Background
The FIFA World Cup 1966 was the eighth edition of the tournament and was held in England from 11th July to 30th July. It was the first World Cup to be televised in color and also the first to have a mascot, “World Cup Willie”.
Participant
A total of 16 teams participated in the tournament. The teams were divided into four groups of four teams each. The teams that participated in the tournament were:
Group 1: England, Mexico, Uruguay, France
Group 2: Brazil, Bulgaria, Hungary, Portugal
Group 3: Argentina, Spain, West Germany, Switzerland
Group 4: Italy, Chile, North Korea, Soviet Union
Format
The tournament had a group stage followed by a knockout stage. The top two teams from each group advanced to the knockout stage. The knockout stage included quarter-finals, semi-finals, and the final. The winner of the final was declared the World Cup champions.
Matches
The tournament had a total of 32 matches, including the final. The teams played in a round-robin format in the group stage. The knockout stage was played in a single-elimination format.
Goalscorers
The Golden Boot for the top goalscorer of the tournament was won by Eusébio of Portugal, who scored nine goals in the tournament. Helmut Haller of West Germany and Geoff Hurst of England were the joint second-highest goalscorers, with six goals each.
Winner
England won the FIFA World Cup 1966 by defeating West Germany 4-2 in the final. It was the first and only time that England had won the World Cup.
Legacy
The 1966 World Cup is remembered for many reasons. It was the first and only time that England had won the World Cup, and it was also the first World Cup to be televised in color. The tournament is also famous for the controversial goal that England scored in the final. The ball had hit the crossbar and bounced down near the goal line, and the referee gave a goal, which is still debated today.
Controversy
The 1966 World Cup final is remembered for the controversial goal that England scored. The ball had hit the crossbar and bounced down near the goal line, and the referee gave a goal, which is still debated today. The German team claimed that the ball had not crossed the line, but the referee’s decision stood, and England went on to win the match 4-2. There were also allegations of biased refereeing in the match.
