1966 FIFA World Cup

Association football tournament in England March 2022 May 2020 FIFA World Cup World Championship Jules Rimet Cup England 1966 1966 1966 FIFA World Cup.svg England 11–30 July 4 16 8 7 England 1 West Germany Portugal Soviet Union 1955 32 89 main 1-4 POR Eusébio (9 goals) 1962 1970 The 1966 FIFA World Cup was the eighth FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial football tournament for senior national teams. It was played in England from 11 to 30 July 1966. England defeated West Germany 4–2 in the final to win their first and only World Cup title. The final was level at 2–2 after 90 minutes and went into extra time, during which Geoff Hurst scored two goals to complete his hat-trick, the first to be scored in a World Cup final. Portuguese striker Eusébio was the tournament's top scorer with nine goals, earning him the golden boot award with three goals more than second placed Helmut Haller. It was the first World Cup held in the English-speaking world. England were the fifth nation to win the event, and the third host nation to win after Uruguay in 1930 and Italy in 1934. Reigning world champions Brazil failed to get past the group stages as they were defeated by Hungary and Portugal. It was the second time that defending champions were eliminated in the group stages after Italy in 1950. This would not occur again until 36 years later. The two debut teams performed well at the competition – North Korea beat Italy 1–0 on the way to reaching the quarter-finals, where they lost to Portugal 5–3 after leading 3–0. Portugal themselves finished third, beating the Soviet Union 2–1 in the bronze-match. During the qualifying games, FIFA, citing logistic and competitive reasons, announced that there would be no direct qualifying place for an African team: all 15 African nations who had entered immediately boycotted the competition in protest. Matches were played at eight stadiums across England, foremost Wembley Stadium, which had a capacity of 98,600. It was at Wembley that England played all its matches; that the tournament was opened by Queen Elizabeth II;https://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/president/news/football-mourns-the-loss-of-her-majesty-queen-elizabeth-ii Football mourns the loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II FIFA 8 September 2022 14 March 2024 14 March 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240314213039/https://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/president/news/football-mourns-the-loss-of-her-majesty-queen-elizabeth-ii live and where the final was played. Prior to the tournament, the Jules Rimet trophy was stolen, but was recovered by a dog named Pickles four months before the tournament began. It was the first World Cup to have selected matches broadcast via satellite to countries on other continents.World Cup 1966 http://carousel.royalwebhosting.net/itv/ITVints.html?19660700 ITV Football 1955-1968 30 July 2024 30 July 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240730084132/http://carousel.royalwebhosting.net/itv/ITVints.html?19660700 dead The final, which was broadcast locally by the BBC, was the last to be shown entirely in black and white. This was also the only World Cup in history that did not have matches on Sundays, owing to religious laws at the time, which were repealed ten years later in 1976. Background FIFA World Cup hosts In Rome, Italy on 22 August 1960, England was chosen as host nation for the 1966 World Cup over rival bids from West Germany and Spain. It was the first tournament to be held in a country that was affected directly by World War II, as the four previous tournaments were held either in countries out of war theatres or in neutral countries.9 surprising facts about the 1966 World Cup in England Belam Martin The Mirror 28 July 2016 25 September 2019 https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/row-zed/9-surprising-facts-1966-world-3639077 25 September 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190925071730/https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/row-zed/9-surprising-facts-1966-world-3639077 live "1966 and all that..." - Contrasting England's 1966 and 2018 World Cup bids currybetdotnet 25 September 2019 http://www.currybet.net/cbet_blog/2009/11/1966-and-all-that---contrastin.php 27 November 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20191127200733/http://www.currybet.net/cbet_blog/2009/11/1966-and-all-that---contrastin.php live July 2024 Qualification 1966 FIFA World Cup qualification Despite the Africans' absence, there was another new record number of entries for the qualifying tournament, with 70 nations taking part. FIFA determined that ten teams from Europe would qualify, along with four from South America, one from Asia and one from North and Central America.http://es.fifa.com/mm/document/fifafacts/mcwc/fifaworldcuppreliminaryhistory_byyear__13876.