The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup was held in England from July 11 to July 30, 1966. England was chosen as hosts by FIFA in August 1960 to celebrate the centenary of the codification of football in the country. England won the final, beating West Germany 4-2, giving them their first (and only to this date) World Cup win, becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.
There was a record number of entries for the qualifying tournament, with 70 nations taking part. The format of the competition featured 16 qualified teams divided into four groups of four. The two top teams in each group advanced to the quarter-final. Despite achieving record attendances for the time, 1966 was a World Cup with few goals as the teams began to play more tactically and defensively.
For example, England finished top of Group 1 with only four goals to their credit, but having none scored against them. London’s Wembley Stadium provided the venue for the final and 98,000 people attended. The score was level at 2-2 at the end of 90 minutes and the game went into extra time. Geoff Hurst scored twice for England, becoming the only player to have scored three times in a World Cup final.
