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Immediately after the Second World War, the game of football (or “soccer”) became a political issue in the question of the Free Territory of Trieste. The Italian and Yugoslav governments sponsored separate Trieste teams, with the former backing Unione Sportiva Triestina, and the latter Amatori Ponziana. The two teams played in both countries’ main national championships, which underscored Trieste’s sense of belonging to each respective country. This was a unique and unparalleled arrangement—a city with two teams using the same stadium, playing for the First-Division companionships of two different countries. It illustrates how the game of football mirrored international relations in Trieste at the time and, particularly, how football took center stage in the political history of this contested territory during the Cold War.