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20110717045303/http://es.fifa.com/mm/document/fifafacts/mcwc/fifaworldcuppreliminaryhistory_byyear__13876.pdf dead 17 July 2011 History of the FIFA World Cup Preliminary Competition (by year) 27 July 2007 FIFA.com 9 October 2017 Portugal and North Korea qualified for the first time.https://scoreshelf.com/dvcb/en/World_Cup/1966/UEFA UEFA Qualifiers for the World Cup 1966 Score Shelf https://web.archive.org/web/20160818164407/https://scoreshelf.com/dvcb/en/World_Cup/1966/UEFA 18 August 2016 9 October 2017 Qualified teams The following 16 teams qualified for the final tournament. start AFC (1) PRK 1948 (debut) CAF (0) None participated OFC (0) None qualified break CONCACAF (1) MEX 1934 CONMEBOL (4) ARG 1861 BRA 1960 (holders) CHI URU break UEFA (10) BUL 1948 ENG (hosts) FRA 1830 HUN 1957 ITA 1946 POR (debut) URS 1955 ESP 1945 SUI FRG break Qualification for 1966 FIFA World Cup 1966 world cup qualification.png 400 World map with result of qualifications for the 1966 FIFA World Cup #000cff FIFA members qualified for World Cup (including colonies) #ffb400 FIFA members that failed to qualify black FIFA members that did not enter World Cup #ababab Countries not members of FIFA in 1966 end Mascot and match ball thumb|upright|Official match ball for the 1966 FIFA World Cup produced by Slazenger The mascot for the 1966 competition was "World Cup Willie", a cartoon lion wearing a Union Jack jersey emblazoned with the words "WORLD CUP". This was the first World Cup mascot, and one of the first mascots to be associated with a major sporting competition. Willie was designed by freelance children's book illustrator Reg Hoye.Kasprzak Emma https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-18430665 World Cup Willie's sporting mascot legacy BBC News 15 June 2012 17 June 2014 9 November 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20181109150119/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-18430665 live http://www.footballandmusic.co.uk/world-cup-willie/ World Cup Willie footballandmusic.co.uk 2007–2014 17 June 2014 11 June 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140611063446/http://www.footballandmusic.co.uk/world-cup-willie/ live The official match ball was produced by Slazenger for the tournament.http://footballs.fifa.com/Football-Facts/FIFA-World-Cup-Footballs The Footballs during the FIFA World Cup Football Facts FIFA 6 July 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20131128080230/http://footballs.fifa.com/Football-Facts/FIFA-World-Cup-Footballs 28 November 2013 dead dmy-all Controversies African boycott All fifteen entered African nations boycotted the tournament to protest against a 1964 FIFA ruling that required the three second-round winners from the African zone to enter a play-off round against the winners of the Asian zone in order to qualify for the World Cup: they considered winning their zone was enough in itself to merit qualification. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) considered that the lack of direct representation of African nations in the World Cup was unfair, and demanded that FIFA guarantee at least one African nation a place in the finals of the following tournament. They also protested against the readmission of South Africa to FIFA in 1963, despite their expulsion from CAF because of the country's apartheid regime in 1958.This Time for Africa: The 1966 World Cup Boycott Pundit Arena 10 June 2014 25 September 2019 https://punditarena.com/uncategorized/thepateam/time-africa-1966-world-cup-boycott/ As a result of this boycott, FIFA fined CAF 5,000 Swiss francs. Yidnekatchew Tessema, then president of the CAF, responded to this punishment by saying, "FIFA has adopted a relentless attitude against the African Associations and its decisions resemble methods of intimidation and repression designed to discourage any further impulses of a similar nature. In our opinion, the African National Associations ... really deserved a gesture of respect rather than a fine."Chapter Four: Nationhood, Pan-Africanism, and Football after Independence; African Football Arrives on the World Stage African Soccerscapes: How a Continent Changed the World's Game Peter Alegi Ohio University Press 2010 75 South Africa was subsequently assigned to the Asia and Oceania qualifying group, before being disqualified after being suspended again due to pressure from other African nations in October 1964. Despite this, FIFA refused to change the qualifying format, citing competitive and logistical issues, and the African teams withdrew in protest. CAF subsequently informed FIFA that they would refuse to participate in World Cup qualifying for the 1970 tournament unless at least one African team had an automatic place assured in the World Cup: this was put in place for the 1970 FIFA World Cup, and all subsequent World Cup finals.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-36763036 Why Africa boycotted the 1966 World Cup BBC News 12 July 2016 15 September 2019 11 September 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190915183647/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-36763036 live Players from the Portuguese African colonies of Angola and Mozambique participated for Portugal.World Cup Tales: Boycott! When Africa & Asia Said 'Enough', 1966 twohundredpercent.net 25 September 2019 http://twohundredpercent.net/world-cup-tales-boycott-when-africa-asia-said-enough-1966/ 25 July 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200725010619/https://twohundredpercent.net/world-cup-tales-boycott-when-africa-asia-said-enough-1966/ dead July 2024 North Korea–United Kingdom relations The United Kingdom, which had fought for South Korea in the Korean War, was concerned over the entry of North Korea in the tournament. The UK did not recognise North Korea and feared that its presence would strain relations with South Korea and the United States. FIFA told England's Football Association that the tournament would be moved if any qualified team were to be refused entry.World Cup