1966 FIFA World Cup
Encyclopedia
The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup
, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England
beat West Germany
4–2 in the final
, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy
in 1934
.
Despite the Africans' absence, there was another new record number of entries for the qualifying tournament, with 70 nations taking part. After all the arguments, FIFA finally ruled that ten teams from Europe would qualify, along with four from South America, one from Asia and one from North and Central America.
Portugal and North Korea qualified for the first time. Portugal would not qualify again until 1986, while North Korea's next finals appearance was at the 2010 tournament. This was also Switzerland's last World Cup finals until 1994. Notable absentees from this tournament included Yugoslavia and 1962 finalists Czechoslovakia.
: 16 qualified teams were divided into four groups of four. Each group played a round-robin
format. Two points were awarded for a win and one point for a draw, with goal average 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 ninety minutes, thirty minutes of extra time were played. For any match other than the final, if the teams were still tied after extra time then lots would be drawn to determine the winner. The final would have been replayed if tied after extra time. In the event, no replays or drawing of lots was necessary.
. 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 later discovered wrapped in some newspaper as the dog sniffed under some bushes in London. The FA commissioned a replica cup in case the original cup was not found in time. This replica is held at the English National Football Museum
in Preston, where it is on display.
The draw for the final tournament, taking place on 6 January 1966 at the Royal Garden Hotel in London was the first ever to be televised, with England, West Germany, Brazil and Italy as seeds.
's England
as they finished top of Group 1 with only four goals to their credit, but having none scored against them. 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 both 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.
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; this was Brazil's worst performance in any World Cup. 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 USSR
. 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.
, from England) had not recognised a handstop by Schnellinger on the goal line and then had sent off two players from Uruguay: Horacio Troche
and Héctor Silva
. It appeared as though the surprise package North Korea might do the same to Portugal when after 22 minutes they were in the lead 3–0. It fell to one of the greatest stars of the tournament, Eusébio
, to change that. After he scored four goals in the game and José Augusto
added a fifth in the 78th minute, one of the most incredible comebacks in professional football history was complete.
Meanwhile in the other two games, Ferenc Bene
's late goal for Hungary against the USSR, 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. Rattín at first refused to leave the field and eventually had to be escorted by several policemen. After 30 minutes England scored the only goal of the match. This game, even today, is called el robo del siglo (the robbery of the century) in Argentina.
All semifinalists were from Europe. The first semifinal between England and Portugal was controversial as well. Goodison Park in Liverpool was the original venue for the first semifinal. However, due to intervention of the English officials, the venue changed to Wembley. This happened because of fear from English officials of the Portugal performance and embarrassment if England lost in their own country with a debuting team. Bobby Charlton
scored both goals in England's triumph against Portugal. Portugal's goal came from a penalty kick in the 82nd minute after a handball by Jack Charlton on the goal line. The other semi-final also finished 2–1: Franz Beckenbauer
provided the winning goal for West Germany as they beat the USSR. Portugal went on to beat the USSR 2-1 to take third place. Portugal's third place remains the best finish by a team making its World Cup debut since 1934. It was subsequently equalled by Croatia in the 1998 tournament.
had 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
managed to poke it across the line, 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 score sheet again; his shot hit the crossbar, and bounced down and hit the ground either onto or just over the goal line. Whether the ball actually crossed the goal line or not has been a matter of discussion for decades, and this goal, known as the "Ghost Goal", has become part of World Cup history. England's final goal was scored by Hurst again, during a pitch invasion. This made Geoff Hurst the only player ever to have scored three times in a 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!".
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 would stand until 1982, when it was surpassed by Italy's twelve goals in seven games; in 2010 this record was lowered again by Spain, winning the Cup with eight goals in seven games. Likewise, the total of three goals conceded also constituted a record low for average goals per game conceded by a World Cup winning team. That record would stand until 1994, when it was surpassed by Brazil's three goals in seven games.
England received the recovered Jules Rimet trophy from Elizabeth II and were crowned World Cup winners for the first time.
for the 1966 competition, was the first World Cup mascot, and one of the first mascots to be associated with a major sporting competition. World Cup Willie is a lion
, a typical symbol of the United Kingdom, wearing a Union Flag
jersey emblazoned with the words "WORLD CUP".
in London was used for a single game from Group 1, between Uruguay and France. The game 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.
Asia Menachem Ashkenazi
South America José María Codesal Roberto Goicoechea Armando Marques Arturo Yamasaki
Europe
John Adair Tofik Bakhramov
Leo Callaghan
Joaquim Campos Ken Dagnall
Gottfried Dienst
Jim Finney
Karol Galba
Juan Gardeazábal Garay Rudolf Kreitlein
Concetto Lo Bello
Bertil Lööw George McCabe
Hugh Phillips Dimitar Rumentchev Pierre Schwinte Kurt Tschenscher
Konstantin Zečević István Zsolt
.
