I have spent many years researching the Christmas truce, looking through war diaries, and papers at the Imperial War Museum. What I know from my investigations is that we just cannot find any conclusive evidence that a football match took place.
There is lots of evidence of a match being discussed on the day – a number of letters from soldiers see them telling their loved ones about loose plans to play a game – but it seems they never got around to it. This is understandable – no man's land was a mess, so it would have been difficult to play on, and no one was going to allow opposing soldiers behind enemy lines [to play]! Plus, at least one letter suggests they could not actually find a football.
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