fears over North Korea in 1966 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10305374 27 July 2023 BBC News 13 June 2010 29 August 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190829140041/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10305374 live Southern James They Think it's all Diplomacy: North Korea, the Foreign Office and the 1966 World Cup https://history.blog.gov.uk/2016/07/29/they-think-its-all-diplomacy-north-korea-the-foreign-office-and-the-1966-world-cup/ 27 July 2023 gov.uk 29 July 2016 27 July 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230727110204/https://history.blog.gov.uk/2016/07/29/they-think-its-all-diplomacy-north-korea-the-foreign-office-and-the-1966-world-cup/ live On the suggestion of the British Foreign Office, the playing of national anthems, and meetings between players and state figures such as Queen Elizabeth II, would take place in only two games: the opening game and the final. North Korea was not scheduled for the former, and was considered unlikely to reach the latter. A Foreign Office suggestion for flags outside stadiums to be removed after each team's elimination, in the expectation of an early North Korean exit, was vetoed by the Department of Education and Science. Trophy incident The 1966 World Cup had a rather unusual hero off the field, a dog called Pickles.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/20/newsid_2861000/2861545.stm 1966: Football's World Cup stolen 20 March 1966 BBC 14 July 2021 17 June 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210617004721/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/20/newsid_2861000/2861545.stm live In the build-up to the tournament, the Jules Rimet trophy was stolen from an exhibition display. A nationwide hunt for the icon ensued. It was discovered wrapped in newspaper as the dog sniffed under bushes in a London garden.The Sunday Times Illustrated History of Football Reed International Books Limited. 1996. p.133 1-85613-341-9 The FA commissioned a replica cup in case the original cup was not found in time. This replica, as well as Pickles' collar, is held at the National Football Museum in Manchester, where it is on display.Atherton Martin 2008 The Theft of the Jules Rimet Trophy: The Hidden History of the 1966 World Cup Meyer & Meyer Verlag 93 9781841262277 15 September 2010 https://books.google.com/books?id=m7SbwNM4Y0sC&q=National+Football+Museum+1966+fifa+world+cup+replica&pg=PA93 Google Books Martin Atherton Doping West Germany encouraged and covered up a culture of doping across many sports for decades.Report exposes decades of West German doping https://www.france24.com/en/20130805-doping-rife-among-west-german-athletes-decades-says-report France 24 5 August 2013 5 December 2020 20 June 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20201205174311/https://www.france24.com/en/20130805-doping-rife-among-west-german-athletes-decades-says-report live A 2013 report by researchers at Berlin's Humboldt University on behalf of the German Olympic Sports Confederation, titled "Doping in Germany from 1950 to today", linked the West Germany national team of 1966, which reached the World Cup final, with doping.Report: West Germany systematically doped athletes https://eu.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2013/08/03/report-west-germany-systematically-doped-athletes-olympics/2615323/ USA Today 3 August 2013 11 July 2021 20 June 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20210711082819/https://eu.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2013/08/03/report-west-germany-systematically-doped-athletes-olympics/2615323/ live Officiating issues and subsequent reforms While refereeing controversies are common in World Cup history, the 1966 tournament stands out because of the structural reforms it provoked. A series of violent matches and contentious dismissals led FIFA to introduce major changes to the Laws of the Game in the following tournament.1966 World Cup: Gripping tales and inspirational traffic lights FIFA 25 July 2016 18 July 2025 https://inside.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/1966england/news/1966-world-cup-gripping-tales-and-inspirational-traffic-lights-2812820 16 August 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20250816225039/https://inside.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/1966england/news/1966-world-cup-gripping-tales-and-inspirational-traffic-lights-2812820 live The tournament was marked by persistently rough play and inconsistent officiating. In their opening match, Brazilian star Pelé was repeatedly fouled and left the pitch injured after a strong tackle to the knee, forcing him to miss the subsequent match against Hungary.Why not everyone remembers the 1966 World Cup as fondly as England The Guardian 24 July 2016 18 July 2025 https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2016/jul/24/1966-world-cup-final-conspiracy-refereeing-50-years 8 November 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20221108081642/https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2016/jul/24/1966-world-cup-final-conspiracy-refereeing-50-years live Upon returning for the final group stage clash with Portugal, Pelé suffered two heavy challenges from Portuguese defenders, most notably João Morais, that ended his tournament. Pelé departed on a stretcher, and Brazil exited the competition 3–1.Pele and 1970: How the greatest player of all time cemented his legend BBC 31 October 2022 18 