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6 goals Helmut Haller
4 goals Geoff Hurst
Franz Beckenbauer
Ferenc Bene
Valeriy Porkujan
3 goals
Luis Artime
Bobby Charlton
Roger Hunt
José Augusto
José Torres
Eduard Malofeyev
2 goals
Rubén Marcos
Uwe Seeler
Kálmán Mészöly
Pak Seung-Zin
Igor Chislenko
1 goal
Ermindo Onega
Garrincha
Pelé
Rildo
Tostão
Georgi Asparuhov
Martin Peters
Héctor De Bourgoing
Gérard Hausser
Lothar Emmerich
Sigfried Held Wolfgang Weber
János Farkas
Paolo Barison
Sandro Mazzola Enrique Borja
Lee Dong-Woon
Pak Doo-Ik
Yang Sung-Kook
António Simões
Anatoliy Banishevskiy
Amancio
Josep Maria Fusté Pirri Manuel Sanchís
René-Pierre Quentin
Julio César Cortés
Pedro Rocha
Own goals Ivan Davidov
(for Hungary) Ivan Vutsov
(for Portugal)
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
beat West Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
4–2 in the final
1966 FIFA World Cup Final
The 1966 FIFA World Cup Final was the final match in the 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth football World Cup. The match was contested by England and West Germany on 30 July 1966 at Wembley Stadium in London, and had an attendance of 98,000. England won 4–2 after extra time to win the Jules Rimet...
, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
in 1934
1934 FIFA World Cup
The 1934 FIFA World Cup was the second FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in Italy from 27 May to 10 June 1934....
.
Host selection
England was chosen as host of the 1966 World Cup in Rome, Italy on August 22, 1960, over opposition from West Germany and Spain.Qualification
Sixteen African nations boycotted the tournament in protest of 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 win a place at the finals. The Africans felt that winning their zone was enough in itself to merit qualification for the finals.Despite the Africans' absence, there was another new record number of entries for the qualifying tournament, with 70 nations taking part. After all the arguments, FIFA finally ruled that ten teams from Europe would qualify, along with four from South America, one from Asia and one from North and Central America.
Portugal and North Korea qualified for the first time. Portugal would not qualify again until 1986, while North Korea's next finals appearance was at the 2010 tournament. This was also Switzerland's last World Cup finals until 1994. Notable absentees from this tournament included Yugoslavia and 1962 finalists Czechoslovakia.
Format
The format of the 1966 competition remained the same as 19621962 FIFA World Cup
The 1962 FIFA World Cup, the seventh staging of the World Cup, was held in Chile from 30 May to 17 June. It was won by Brazil, who retained the championship by beating Czechoslovakia 3–1 in the final...
: 16 qualified teams were divided into four groups of four. Each group played a round-robin
Round-robin
The term round-robin was originally used to describe a document signed by multiple parties in a circle to make it more difficult to determine the order in which it was signed, thus preventing a ringleader from being identified...
format. Two points were awarded for a win and one point for a draw, with goal average 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 ninety minutes, thirty minutes of extra time were played. For any match other than the final, if the teams were still tied after extra time then lots would be drawn to determine the winner. The final would have been replayed if tied after extra time. In the event, no replays or drawing of lots was necessary.
Summary
The 1966 World Cup had a rather unusual hero off the field, a dog called PicklesPickles (dog)
Pickles was a black and white Collie dog renowned for his role in finding the stolen Jules Rimet Trophy in 1966.- Overview :The trophy had been stolen during a rare public stamp exhibition at Westminster Central Hall, on the afternoon of Sunday 20 March, just four months before the 1966 FIFA World...
. In the build up to the tournament the Jules Rimet trophy was stolen
Theft of the Jules Rimet Trophy
The Jules Rimet Trophy, awarded to the winner of the football World Cup, was stolen in 1966 prior to the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England. The trophy was later recovered...
from an exhibition display. A nationwide hunt for the icon ensued. It was later discovered wrapped in some newspaper as the dog sniffed under some bushes in London. The FA commissioned a replica cup in case the original cup was not found in time. This replica is held at the English National Football Museum
National Football Museum
The National Football Museum was a museum in Preston, Lancashire, England founded to preserve, conserve and interpret several important collections of association football memorabilia. It was built outside Deepdale, which as of 2010 is the oldest continuously used football league ground in the world...
in Preston, where it is on display.
The draw for the final tournament, taking place on 6 January 1966 at the Royal Garden Hotel in London was the first ever to be televised, with England, West Germany, Brazil and Italy as seeds.
