1966 FIFA World Cup

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.[3]

Portugal and North Korea qualified for the first time. Portugal would not qualify again until 1986, while North Korea's next appearance was at the 2010 tournament. This was also Switzerland's last World Cup finals until 1994. Notable absentees from this tournament included 1962 semi-finalists Yugoslavia and 1962 runners-up Czechoslovakia.[3][4]

The following 16 teams qualified for the final tournament.[3]

AFC (1)  North Korea CAF (0) None participated OFC (0) None qualified

CONCACAF (1)  Mexico CONMEBOL (4)  Argentina  Brazil  Chile  Uruguay

UEFA (10)  Bulgaria  England (hosts)  France  Hungary  Italy  Portugal  Soviet Union  Spain   Switzerland  West Germany

Qualification for 1966 FIFA World Cup   FIFA members qualified for World Cup (including colonies)   FIFA members that failed to qualify   FIFA members that did not enter World Cup   Countries not members of FIFA in 1966

Thirty-one African nations boycotted the tournament to protest 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, as they felt winning their zone was enough in itself to merit qualification. They also protested against the readmission of South Africa to FIFA in 1963, despite its expulsion from CAF due to the apartheid regime in 1958.[5][6]

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.[7] Despite this, after FIFA refused to change the qualifying format, the African teams decided anyway to pull out of the World Cup until at least one African team had a place assured in the World Cup, something which was put in place for the 1970 FIFA World Cup and all subsequent World Cup finals.[5] The Portuguese colonies of Angola and Mozambique participated for Portugal.[5][7]

The 1966 World Cup had a rather unusual hero off the field, a dog called Pickles.[8] 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 newspaper as the dog sniffed under some bushes in London.[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.[10]

World Cup Willie was the mascot for the 1966 competition. This was the first World Cup mascot, and one of the first mascots to be associated with a major sporting competition.[11] World Cup Willie is a lion, a typical symbol of the United Kingdom, wearing a Union Flag jersey emblazoned with the words "WORLD CUP". Willie was designed by freelance children's book illustrator Reg Hoye.[12][13]

Eight venues were used for this World Cup. The newest and biggest venue used was Wembley Stadium in 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 in close proximity 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.

The most used venue was Wembley, which was used for nine matches, including all six featuring England, the final and the third-place match. 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.

London Manchester Liverpool Sunderland Middlesbrough Birmingham Sheffield		London
		Wembley Stadium	White City Stadium
		Capacity: 98,600	Capacity: 76,567
		Manchester	Birmingham
		Old Trafford	Villa Park
		Capacity: 58,000	Capacity: 52,000
Liverpool	Sheffield	Sunderland	Middlesbrough
Goodison Park	Hillsborough Stadium	Roker Park	Ayresome Park
Capacity: 50,151	Capacity: 42,730	Capacity: 40,310	Capacity: 40,000

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 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.[16][17]

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.

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.[18] It appeared as though the surprise package North Korea would claim another major upset in their match against Portugal at Goodison Park, when after 22 minutes they led 3–0. 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 in the 78th minute to earn Portugal a 5–3 win.

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.[19] 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 is called el robo del siglo (the robbery of the century) in Argentina.[20]

All semi-finalists were from Europe. The venue of the first semi-final between England and Portugal was changed from Goodison Park in Liverpool to Wembley, due to Wembley's larger capacity. This larger capacity was particularly significant during a time when ticket revenue was of crucial importance.[21] 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.[22][23] 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.[24]

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.

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.[25]

Elizabeth II presents the Jules Rimet Trophy to England's team captain Bobby Moore.

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.[26] England's final goal was scored by Hurst again, as a celebratory pitch invasion began. This made Geoff Hurst the only player ever to have scored three times in a single World Cup final.[25] 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!".[27]

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 in the group stage conceded during the 2010 tournament.

England received the recovered Jules Rimet trophy from Elizabeth II and were crowned World Cup winners for the first time.[25]

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".[28] The final, held at Wembley Stadium, was the last to be broadcast in black and white.[29]

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GR	Pts	Qualification
1	West Germany	3	2	1	0	7	1	7.000	5	Advance to knockout stage
2	Argentina	3	2	1	0	4	1	4.000	5
3	Spain	3	1	0	2	4	5	0.800	2
4	Switzerland	3	0	0	3	1	9	0.111	0

• West Germany were placed first due to superior goal average.

12 July 1966

19:30 BST

West Germany	5–0	Switzerland
Held  16' Haller  21', 77' (pen.) Beckenbauer  40', 52'	Report

Hillsborough Stadium, Sheffield

Attendance: 36,127

Referee: Hugh Phillips (Scotland)

13 July 1966

19:30 BST

Argentina	2–1	Spain
Artime  65', 77'	Report	Pirri  71'

Villa Park, Birmingham

Attendance: 42,738

Referee: Dimitar Rumentchev (Bulgaria)

15 July 1966

19:30 BST

Spain	2–1	Switzerland
Sanchís  57' Amancio  75'	Report	Quentin  31'

Hillsborough Stadium, Sheffield

Attendance: 32,028

Referee: Tofiq Bahramov (Soviet Union)

16 July 1966

15:00 BST

Argentina	0–0	West Germany
	Report

Villa Park, Birmingham

Attendance: 46,587

Referee: Konstantin Zečević (Yugoslavia)

19 July 1966

19:30 BST

Argentina	2–0	Switzerland
Artime  52' Onega  79'	Report

Hillsborough Stadium, Sheffield

Attendance: 32,127

Referee: Joaquim Campos (Portugal)

20 July 1966

19:30 BST

West Germany	2–1	Spain
Emmerich  39' Seeler  84'	Report	Fusté  23'

Villa Park, Birmingham

Attendance: 42,187

Referee: Armando Marques (Brazil)