July 2025 https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/62712350 1 November 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20221101030822/https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/62712350 live Morais was allowed to remain on the pitch. No players were sent off in any of those games.Cards by Player in the 1966 Soccer World Cup thesoccerworldcups.com 18 July 2025 https://www.thesoccerworldcups.com/world_cups/1966_cards.php 23 June 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20250623003758/https://www.thesoccerworldcups.com/world_cups/1966_cards.php live Further tension unfolded in the quarter-final between England and Argentina, when captain Antonio Rattín was controversially sent off by referee Rudolf Kreitlein for alleged "violence of the tongue." Rattín's refusal to immediately exit the field prompted a delay and police intervention, fuelling accusations of arbitrary officiating.The Joy of Six: World Cup refereeing controversies The Guardian 2 July 2010 18 July 2025 https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2010/jul/02/joy-six-world-cup-refereeing-controversies In another quarter-final between West Germany and Uruguay, shortly after halftime, Uruguayan players Horacio Troche and Héctor Silva were both dismissed by English referee Jim Finney. Uruguay conceded 3 goals when reduced to nine menWest Germany vs Uruguay planetworldcup.com 18 July 2025 https://www.planetworldcup.com/CUPS/1966/qf_ger_v_uru.html 15 August 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20250815114408/https://www.planetworldcup.com/CUPS/1966/qf_ger_v_uru.html live and South American media decried a pattern of European referee bias.The World Cup The New Yorker 2 September 1966 18 July 2025 https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1966/09/10/the-world-cup 9 July 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20250709084413/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1966/09/10/the-world-cup live In light of these high-profile incidents, FIFA recognised the need for clearer disciplinary procedures and greater consistency in officiating. Ahead of the 1970 World Cup, the yellow and red card system was introduced, alongside the allowance of two substitutions per team and new efforts to standardise referee training and interpretations of the Laws of the Game.Events Changed the Rules of Football alkassenglish.net 15 November 2022 18 July 2025 https://www.alkassenglish.net/NewsDetails-11784-Events-Changed-the-Rules-of-Football 19 November 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20251119150215/https://www.alkassenglish.net/NewsDetails-11784-Events-Changed-the-Rules-of-Football live 3 Ways the 1970 World Cup changed football premierfootballuk.com 15 November 2022 18 July 2025 https://premierfootballuk.com/3-ways-the-1970-world-cup-changed-football/ 19 July 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20250719085649/https://premierfootballuk.com/3-ways-the-1970-world-cup-changed-football/ live Later accusations of matchfixing In 2008, Brazilian FIFA president from 1974 until 1998, João Havelange, accused this competition, along with the 1974 FIFA World Cup in West Germany for being fixed to benefit the host country. According to him Brazil deserved to win in both cases.https://www.goal.com/en-us/news/1966-1974-world-cups-were-fixed-former-fifa-president/blt6e01f417661567f1 1966 & 1974 World Cups Were Fixed – Former FIFA President Goal.com 26 June 2008 28 October 2011 18 November 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20221118233649/https://www.goal.com/en-us/news/1966-1974-world-cups-were-fixed-former-fifa-president/blt6e01f417661567f1 live Format The format of the 1966 competition remained the same as in 1962: 16 qualified teams were divided into four groups of four. Each group played a round-robin format.1966 FIFA World Cup England - Groups FIFA.com 26 September 2019 https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/england1966/groups/index.html https://web.archive.org/web/20150406162655/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/england1966/groups/index.html dead 6 April 2015 Two points were awarded for a win and one point for a draw, with goal average and eventually drawing lots used to separate teams equal on points. The top two teams in each group advanced to the knockout stage. In the knockout games, if the teams were tied after 90 minutes, 30 minutes of extra time were played. For any match other than the final, if the teams were still tied after extra time, lots would be drawn to determine the winner. The final would have been replayed if tied after extra time; but if still tied after the replay, the champion would have been decided by drawing lots. In the event, no replays or drawing of lots were necessary. The draw for the final tournament took place on 6 January 1966 at the Royal Garden Hotel in London, and was the first to be televised. The seeded teams for the draw were England, West Germany, Brazil, and Italy.History of the World Cup Final Draw https://www.fifa.com/mm/document/fifafacts/mcwc/ip-201_10e_fwcdraw-history_8842.pdf 3 June 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100614213618/http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/fifafacts/mcwc/ip-201_10e_fwcdraw-history_8842.pdf 14 June 2010 dead Venues Eight venues were used for this World Cup. The newest and biggest venue used was Wembley Stadium in north west London, which was 43 years old in 1966. As was often