First round
1966 was a World Cup with few goals as the teams began to play much more tactically and defensively. This was exemplified by Alf RamseyAlf Ramsey
Sir Alfred Ernest "Alf" Ramsey was an English footballer and manager of the English national football team from 1963 to 1974. His greatest achievement was winning the 1966 World Cup with England on 30 July 1966...
's England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
as they finished top of Group 1 with only four goals to their credit, but having none scored against them. Uruguay
Uruguay national football team
The Uruguayan national football team represents Uruguay in international association football and is controlled by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay. The current head coach is Óscar Tabárez...
were the other team to qualify from that group at the expense of both Mexico
Mexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
and France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
. 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
White City Stadium
White City Stadium was built in White City, London, for the 1908 Summer Olympics, often seen as the precursor to the modern seater stadium and noted for hosting the finish of the first modern distance marathon. It also hosted speedway and a match at the 1966 World Cup, before the stadium was...
.
In Group 2, West Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
and Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
qualified with ease as they both finished the group with 5 points, Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
managed 2, while Switzerland
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of 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
Rafael Albrecht
José Rafael Albrecht is a retired Argentine football defender. He represented Argentina at the 1962 and 1966 World Cups....
get sent off and suspended for the next match.
In the northwest of England, Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
and Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...
played host to Group 3 which saw the two-time defending champions Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
finish in third place behind Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
and Hungary
Hungary national football team
The Hungary national football team represents Hungary in international football and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation....
, and be eliminated along with Bulgaria
Bulgaria national football team
The FIFA Bulgaria national football team is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Luboslav Penev is in charge manager after replacement of Lothar Matthäus...
. Brazil were defeated 3-1 by Hungary in a classic encounter before falling by the same scoreline to Portugal in a controversial game; this was Brazil's worst performance in any World Cup. 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
Eusébio
Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, GCIH, GCM , commonly known simply as Eusébio, is a retired Mozambican-born Portuguese football forward. He is considered one of the best footballers of all-time by the IFFHS, experts and fans...
, whose nine goals made him the tournament's top scorer.
Group 4, however, provided the biggest upset when North Korea
Korea DPR national football team
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea national football team represents the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in international association football and is controlled by the DPR Korea Football Association, the governing body for football in North Korea.North Korea surprised with a...
beat Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
1-0 at Ayresome Park
Ayresome Park
-External links:**-References:...
, Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
and finished above them, thus earning qualification to the next round along with the USSR
USSR national football team
The Soviet Union National Football Team was the national football team of the Soviet Union. It ceased to exist after the break up of the 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.
Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and third-place match
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 FinneyJim Finney
James "Jim" Finney was an English football referee during the 1960s and 1970s, active on the FIFA list.-Refereeing career:...
, from England) had not recognised a handstop by Schnellinger on the goal line and then had sent off two players from Uruguay: Horacio Troche
Horacio Troche
Horacio Federico Troche Herrera is a former Uruguayan footballer.The central defender played 28 times for the Uruguayan national team between 1959 and 1966, and featured at the 1962 World Cup in Chile and at the 1966 World Cup in England...
and Héctor Silva
Héctor Silva (Uruguayan footballer)
Héctor Silva is a Uruguayan football forward who played for Uruguay in the 1962 and 1966 FIFA World Cups. He also played for Danubio and C.A. Peñarol.-External links:*...
. It appeared as though the surprise package North Korea might do the same to Portugal when after 22 minutes they were in the lead 3–0. It fell to one of the greatest stars of the tournament, Eusébio
Eusébio
Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, GCIH, GCM , commonly known simply as Eusébio, is a retired Mozambican-born Portuguese football forward. He is considered one of the best footballers of all-time by the IFFHS, experts and fans...
, to change that. After he scored four goals in the game and José Augusto
José Augusto
José Augusto |Barreiro]]) is a former Portuguese footballer and a current coach. He was one of the top players in the legendary S.L. Benfica "Dream Team" and the Portuguese national football team during the 1960s.- Player:...
added a fifth in the 78th minute, one of the most incredible comebacks in professional football history was complete.
Meanwhile in the other two games, Ferenc Bene
Ferenc Bene
Ferenc Bene was a Hungarian football player of Újpesti Dózsa, who was a member of the team that won the gold medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. He was the top scorer of the tournament .Bene was born in Balatonújlak...
's late goal for Hungary against the USSR, who were led by Lev Yashin
Lev Yashin
Lev Ivanovich Yashin nicknamed as "The Black Spider", was a Soviet-Russian football goalkeeper, considered by many to be the greatest goalkeeper in the history of the game. He was known for his superior athleticism in goal, imposing stature, amazing reflex saves and inventing the idea of...
