for a return
match in the summer - I'm not sure if this happened.
1970/71
8/8/1970 - Telstar 2 Reading 4. Telstar
are a Dutch side.
1980/81
3/2/1981 - Reading 5 Denmark Under-21 0
1984/85
29/10/1984 - Reading 1 New Zealand 2
This was the first game that Reading played against a
side from Oceania.
1985/86
During the 1985/86 season (early in 1986, I think)
Reading arranged a home game against Rheims of France.
However, the date chosen was needed for a rearranged
League game, and so the friendly match had to be
cancelled.
1986/87
26/7/1986 - Reading 2 S C O Angers 1
2/8/1986 - Pressen Hameln 1 Reading 2
5/8/1986 - Dunkirk 1 Reading 1
Games 33 and 34 were part of a pre-season tour to
Germany, which also included a 3-1 win over a British
Army XI on 4/8/1986.
23/2/1987 - Reading 1 Brondby 3
3/6/1987 - Malaga 3 Reading 0. This game
was played during a club-organised week's holiday to
Torremolinos for players, officials and supporters.
Reading took only eight first-team players on the trip
and two of those were injured, so the squad for this game
included three of the coaching staff and five Reading
Sunday league players.
1991/92
7/8/1991 - Reading 2 Dnepr 4
1993/94
7/5/1994 - Reading 1 Genoa 4. This game
was arranged to fill a blank Saturday after Reading's
last League game away to Bournemouth had been moved to
the previous Thursday. Conveniently, this allowed the
Division 2 Championship trophy and medals to be presented
before the match.
1994/95
6/8/1994 - Reading 1 Real Sociedad 0
1995/96
Reading qualified for the Anglo-Italian Cup but declined
to take part. There were eight places for English teams
in the tournament, probably meant to be taken by the four
clubs relegated from the Premiership and the four highest
non-promoted Division 1 clubs. In fact, the teams that
took part were two of the relegated clubs plus six from
mid-table Division 1.
25/7/1995 - Reading 0 Steaua Bucharest 3
1998/99
18/7/1998 - Reading 1 De Graafschap 1 (at
SVBV Barchem, Holland)
19/7/1998 - Reading 10 Streekelftal 1 (at
SVBV Barchem, Holland). Streekelftal were made up of
players from Witkampers, Harfsen, SC Lochem, SVBV
Barchem, Ruurlo and Dochteren.
These two games were part of a two-day tournament hosted
by SVBV Barchem in Holland. Reading were supposed to play
Zamalek of Egypt in the second game but for some reason
did not, and instead played against a hastily arranged
side from local leagues.
22/7/1998 - Zwolle 1 Reading 0
These three games formed a pre-season tour of Holland.
2002/03
24/7/2002 - TSV
1863 Krumbach 0 Reading 6
27/7/2002 - SSV
Reutlingen 0 Reading 0
These two games formed a pre-season tour of Germany.
2003/04
22/7/2003 - Gefle IF 1
Reading 3
24/7/2003 - IK Brage 1
Reading 1
These two games formed a pre-season tour of Sweden.
2004/05
29/7/2004 - IFK Bergvik 0 Reading 13
21/7/2004 - IK Brage 0 Reading 6
These two games formed a pre-season tour of Sweden.
2005/06
21/7/2005 - Eneryda IF 0 Reading 6
23/7/2005 - Holmalunds IF Brage 0 Reading
8
26/7/2005 - Ljungskile SK 1 Reading 2
These three games formed a pre-season tour of Sweden.
2006/07
3/8/2006 - Gällstads FK 0 Reading 6
5/8/2006 - Lanna GoIF 1 Reading 10
8/8/2006 - Örgryte IS 1 Reading 2
These three games formed a pre-season tour of Sweden.
12/8/2006 - Reading 2 Feyenoord 1 (at
Madejski Stadium)
2007/08
By finishing eighth in the 2006/07 Premiership Reading
were eligible to take part in the InterToto Cup. However,
the club had deliberately not applied to enter and
instead the tenth placed club went forward.
13/7/2007 - Reading 0 River Plate 1
This was the first game that Reading played against a
side from South America, and also the first game played
outside of Europe.
16/7/2007 - Reading 1 Olympique Lyonnais
0
19/7/2007 - Reading 1 Shimizu S-Pulse 0
This was the first game that Reading played against a
side from Asia.
These three games were matches in Group B of the Peace
Cup, held in South Korea. Reading finished second in the
group on goal difference and so did not progress to the
competition final.
2008/09
24/7/2008 - FC Trollhättan 1 Reading 4
26/7/2008 - Lerkils IF 0 Reading 1
29/7/2008 - Halmstads BK 1 Reading 3
These three games formed a pre-season tour of Sweden.
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