the case in the World Cup, group matches were played in two venues close to each other. Group 1 matches (which included the hosts) were all played in London: five at Wembley, which was England's national stadium and was considered to be the most important football venue in the world; and one at White City Stadium in west London, which was used as a temporary replacement for nearby Wembley. The group stage match between Uruguay and France played at White City Stadium (originally built for the 1908 Summer Olympics) was scheduled for a Friday, the same day as regularly scheduled greyhound racing at Wembley. Because Wembley's owner refused to cancel this, the game had to be moved to the alternative venue in London. Group 2's matches were played at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield and Villa Park in Birmingham; Group 3's matches were played at Old Trafford in Manchester and Goodison Park in Liverpool; and Group 4's matches were played at Ayresome Park in Middlesbrough and Roker Park in Sunderland.FIFA World Cup stadiums that no longer exist https://tfcstadiums.com/fifa-world-cup-stadiums-that-no-longer-exist/ TFC Stadiums The stadium construction cost are estimated to be today's equivalent of £9.2 million, additional to £36.22 million for tournament organisation.Fett Matthias 2020-07-02 The game has changed – a systematic approach to classify FIFA World Cups https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19406940.2020.1784978 International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics en 12 3 455–470 10.1080/19406940.2020.1784978 221714908 1940-6940 subscription 17 August 2021 17 August 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210817120530/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19406940.2020.1784978 live The most used venue was Wembley, which was used for nine matches, including all six featuring England, the final and the match for third place. Goodison Park was used for five matches, Roker Park and Hillsborough both hosted four, while Old Trafford, Villa Park and Ayresome Park each hosted three matches and did not host any knockout round matches.https://fbref.com/en/comps/1/1966/schedule/1966-World-Cup-Scores-and-Fixtures 1966 World Cup Scores & Fixtures FBref.com Sports Reference 23 January 2024 23 January 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240123204246/https://fbref.com/en/comps/1/1966/schedule/1966-World-Cup-Scores-and-Fixtures live LondonGreater London 350 Greater London 51.5560 -0.2795 Wembley top Greater London 51.5136 -0.2274 White City bottom centerLondonWembley StadiumWhite City StadiumCapacity: 98,600Capacity: 76,567202pxalt=|frameless|202x202pxManchesterBirminghamOld TraffordVilla ParkCapacity: 58,000England 350 England 51.5009 -0.1244 London Blue pog.svg 10 top England 53.4630 -2.2913 Manchester top England 53.4389 -2.9664 Liverpool left England 54.9145 -1.3884 Sunderland right England 54.5642 -1.2469 Middlesbrough right England 52.5091 -1.8848 Birmingham bottom England 53.4114 -1.5008 Sheffield right centerCapacity: 52,000202px202pxLiverpoolSheffieldGoodison ParkHillsborough StadiumCapacity: 50,151Capacity: 42,730202px202pxSunderlandMiddlesbroughRoker ParkAyresome ParkCapacity: 40,310Capacity: 40,000202px202px Tournament summary The opening match took place on Monday, 11 July, which made it the second World Cup after 1930 not to begin in May or June. Before the tournament began, eventual winners England were 9/2 second favourites with bookmakers behind Brazil (9/4), while beaten finalists West Germany were 25/1 outsiders.https://www.instagram.com/p/CIVPY1iqD4f/ https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/instagram/gamblingdotcom/2455936849255349791 2021-12-23 subscription WORLD CUP 1966 Odds Instagram 3 December 2020 3 December 2020 The final took place on Saturday, 30 July 1966, the 36th anniversary of the first final. Until 2022, this was the latest date that any tournament had concluded. The reason for the unusually late scheduling of the tournament appears toMay 2023 lie with the outside broadcast commitments of the BBC, which also had to cover the Wimbledon tennis tournament (which ran between 20 June and 2 July) and the Open Golf Championship (6 to 9 July). Group stage thumb|right|Wolfgang Weber (left) and Luis Artime during the match between West Germany and Argentina in Birmingham 1966 was a World Cup with few goals as the teams began to play much more tactically and defensively. This was exemplified by Alf Ramsey's England as they finished top of Group 1 with only four goals, but having none scored against them. They also became the first World Cup winning team not to win its first game in the tournament. Uruguay were the other team to qualify from that group at the expense of both Mexico and France. All the group's matches were played at Wembley Stadium apart from the match between Uruguay and France which took place at White City Stadium. In Group 2, West Germany and Argentina qualified with ease as they each finished the group with 5 points, Spain managed 2, while Switzerland left the competition after losing all three group matches. FIFA cautioned Argentina for its violent style in the group games, particularly in the scoreless draw with West Germany, which saw Argentinean Rafael Albrecht get sent off and suspended for the next match.http://www.fifaworldcup.webspace.virginmedia.com/1966_fifaworldcup.htm History of the World Cup fifaworldcup.webspace.virginmedia.com 15 June 2014 