'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
Geoff Hurst
Sir Geoffrey Charles Hurst MBE is a retired England footballer best remembered for his years with West Ham. He made his mark in World Cup history as the only player to have scored a hat-trick in a World Cup final. His three goals came in the 1966 final for England in their 4–2 win over West...
. During that controversial game (for more details see Argentina and England football rivalry
Argentina and England football rivalry
The Argentina–England football rivalry is a highly competitive sports rivalry that exists between the national football teams of the two countries, as well as their respective sets of fans...
), Argentina's Antonio Rattín
Antonio Rattín
Antonio Ubaldo Rattín is a former Argentine football player, best known as a Boca Juniors midfielder, and because of an incident in a match at the 1966 FIFA World Cup...
became the first player to be sent off in a senior international football match at Wembley. Rattín at first refused to leave the field and eventually had to be escorted by several policemen. After 30 minutes England scored the only goal of the match. This game, even today, is called el robo del siglo (the robbery of the century) in Argentina.
All semifinalists were from Europe. The first semifinal between England and Portugal was controversial as well. Goodison Park in Liverpool was the original venue for the first semifinal. However, due to intervention of the English officials, the venue changed to Wembley. This happened because of fear from English officials of the Portugal performance and embarrassment if England lost in their own country with a debuting team. Bobby Charlton
Bobby Charlton
Sir Robert "Bobby" Charlton CBE is an English former professional football player, a member of the England team who won the World Cup and Ballon d'Or for European Footballer of the Year in 1966...
scored both goals in England's triumph against Portugal. Portugal's goal came from a penalty kick in the 82nd minute after a handball by Jack Charlton on the goal line. The other semi-final also finished 2–1: Franz Beckenbauer
Franz Beckenbauer
Franz Anton Beckenbauer is a German football coach, manager, and former player, nicknamed Der Kaiser because of his elegant style, his leadership, his first name "Franz" , and his dominance on the football pitch...
provided the winning goal for West Germany as they beat the USSR. Portugal went on to beat the USSR 2-1 to take third place. Portugal's third place remains the best finish by a team making its World Cup debut since 1934. It was subsequently equalled by Croatia in the 1998 tournament.
Final
London's Wembley Stadium provided the venue for the final, and 98,000 people crammed inside to watch. After 12 minutes 32 seconds Helmut HallerHelmut Haller
Helmut Haller is a former footballer who represented West Germany at three World Cups.A playmaker and striker who made his international debut at age 19 in 1958, he played at the 1962 FIFA World Cup in Chile, the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England and the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, earning a total...
had put West Germany ahead, but the score was levelled by Geoff Hurst
Geoff Hurst
Sir Geoffrey Charles Hurst MBE is a retired England footballer best remembered for his years with West Ham. He made his mark in World Cup history as the only player to have scored a hat-trick in a World Cup final. His three goals came in the 1966 final for England in their 4–2 win over West...
four minutes later. Martin Peters
Martin Peters
Martin Stanford Peters, MBE is a former football player and member of the victorious England team which won the 1966 World Cup as well as playing in the 1970 FIFA World Cup....
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
Wolfgang Weber
Wolfgang Weber was a footballer best remembered for scoring the last-minute equaliser for West Germany in the 1966 World Cup final....
managed to poke it across the line, 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 score sheet again; his shot hit the crossbar, and bounced down and hit the ground either onto or just over the goal line. Whether the ball actually crossed the goal line or not has been a matter of discussion for decades, and this goal, known as the "Ghost Goal", has become part of World Cup history. England's final goal was scored by Hurst again, during a pitch invasion. This made Geoff Hurst the only player ever to have scored three times in a World Cup final.
BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme
Kenneth Wolstenholme
Kenneth Wolstenholme DFC & Bar was the football commentator for BBC television in the 1950s and 1960s, most notable for his commentary during the 1966 FIFA World Cup which included the famous phrase "some people are on the pitch...they think it's all over....it is now!", as Geoff Hurst scored...
'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!".
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 would stand until 1982, when it was surpassed by Italy's twelve goals in seven games; in 2010 this record was lowered again by Spain, winning the Cup with eight goals in seven games. Likewise, the total of three goals conceded also constituted a record low for average goals per game conceded by a World Cup winning team. That record would stand until 1994, when it was surpassed by Brazil's three goals in seven games.
England received the recovered Jules Rimet trophy from Elizabeth II and were crowned World Cup winners for the first time.
Mascot
World Cup Willie, the mascotMascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
for the 1966 competition, was the first World Cup mascot, and one of the first mascots to be associated with a major sporting competition. World Cup Willie is a lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
, a typical symbol of the United Kingdom, wearing a Union Flag
Union Flag
The Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack, is the flag of the United Kingdom. It retains an official or semi-official status in some Commonwealth Realms; for example, it is known as the Royal Union Flag in Canada. It is also used as an official flag in some of the smaller British overseas...
jersey emblazoned with the words "WORLD CUP".
