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On this day 1986 · The Goal of the Century
Edition 8 of 22 England16 teams32 matches

1966 ENGLAND

England's only one. Hurst's hat-trick. 'They think it's all over.'

The Final

How it ended

1966-07-30 · Wembley Stadium, London
Attendance
96,924
Referee
Gottfried Dienst (SUI)
Venue
Wembley Stadium
City
London
Individual honours

Awards

⚽
Golden Boot
Eusébio
POR
9 goals
◉
Golden Ball
Introduced 1982
✦
Golden Glove
Introduced 1994
The numbers

By the figures

16
Teams
32
Matches
89
Goals
2.78 per game
1,635,000
Attendance
avg 50,458
The tournament

Format, mascot, ball

Format
Group stage + knockout
Dates
1966-07-11
→ 1966-07-30
Mascot
Willie (a lion)
Match ball
Challenge 4-Star
Poster
World Cup Willie — first World Cup mascot
Footnote

The 'Wembley goal' — Hurst's shot off the bar in extra time. The ball in or out? Still debated.

Phase 2 adds full squads, group standings, knockout bracket, and every match