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20140224214340/http://www.fifaworldcup.webspace.virginmedia.com/1966_fifaworldcup.htm 24 February 2014 Jan Alsos http://www.planetworldcup.com/CUPS/1966/wc66story.html 1966 – Story of England '66 Planet World Cup 3 June 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100612080333/http://www.planetworldcup.com/CUPS/1966/wc66story.html 12 June 2010 live In the northwest of England, Old Trafford and Goodison Park played host to Group 3 which saw the two-time defending champions Brazil finish in third place behind Portugal and Hungary, and be eliminated along with Bulgaria. Brazil were defeated 3–1 by Hungary in a classic encounter before falling by the same scoreline to Portugal in a controversial game. Portugal appeared in the finals for the first time, and made quite an impact. They won all three of their games in the group stage, with a lot of help from their outstanding striker Eusébio, whose nine goals made him the tournament's top scorer. Group 4, however, provided the biggest upset when North Korea beat Italy 1–0 at Ayresome Park, Middlesbrough and finished above them, thus earning qualification to the next round along with the Soviet Union. This was the first time that a nation from outside Europe or the Americas had progressed from the first stage of a World Cup: the next would be Morocco in 1986. Knock-out stages The quarter-finals provided a controversial victory for West Germany as they cruised past Uruguay 4–0; the South Americans claimed that this occurred only after the referee (who was Jim Finney from England) had not recognised a handball by Schnellinger on the goal line and then had sent off two players from Uruguay: Horacio Troche and Héctor Silva.http://www.todoslosmundiales.com.ar/index.php/copas-del-mundo-mundial-de-futbol/mundiales-de-futbol-copa-del-mundo/mundial-de-futbol-de-inglaterra-1966-copa-del-mundo-inglaterra66-england66/425-siguen-los-choreos-a-sudamerica Mundial de Inglaterra 1966 – Siguen Los Choreos a Sudamérica Todoslosmundiales.com.ar 3 June 2010 es https://web.archive.org/web/20140703191218/http://www.todoslosmundiales.com.ar/index.php/copas-del-mundo-mundial-de-futbol/mundiales-de-futbol-copa-del-mundo/mundial-de-futbol-de-inglaterra-1966-copa-del-mundo-inglaterra66-england66/425-siguen-los-choreos-a-sudamerica 3 July 2014 dead It appeared as if the surprise package North Korea would claim another major upset in their match against Portugal at Goodison Park: they led 3–0 after 22 minutes. It fell to one of the greatest stars of the tournament, Eusébio, to change that. He scored four goals in the game and José Augusto added a fifth goal in the 78th minute to earn Portugal a 5–3 victory. Meanwhile, in the other two games, Ferenc Bene's late goal for Hungary against the Soviet Union, who were led by Lev Yashin's stellar goalkeeping, proved little more than a consolation as they crashed out 2–1, and the only goal between Argentina and England came courtesy of England's Geoff Hurst. During that controversial game (for more details see Argentina and England football rivalry), Argentina's Antonio Rattín became the first player to be sent off in a senior international football match at Wembley.http://espnfc.com/columns/story/_/id/903450/first-xi:-blue-is-the-colour?src=mobile&cc=3436 https://web.archive.org/web/20120204022833/http://espnfc.com/columns/story/_/id/903450/first-xi%3A-blue-is-the-colour?src=mobile&cc=3436 4 February 2012 Robin Hackett Blue is the colour ESPN FC ESPN 7 April 2011 20 November 2013 dead Rattín at first refused to leave the field and eventually had to be escorted by several policemen. Scoreless when Rattin was dismissed, the game was decided by Hurst's headed goal twelve minutes from the end of normal time. This game is called el robo del siglo (the robbery of the century) in Argentina.http://www.todoslosmundiales.com.ar/mundiales/1966inglaterra/historias/0022robo_siglo.htm Mundial de Inglaterra 1966 – El Robo de Siglo Todoslosmundiales.com.ar 3 June 2010 es https://web.archive.org/web/20100605084526/http://www.todoslosmundiales.com.ar/mundiales/1966inglaterra/historias/0022robo_siglo.htm 5 June 2010 dead All semi-finalists were from Europe. Bobby Charlton scored both goals in England's win, with Portugal's goal coming from a penalty in the 82nd minute after a handball by Jack Charlton on the goal line.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EZ8tAAAAIBAJ&pg=6611,4612088&dq=bobby+charlton&hl=en England's 2–1 win brings first final 27 July 1966 Montreal Gazette 11 October 2013 15 July 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230715201729/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EZ8tAAAAIBAJ&pg=6611,4612088&dq=bobby+charlton&hl=en livehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpjN9FvT_I8 https://web.archive.org/web/20130313203913/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpjN9FvT_I8&gl=US&hl=en 2013-03-13 dead England Portugal 1/2 Final World Cup 1966 YouTube Google, Inc. 27 December 2007 15 June 2014April 2025 The other semi-final also finished 2–1: Franz Beckenbauer scoring the winning goal with a left foot shot from the edge of the area for West Germany as they beat the Soviet Union.https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=Fr8DH2VBP9sC&dat=19660726&printsec=frontpage&hl=en West Germany Nips 10 Russians 2–1 26 July 1966 Montreal Gazette 11 October 2013 28 September 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150928083926/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=Fr8DH2VBP9sC&dat=19660726&printsec=frontpage&hl=en