Venues
White City StadiumWhite City Stadium
White City Stadium was built in White City, London, for the 1908 Summer Olympics, often seen as the precursor to the modern seater stadium and noted for hosting the finish of the first modern distance marathon. It also hosted speedway and a match at the 1966 World Cup, before the stadium was...
in London was used for a single game from Group 1, between Uruguay and France. The game was scheduled for a Friday, the same day as regularly scheduled greyhound racing
Greyhound racing
Greyhound racing is the sport of racing greyhounds. The dogs chase a lure on a track until they arrive at the finish line. The one that arrives first is the winner....
at Wembley. Because Wembley's owner refused to cancel this, the game had to be moved to the alternative venue.
| London | Liverpool Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880... |
Sheffield Sheffield Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely... |
Sunderland | Manchester Manchester Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater... |
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| Wembley Stadium | Goodison Park Goodison Park Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds... |
Hillsborough Stadium Hillsborough Stadium Hillsborough Stadium is the home of Sheffield Wednesday football club, Sheffield, England. Football has been played at the ground since it was opened on 2 September 1899, when Wednesday moved from their original ground at Olive Grove. Today it is a 39,812 capacity all-seater stadium, making it the... |
Roker Park Roker Park Roker Park was an English football stadium situated in Roker, Sunderland. The stadium was the home of the English football club Sunderland A.F.C. from 1897 to 1997 before the club moved to the Stadium of Light. Near the end of the stadium's history, its capacity was around 22,500 with only a small... |
Old Trafford Old Trafford Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:... |
| 51°33′20"N 0°16′47"W | 53°25′50.95"N 2°57′38.98"W | 53°24′41"N 1°30′2"W | 54.9144°N 1.3882°W | 53°27′47"N 2°17′29"W |
| Capacity: 100,000 | Capacity:70,000 | Capacity: 42,730 | Capacity: 40,310 | Capacity: 42,730 |
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| London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... |
Birmingham Birmingham Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a... |
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire... |
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| White City Stadium White City Stadium White City Stadium was built in White City, London, for the 1908 Summer Olympics, often seen as the precursor to the modern seater stadium and noted for hosting the finish of the first modern distance marathon. It also hosted speedway and a match at the 1966 World Cup, before the stadium was... |
Villa Park Villa Park Villa Park may mean:United Kingdom* Villa Park, an association football stadium in Birmingham, EnglandUnited States* Villa Park, California, a small city in Orange County* Villa Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago in DuPage County... |
Ayresome Park Ayresome Park -External links:**-References:... |
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| 51°33′20"N 0°16′47"W | 52°30′33"N 1°53′5"W | 54°33′51"N 1°14′49"W | ||
| Capacity: 76,567 | Capacity:55,000 | Capacity: 40,310 | ||
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Match officials
Africa Ali KandilAli Kandil
Ali Hussein Kandil is an Egyptian football referee. He directed the match between Korea DPR and Chile in the 1966 FIFA World Cup which ended in a 1-all draw.-References:...
Asia Menachem Ashkenazi
Menachem Ashkenazi
Menachem Ashkenazi was an Israeli international football referee, born in Bulgaria, active during the 1960s and 1970s...
South America José María Codesal Roberto Goicoechea Armando Marques Arturo Yamasaki
Europe
John Adair Tofik Bakhramov
Tofik Bakhramov
Tofik Bahram oglu Bahramov , commonly known as the Russian linesman in England, was an Azerbaijani football referee notable for being the linesman who helped to award a goal for England in the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final against West Germany...
Leo Callaghan
Leo Callaghan
Leo Callaghan was an association football referee in the English Football League. He was also a Welsh FIFA referee.-Career:...
Joaquim Campos Ken Dagnall
Ken Dagnall
Kenneth Dagnall was an English former football referee, who officiated in the Football League and for FIFA, especially during the 1966 World Cup held in England. He originally came from Bolton in Lancashire, latterly living in the Great Lever area of the town.-Career:Ken Dagnall took charge of two...
Gottfried Dienst
Gottfried Dienst
Gottfried Dienst was a Swiss football referee who was born in Basle. He is possibly best known for being the referee in the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final, in which he awarded a controversial goal to England after consulting his Soviet linesman Tofik Bakhramov.At the time he was considered the best...
Jim Finney
Jim Finney
James "Jim" Finney was an English football referee during the 1960s and 1970s, active on the FIFA list.-Refereeing career:...
Karol Galba
Karol Galba
Dr Karol Galba was the least known of the three officials who officiated the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final at Wembley Stadium....
