1966 FIFA World Cup
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1966 was a year of triumph for the host nation, England, which won the final beating West Germany 4-2. The tournament's leading goalscorer was Eusébio of Portugal with nine goals. The event was awarded by FIFA in 1960 to England to celebrate the centenary of the codification of football in England, beating the West German candidacy.
Qualification
For more information, see 1966 FIFA World Cup (qualification)
1966 World Cup Final
For more information, see 1966 FIFA World Cup Final
London's Wembley Stadium provided the venue for the Final, and 97,000 people crammed inside to watch.
After 12 minutes 32 seconds Helmut Haller 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, bounced down onto the goal line then back into the field of play and was controversially deemed to have crossed the line by the linesman (who had experienced the Nazi occupation of his homeland in 1941) and referee. Whether the ball crossed the goal line or not has been a matter of discussion for decades, and the controversial call has become part of World Cup history. Recent digitally-enhanced footage clearly illustrates that Geoff Hurst's second goal did not cross the line [[Citing sources citation needed]]. In the last minute it was Hurst again, who dribbled easily through the now deflated German half to net his third goal, just as the gathered crowd invaded the pitch to celebrate with the team, thus cementing the victory for England. 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 of the crowd are on the pitch. They think it's all over." (Hurst scores) "It is now!"
England received the recovered Jules Rimet trophy from the Queen and were crowned World Cup winners.
Squads
For a list of all squads that appeared in the final tournament see, 1966 FIFA World Cup squadsFirst round
Group 1
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
England | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Uruguay | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
 Mexico
| 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
France | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
Group 2
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
West Germany | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
Argentina | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
 Spain
| 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 |
| Switzerland | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 9 |
West Germany were placed first due to superior goal average.
Group 3
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Portugal | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 |
Hungary | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 |
Brazil | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
 Bulgaria
| 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 8 |
}px" title="20}}}px" /> Bulgaria |
goals1 = Pelé 14',
Garrincha 63' |
goals2 = |
stadium = Liverpool, Goodison Park
Ref: Tschenscher (West Germany)
Attendance: 48,000}}
}px" title="20}}}px" /> Bulgaria | goals1 = Vutsov 3' (og)
Eusébio 38'
Torres 82' | goals2 = | stadium = Manchester, Old Trafford
Ref: Codesal (Uruguay)
Attendance: 26,000}}
}px" title="20}}}px" /> Bulgaria | goals1 = Davidov 42' (og)
Mészöly 45'
Bene 54' | goals2 = Asparuhov 14' | stadium = Manchester, Old Trafford
Ref: Goicoechea (Argentina)
Attendance: 22,000}}
Group 4
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
USSR | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
Korea DPR | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
Italy | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Chile | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
Knockout stage
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Third place match
Final
For more detail, see 1966 World Cup Final
Awards
| 1966 World Cup Winners: |
|---|
|
ENGLAND First title |