live Portugal went on to beat the Soviet Union 2–1 to take third place. Portugal's third place was the best finish by a team making its World Cup debut since 1934. It was equalled by Croatia in 1998. Final 1966 FIFA World Cup final London's Wembley Stadium was the venue for the final, and 98,000 people attended. After 12 minutes 32 seconds Helmut Haller put West Germany ahead, but the score was levelled by Geoff Hurst four minutes later. Martin Peters put England in the lead in the 78th minute; England looked set to claim the title when the referee awarded a free kick to West Germany with one minute left. The ball was launched goalward and Wolfgang Weber scored, with England appealing in vain for handball as the ball came through the crowded penalty area. With the score level at 2–2 at the end of 90 minutes, the game went to extra time. In the 98th minute, Hurst found himself on the scoresheet again; his shot hit the crossbar, bounced down onto the goal line, and was awarded as a goal. Debate has long raged over whether the ball crossed the line, with the goal becoming part of World Cup history.Ian Reid Andrew Zisserman http://www.robots.ox.ac.uk/~vgg/publications/papers/reid96.pdf Goal-directed Video Metrology University of Oxford 10 February 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120302225512/http://www.robots.ox.ac.uk/~vgg/publications/papers/reid96.pdf 2 March 2012 dead England's final goal was scored by Hurst again, as a celebratory pitch invasion began. This made Geoff Hurst the first player to have scored three times in a single World Cup final. BBC commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme's description of the match's closing moments has gone down in history: "Some people are on the pitch. They think it's all over ... [Hurst scores] It is now!"https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1388921/Kenneth-Wolstenholme.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1388921/Kenneth-Wolstenholme.html 11 January 2022 subscription live Kenneth Wolstenholme The Daily Telegraph 27 March 2002 22 June 2010 Kenneth Wolstenholme, who has died aged 81, was the voice of football on the BBC for almost a quarter of a century and the author of arguably the most celebrated words in British sports broadcasting, his commentary on England's last goal in the World Cup Final of 1966: "Some people are on the pitch. They think it's all over – it is now!" England's total of eleven goals scored in six games set a new record low for average goals per game scored by a World Cup winning team. The record stood until 1982, when it was surpassed by Italy's 12 goals in seven games; in 2010 this record was lowered again by Spain, winning the Cup with eight goals in seven games. England's total of three goals conceded also constituted a record low for average goals per game conceded by a World Cup winning team. That record stood until 1994, when it was surpassed by Brazil's three goals in seven games. France again lowered the record to two goals in seven during the 1998 tournament, a record that has since been equalled by Italy at the 2006 tournament and by Spain's two goals conceded during the 2010 tournament. Spain then lowered the record to one in eight in 2026. England received the recovered Jules Rimet trophy from Queen Elizabeth II and were crowned World Cup winners for the first time.https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2008/jul/30/englandfootballteam From the Vault: Hurst's hat-trick wins the World Cup McIlvanney Hugh The Guardian 30 July 2008 22 June 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100606002132/http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/jul/30/englandfootballteam 6 June 2010 live In this World Cup, the national anthems were played only in the final. They were not played in the earlier matches because the organisers (FIFA and the FA) feared that North Korea's presence – a socialist country that was not recognised by the United Kingdom – in the World Cup would cause problems with South Korea. A memo from the Foreign Office months before the finals began stated that the solution would be "denying the visas to North Korean players". The final, held at Wembley Stadium, was the last whose television broadcast was in black and white."1966 FIFA World Cup England – Final". FIFA.com. Match officials A total of 26 match referees and other officials featured at the event. Despite the event being a worldwide tournament, the majority of the officials were from Europe. Gottfried Dienst refereed the final between England and West Germany.1966 FIFA World Cup England - Matches - England-Germany FR FIFA.com 12 September 2019 https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/matches/round=3478/match=1633/index.html#nosticky https://web.archive.org/web/20150402154222/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/matches/round=3478/match=1633/index.html#nosticky dead 2 April 2015 Africa EGY 1958 Ali Kandil Asia ISR Menachem Ashkenazi South America 15em URU José María Codesal ARG 1861 Roberto Goicoechea BRA 1960 Armando Marques PER Arturo Yamasaki Europe 15em NIR John Adair URS 1955 Tofiq Bahramov WAL Leo Callaghan POR Joaquim Campos ENG Ken Dagnall SUI Gottfried Dienst ENG Jim Finney TCH Karol Galba ESP 1945 Juan Gardeazábal Garay FRG Rudolf Kreitlein ITA 1946 Concetto Lo Bello SWE Bertil Lööw ENG George McCabe SCO Hugh Phillips BUL 1948 Dimitar Rumentchev