Juan Gardeazábal Garay Rudolf Kreitlein
Rudolf Kreitlein
Rudolf Kreitlein is a former German international football referee from the 1960s.- England v Argentina, 1966 World Cup :...
Concetto Lo Bello
Concetto Lo Bello
Concetto Lo Bello was an Italian football referee, born & died in Syracuse, Sicily. He holds the record for refereeing the most games in Serie A ....
Bertil Lööw George McCabe
George McCabe
George McCabe was an English association football referee, who officiated at the 1966 World Cup and in an FA Cup Final.-Career:...
Hugh Phillips Dimitar Rumentchev Pierre Schwinte Kurt Tschenscher
Kurt Tschenscher
Kurt Waldemar Tschenscher is a German former football referee. Born in Mannheim, he took up refereeing in 1948 and by 1953 he was part of the German Football Association's group of top referees. Within another five years, he was promoted to the FIFA list of international referees...
Konstantin Zečević István Zsolt
István Zsolt
Istvan Zsolt was a Hungarian international football referee. He officiated at the 1954, 1958 and 1966 World Cup tournaments and the Olympic Games of 1952, 1960, 1964 and 1968.-References:*****...
Seeding
| Pot 1: South American | Pot 2: Western European | Pot 3: European II | Pot 4: Rest of the World |
|---|---|---|---|
| (Defending Champions) | (Hosts) |
Squads
For a list of all squads that appeared in the final tournament, see 1966 FIFA World Cup squads1966 FIFA World Cup squads
-England:Manager: Alf Ramsey-France:Head coach: Henri Guérin-Mexico:Head coach: Ignacio Tréllez-Uruguay:Head coach: Ondino Viera-Argentina:...
.
Results
Group 1
| Team | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1.33 | 5 | |
| 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0.67 | 4 | |
| 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0.33 | 2 | |
| 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 0.67 | 1 |
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Group 2
| Team | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 7.00 | 5 | |
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 4.00 | 5 | |
| 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 0.80 | 2 | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 0.11 | 0 |
- West Germany was placed first due to superior goal average.
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Group 3
| Team | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 4.50 | 6 | |
| 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 1.40 | 4 | |
| 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0.67 | 2 | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 0.13 | 0 |
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Group 4
| Team | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 6.00 | 6 | |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0.50 | 3 | |
| 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1.00 | 2 | |
| 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 0.40 | 1 |
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Knockout stage
Quarter-finals
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Semi-finals
----Third place match
Final
Scorers
9 goals EusébioEusébio
Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, GCIH, GCM , commonly known simply as Eusébio, is a retired Mozambican-born Portuguese football forward. He is considered one of the best footballers of all-time by the IFFHS, experts and fans...
6 goals Helmut Haller
Helmut Haller
Helmut Haller is a former footballer who represented West Germany at three World Cups.A playmaker and striker who made his international debut at age 19 in 1958, he played at the 1962 FIFA World Cup in Chile, the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England and the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, earning a total...
4 goals Geoff Hurst
Geoff Hurst
Sir Geoffrey Charles Hurst MBE is a retired England footballer best remembered for his years with West Ham. He made his mark in World Cup history as the only player to have scored a hat-trick in a World Cup final. His three goals came in the 1966 final for England in their 4–2 win over West...
Franz Beckenbauer
Franz Beckenbauer
Franz Anton Beckenbauer is a German football coach, manager, and former player, nicknamed Der Kaiser because of his elegant style, his leadership, his first name "Franz" , and his dominance on the football pitch...
Ferenc Bene
Ferenc Bene
Ferenc Bene was a Hungarian football player of Újpesti Dózsa, who was a member of the team that won the gold medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. He was the top scorer of the tournament .Bene was born in Balatonújlak...
Valeriy Porkujan
Valeriy Porkujan
Valeriy Semenovych Porkuyan is a former Ukrainian footballer who played for Dynamo Kyiv, and is currently an assistant coach with FC Chornomorets Odessa.- Club :...
3 goals
Luis Artime
Luis Artime
Luis Artime is a retired Argentine footballer, who played as a striker, and scored more than 1000 goals during his career...
Bobby Charlton
Bobby Charlton
Sir Robert "Bobby" Charlton CBE is an English former professional football player, a member of the England team who won the World Cup and Ballon d'Or for European Footballer of the Year in 1966...
Roger Hunt
Roger Hunt
Roger Hunt, MBE is an English former footballer. He was a member of the England team which won the 1966 World Cup.-Club career:...
José Augusto
José Torres
José Augusto Torres
José Augusto da Costa Séneca Torres was a Portuguese football centre forward and coach.Nicknamed O Bom Gigante , most of his 21-year senior career was spent at Benfica, with great individual and team success...
Eduard Malofeyev
2 goals
Rubén Marcos
Rubén Marcos
Rubén Marcos Peralta was a Chilean football player.During his career, Marcos played for Universidad de Chile, Palestino and the Chile national football team, and took part in the 1966 FIFA World Cup and the South American Championship 1967...
Uwe Seeler
Kálmán Mészöly
Kálmán Mészöly
Kálmán Mészöly is a former Hungarian football player and coach.He played 61 matches and scored 6 goals for the Hungary national football team, and participated in the 1962 FIFA World Cup, the 1964 UEFA European Football Championship, and the 1966 FIFA World Cup.He played in several World All...
Pak Seung-Zin
Pak Seung-Zin
Pak Seung-Zin is a former North Korean footballer. He represented North Korea at the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England, scoring two goals, against Chile and Portugal....
Igor Chislenko
Igor Chislenko
Igor Leonidovich Chislenko was a Soviet footballer.He played over 200 league games for FC Dinamo Moscow, winning two Soviet league titles and the Soviet Cup on one occasion. He also played for the USSR national football team, appearing 53 times, and scoring 20 goals...
1 goal
Ermindo Onega
Ermindo Onega
Ermindo Ángel Onega was an Argentine footballer, offensive midfielder and forward from River Plate. He played for River Plate from 1957 to 1968, 222 matches making 98 goals. In 1972 he played for Club Atlético Vélez Sársfield in 30 matches making 6 goals.Onega also had spells with Peñarol in...
Garrincha
Garrincha
Manuel Francisco dos Santos , known by the nickname "Garrincha" , was an association football right winger and forward who helped the Brazil national team win the World Cups of 1958 and 1962. He played the majority of his professional career for Brazilian club Botafogo.The word garrincha itself...
Pelé
Pelé
However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
Rildo
Rildo da Costa Menezes
Rildo da Costa Menezes, also known as Rildo was a former association footballer, one of the all-time best defender lateral for Santos F.C. with Dalmo and Geraldino.-Professional:...
Tostão
Tostão
Eduardo Gonçalves de Andrade , better known as Tostão, is a former Brazilian footballer, who played as a forward. In his prime, he was considered one of the best offensive players in the world, while also contributing with many assists thanks to his passing abilities.-Football career:Born in Belo...
Georgi Asparuhov
Georgi Asparuhov
Georgi Rangelov Asparuhov , nicknamed Gundi was a Bulgarian football player. He is considered to be among the top Bulgarian footballers of all time....
Martin Peters
Martin Peters
Martin Stanford Peters, MBE is a former football player and member of the victorious England team which won the 1966 World Cup as well as playing in the 1970 FIFA World Cup....
Héctor De Bourgoing
Héctor De Bourgoing
Héctor Adolfo de Bourgoing was a former Argentine footballer who operated as a defender. He played international football for Argentina and France.-Club career:...
Gérard Hausser
Gérard Hausser
Gérard Hausser is a former French footballer.During his career he played for RC Strasbourg , Karlsruher SC , and FC Metz...
Lothar Emmerich
Lothar Emmerich
Lothar Emmerich was a German football player. He was born in Dortmund-Dorstfeld and died in Hemer.-Honours:* 1965 German Cup winner...
Sigfried Held Wolfgang Weber
Wolfgang Weber
Wolfgang Weber was a footballer best remembered for scoring the last-minute equaliser for West Germany in the 1966 World Cup final....
János Farkas
János Farkas
János Farkas was a Hungarian footballer.During his club career he played for Vasas SC. He earned 33 caps and scored 20 goals for the Hungary national football team from 1961 to 1969, and participated in the 1962 FIFA World Cup, the 1964 European Nations' Cup, and the 1966 FIFA World Cup...
Paolo Barison
Paolo Barison
See Face FC| name = SEE FACE FC| image =| fullname =| birth_date = | birth_place = Technical University of Varna, Italy| league = Technical University Premier league-References:...
Sandro Mazzola Enrique Borja
Enrique Borja
Enrique David Borja García is a Mexican football striker who played 65 games for the Mexico national team between 1966 and 1975, scoring 31 goals.Borja played in two World Cups in 1966 and 1970....
Lee Dong-Woon
Lee Dong-Woon
Lee Dong-Woon is a North Korean football forward who played for North Korea in the 1966 FIFA World Cup. There he scored against Portugal in the Quarter-finals at Goodison Park. He also played for Rodongja Sports Team.-References:...
Pak Doo-Ik
Pak Doo-Ik
Pak Doo-Ik is a North Korean former footballer.Pak Doo-Ik was born at Pyongyang. He represented North Korea at the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England, scoring the famous winning goal in their shock 1-0 win over Italy at Ayresome Park, Middlesbrough, a game since immortalized in World Cup lore and the...