FRA 1830 Pierre Schwinte FRG Kurt Tschenscher YUG Konstantin Zečević HPR István Zsolt Draw Pot 1: South AmericanPot 2: EuropeanPot 3: Latin EuropeanPot 4: Rest of the WorldBRA 1960 (1962 champions, seeded, Group 3) ARG 1861 CHI URUENG (hosts, seeded, Group 1) HUN URS 1955 FRG (seeded)FRA 1830 POR ESP 1945 ITA 1946 (seeded)BUL 1948 PRK 1948 MEX 1934 SUI Squads 1966 FIFA World Cup squads Group stage Group 1 1966 FIFA World Cup Group 1 Standings no_hide_class_rules 1-1 1-2 1-3 1-4 1-5 1-6 Group 2 1966 FIFA World Cup Group 2 Standings no_hide_class_rules 2-1 2-2 2-3 2-4 2-5 2-6 Group 3 1966 FIFA World Cup Group 3 Standings no_hide_class_rules 3-1 3-2 3-3 3-4 3-5 3-6 Group 4 1966 FIFA World Cup Group 4 Standings no_hide_class_rules 4-1 4-2 4-3 4-4 4-5 4-6 Knockout stage 1966 FIFA World Cup knockout stage Bracket Bracket Quarter-finals QF1 QF2 QF3 QF4 Semi-finals SF1 SF2 Match for third place TPP Final 1966 FIFA World Cup final Final Statistics Goalscorers With nine goals, Eusébio was the top scorer in the tournament. In total, 89 goals were scored by 47 players, with two of them credited as own goals.World Cup 1966 England – Top Scorer worldfootball.net 25 September 2019 https://www.worldfootball.net/competition/co139/se2413/statistics-goals/ 17 December 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20251217015817/https://www.worldfootball.net/competition/co139/se2413/statistics-goals/ live 9 goals POR Eusébio 6 goals FRG Helmut Haller 4 goals ENG Geoff Hurst HPR Ferenc Bene URS 1955 Valeriy Porkujan FRG Franz Beckenbauer 3 goals 35em yes ARG 1861 Luis Artime ENG Bobby Charlton ENG Roger Hunt POR José Augusto POR José Torres URS 1955 Eduard Malofeyev 2 goals 35em yes CHI Rubén Marcos HPR Kálmán Mészöly PRK 1948 Pak Seung-zin URS 1955 Igor Chislenko FRG Uwe Seeler URS 1955 Anatoliy Banishevskiy 1 goal 35em yes ARG 1861 Ermindo Onega BRA 1960 Garrincha BRA 1960 Pelé BRA 1960 Rildo BRA 1960 Tostão BUL 1948 Georgi Asparuhov ENG Martin Peters FRA 1830 Héctor De Bourgoing FRA 1830 Gérard Hausser HPR János Farkas ITA 1946 Paolo Barison ITA 1946 Sandro Mazzola MEX 1934 Enrique Borja PRK 1948 Li Dong-woon PRK 1948 Pak Doo-ik PRK 1948 Yang Seung-kook POR António Simões ESP 1945 Amancio ESP 1945 Josep Maria Fusté ESP 1945 Pirri ESP 1945 Manuel Sanchís SUI René-Pierre Quentin URU Julio César Cortés URU Pedro Rocha FRG Lothar Emmerich FRG Sigfried Held FRG Wolfgang Weber 1 own goal BUL 1948 Ivan Davidov (against Hungary) BUL 1948 Ivan Vutsov (against Portugal) Team of the Tournament FIFA selected the following players for the 1966 FIFA World Cup All-Star Team.https://fbref.com/en/awards/wc_all_star/FIFA-World-Cup-All-Star-Team FIFA World Cup All-Star Team Winners FBref 1 September 2026 GoalkeeperDefendersMidfieldersForwardsENG Gordon BanksENG George CohenENG Bobby MoorePOR VicenteARG Silvio MarzoliniGER Franz BeckenbauerPOR Mário ColunaENG Bobby CharltonHUN Flórián AlbertGER Uwe SeelerPOR Eusébio Tournament ranking right Results of 1966 FIFA World Cup 1966 world cup.png 500 World map showing results of participants of the 1966 soccer world cup #2b42a3 Champions #34c0be Runners-up #269c5a Third place #81c846 Fourth place #e4e454 Quarter-finals#b94954 Group stage Angola and Mozambique represented Portugal. In 1986, FIFA published a report that ranked all teams in each World Cup up to and including 1986, based on progress in the competition and overall results.FIFA World Cup — Mexico '86; Official Report FIFA Technical Study Group https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/2bb4308f4d418319/original/pfnhnhmqhdwqvp62pm27-pdf.pdf#page=45 live https://web.archive.org/web/20100614213621/https://www.fifa.com/mm/document/afdeveloping/technicaldevp/50/09/00/fwc_mexico_1986_en_part4_279.pdf#page=45 230 Permanent table 14 June 2010 8 July 2021 FIFA The rankings for the 1966 tournament were as follows: Per statistical convention in football, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses. main WDL 2 complete FIFAhttps://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/587cb8e67646ba42/original/knfuogw4prnsdacl3ozx-pdf.pdf Milestones & Superlatives, Statistical Kit for the FIFA World Cup – FIFA World Cup final rankings by tournament FIFA 23 6 April 2018 20 August 2026 live https://web.archive.org/web/20220325073347/https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/587cb8e67646ba42/original/knfuogw4prnsdacl3ozx-pdf.pdf 25 March 2022 H ENG, FRG, POR, URS, ARG, HUN, URU, PRK, ITA, ESP, BRA, MEX, CHI, FRA, BUL, SUI 13 13 2 1 1 4 2 1 0 2 4 6 0 0 3 1 8 0 1 2 2 5 5 1 0 11 3 0 1 2 2 5 2 0 2 8 7 1 0 2 2 2 0 2 1 1 3 1 1 2 5 9 5 0 1 17 8 4 0 2 10 6 1 0 2 4 5 0 0 3 1 9 1 2 1 2 5 4 1 1 15 6 T ARG 1861 2 BRA 1960 3 BUL 1948 3 CHI 4 ENG 1 FRA 1830 1 HUN 3 ITA 1946 4 MEX 1934 1 PRK 1948 4 POR 3 URS 1955 4 ESP 1945 2 SUI 2 URU 1 FRG 2 Final result #FFD700 Champions #C0C0C0 Runners-up #CD7F32 Third place Fourth place Eliminated inquarter-finals Eliminated ingroup stage yes yes 1st 2nd 3rd 4th QF QF QF QF GS GS GS GS GS GS GS GS Notes References Match reports Report Bibliography Hamilton Duncan Answered Prayers: England and the 1966 World Cup 2023 Quercus Publishing United Kingdom 9781529419986 External links World Cup 1966 1966 FIFA World Cup 1966 FIFA World Cup England, FIFA.com Details at RSSSF FIFA Technical Report 1960s Association football English football England 1966 World Cup Category:1966–67 in English men's football 1966 Category:July 1966 sports events in the United Kingdom Category:International sports boycotts