Yang Sung-Kook
António Simões
António Simões
António José Simões da Costa ; born Corroios, 14 December 1943) is a Portuguese footballer and a current coach. He played as a left winger for Benfica, from 1961/62 to 1974/75. With only 1.58 m of height, he is seen as the first "Giant Gnome" of Portuguese football, before Rui Barros...
Anatoliy Banishevskiy
Anatoliy Banishevskiy
Anatoliy Andreyevich Banishevskiy was an Azerbaijani football player of Russian descent. He played for the USSR national football team, winning 51 caps and scoring 19 goals. Banishevskiy played for the Soviet side in the 1966 FIFA World Cup...
Amancio
Amancio Amaro
Amancio Amaro Varela, commonly known simply as Amancio, is a former Spanish football player. Nicknamed El Brujo he played for Deportivo de La Coruña, Real Madrid and the Spanish national team....
Josep Maria Fusté Pirri Manuel Sanchís
Manuel Sanchis Martínez
Manuel Sanchis Martínez is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a defender.Like his son, Manuel, he represented Real Madrid, also being an international...
René-Pierre Quentin
René-Pierre Quentin
René-Pierre Quentin is a former Swiss football player.He got 34 caps and 9 goals for Switzerland, playing two games at the 1966 World Cup. He scored Switzerland's only goal in the tournament, against Spain.-References:...
Julio César Cortés
Julio César Cortés
Julio César "El Pocho" Cortés is an Uruguayan football coach and former midfielder who participated in three World Cups with the Uruguayan national team....
Pedro Rocha
Pedro Rocha
Pedro Virgilio Rocha Franchetti is a former Uruguayan footballer who played 52 games for the Uruguay national team between 1961 and 1974....
Own goals Ivan Davidov
Ivan Davidov
Ivan Davidov is a Bulgarian football midfielder who played for Bulgaria in the 1966 and 1970 FIFA World Cups. He also played for PFC Slavia Sofia.-External links:*...
(for Hungary) Ivan Vutsov
Ivan Vutsov
Ivan Kolev Vutsov is football player born in Gabrovo, Bulgaria who played in three matches at the 1966 FIFA World Cup and for Levski Sofia...
(for Portugal)
All-star team
| Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 England Gordon BanksGordon Banks Gordon Banks, OBE is a retired English football goalkeeper. The IFFHS named Banks the second best goalkeeper of the 20th century – after Lev Yashin and ahead of Dino Zoff .... |
England George Cohen George Cohen George Reginald Cohen MBE was the right back for England in the side which won the 1966 World Cup. He is the uncle of Rugby Union World Cup winner, Ben Cohen.-Football career:... England Bobby MooreBobby Moore Robert Frederick Chelsea "Bobby" Moore, OBE was an English footballer. He captained West Ham United for more than ten years and was captain of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup...  Portugal VicenteVicente Lucas Vicente da Fonseca Lucas, known in the football world as Vicente was a Mozambican-born Portuguese footballer, who played as a central-defender...  Argentina Silvio MarzoliniSilvio Marzolini Silvio Marzolini is a former Argentine football player who played for Boca Juniors . He is widely regarded as being one of the best left backs of all time, playing this position for the Argentine national team in the 1962 FIFA World Cup and the 1966 FIFA World Cup... |
 Germany Franz BeckenbauerFranz Beckenbauer Franz Anton Beckenbauer is a German football coach, manager, and former player, nicknamed Der Kaiser because of his elegant style, his leadership, his first name "Franz" , and his dominance on the football pitch... Portugal Mário ColunaMário Coluna Mário Esteves Coluna is a former Portuguese and Mozambican footballer. He was primarily a left-half and was nicknamed the "O Monstro Sagrado" .-Career:... England Bobby CharltonBobby Charlton Sir Robert "Bobby" Charlton CBE is an English former professional football player, a member of the England team who won the World Cup and Ballon d'Or for European Footballer of the Year in 1966... |
 Hungary Florian AlbertFlórián Albert Flórián Albert was a Hungarian international football player, later manager and sports official, who was named European Footballer of the Year in 1967... Germany Uwe Seeler Portugal EusébioEusébio Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, GCIH, GCM , commonly known simply as Eusébio, is a retired Mozambican-born Portuguese football forward. He is considered one of the best footballers of all-time by the IFFHS, experts and fans... |
External links
- 1966 FIFA World Cup on FIFA.com
- Details at RSSSF
- History of the World Cup-1966
- Planet World Cup - England 1966
- 1966 World Cup newsreel footage at British Pathe (Adobe FlashAdobe FlashAdobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
video) - "The story of North Korea at the 1966 World Cup", British Broadcasting Corporation
- Never-Seen: The 1966 World Cup – slideshow by Life magazine
- First hand account of spending time with the England squad while they trained