2026 FIFA World Cup Countdown: England Lift Their One and Only World Cup
World Cup Blog
6 Days to Go: Geoff Hurst Sparks England Elation with Wembley Heroics
The tiny little island nation of England, and more broadly the UK, has always had a hugely outsized impact on the global stage, whether it be in geopolitical matters, trading, wheeling and dealing, or, as we shall focus on, in the sporting sphere.
Despite boasting less space than most countries in Europe and a population of 70 million, which sits in the continental ‘middle of the pack’, the Three Lions have always been considered one of the best football teams in the world. The reason? We invented the game – you can’t afford to be bad at something you invent.
#OnThisDay in 1966: 🏆🏴 pic.twitter.com/hivsdpJSlm
— England (@England) July 30, 2024
However, with that being said, a number of sides have gone a step further than England and have taken the game of football to a new level – Brazil, Italy, Germany and Argentina all boast three or more World Cup trophies, while even the likes of France and Uruguay have double the number of tournament wins.
But not to be left out, football’s original creators have a World Cup trophy at home, and the circumstances surrounding it arguably make it one of the best known triumphs in the history of the tournament. Here is how the Three Lions brought football home in 1966.
Trophy Hunting
Hosting the tournament for the very first time, England had well and truly caught World Cup fever in the lead-up to the 1966 tournament. Having been awarded the right to host, we became the first country to have been affected by World War II to host the tournament, a testament to our bounceback ability and love of the sport.
However, for a while it looked as if FIFA would be forced to use a World Cup replica as the trophy after the original was stolen in broad daylight during a football stamps and memorabilia exhibition in London just months before the tournament.
Fortunately, it was found just a week after it vanished by Pickles the dog, who sniffed it out from underneath the front wheel of the car. The story gained huge publicity not just in England but across the world, and if anything, the unusual interruption to preparation only drew more eyes to the tournament, which started less than four months later.
The World Cup trophy was stolen in London #OnThisDay in 1966.
— betway (@betway) March 20, 2020
One week later, Pickles the dog became a national hero. 🐶 pic.twitter.com/QlHgn3CmpK
There was some less flattering controversy, however, as when FIFA announced that there would be no direct qualifying place for any African nations, the 15 who had entered to qualify boycotted the tournament, a move which significantly reduced the diversity of the tournament, limiting the sides competing to European, South American, and occasional Asian nationalities.
Nevertheless, the English public was ready. After the success of the previous seven editions of the tournament, the 1966 England World Cup was set to be the biggest and best yet, and it would boast a climax worthy of the finest Hollywood blockbuster.
Summer of 66
It was a tournament littered with some of the biggest names in the history of the game. Brazil's Pelé, Portugal's Eusébio and Germany's Franz Beckenbauer all travelled to England while the Three Lions side was going through something of a golden generation, with Gordon Banks, Bobby Moore, Jack and Bobby Charlton just a few of the heralded names in the squad.
Placed into a group alongside France, Uruguay and Mexico, England were handed a challenge from the outset – Uruguay were already two-time champions of the world, France were an up-and-coming nation on the big stage, and Mexico were something of an unknown quantity, a wildcard that could shock or disappoint in equal measure.
Over the course of history, host nations had crumbled under the pressure of performing in front of hordes of their home fans – the expectations on home soil had simply proven too much for six of the seven nations that had hosted the tournament before, and despite the giddy football fever that had taken over the nation, there was still fear that England could suffer the same fate.
Drawing 0-0 in their group opener with Uruguay did little to dispel these fears, and suddenly, there was worry – were England actually ready to host the tournament, or were they not yet on the same level as those who already boasted World Cup pedigree?
Instead of crumbling under pressure, though, England found their best football, beating Mexico 2-0 in their second game thanks to goals from Bobby Charlton and Roger Hunt, and followed it up with another 2-0 triumph against their cross-channel rivals France, with Hunt this time netting an accomplished brace.
3⃣3⃣ England 2-0 France, 20 July 1966, Wembley
— englandstats.com (@englandstats) May 16, 2026
England’s final group game at the 1966 World Cup saw them beat France 2-0 at Wembley to secure top spot in Group 1. Roger Hunt scored both goals, one in each half, finishing from close range after good work from Jimmy Greaves and… pic.twitter.com/rGzw1Nd4aX
The two wins steered them to the top of the group after Uruguay drew with Mexico in the final group game, and it meant that England would face the second-placed side in Group 2, a more favourable draw than if they had finished second in their own group – it would’ve meant facing West Germany in the quarters, a fixture which spelt the end for Uruguay.
However, a quarter-final clash against Argentina was by no means easy. La Albiceleste may not have won any World Cups yet, but they had an exceptionally talented group of players and that trademark South American flair, so Alf Ramsey’s men had to be careful.
It was a game that kick-started the now notorious rivalry between the two nations, and in Argentina it is known as the “Theft of the Century” thanks to the adjudged unfair sending off of captain Antonio Rattín. Though he and his teammates argued vehemently with the referee, the decision would not be changed, and reduced to 10 men, Argentina were powerless, and Geoff Hurst netted his first goal of the tournament through a fine header with 12 minutes remaining, sending England into new territory.
They had never been past the quarter-finals before, and their defeat of Argentina seemed to have broken the shackles that had limited them throughout their existence so far. However, next came Portugal, top scorers at the competition, inspired by an in-form Eusebio, one of the most terrifying prospects to ever grace a football pitch.
Eusébio being regarded as the best player in the world during his ridiculous display vs North Korea(1966 World Cup Quarterfinal)—probably my favorite commentary line from that World Cup. pic.twitter.com/UAoNugr3Wp
— VintageFootball2.0 (@VintageFutbol10) April 14, 2026
Yet again, though, England held firm and took an unassailable two-goal lead by the 80th minute. Both goals came through Bobby Charlton; his first a placed effort into an open goal after a spill from Portuguese stopper Jose Pereiro, and his second a rifled deflected effort that sent everyone in Wembley wild.
An 82nd-minute penalty from Eusebio saw everyone's nails nibbled down to the wick, but England survived, notching a 2-1 win, and they booked their place in their first-ever World Cup final, a fact made all the sweeter by the 94,000 people inside Wembley serenading them just moments after sealing the win.
West Germany awaited in the final – champions of 12 years previously, they were one of very few nations to actually boast a World Cup trophy, and they had absolutely trampled their way to the final, swatting Switzerland and Uruguay aside with 5-0 and 4-0 wins, respectively, on their way to the final.
21 years after the end of the second World War, emotions were still running high, and the game was advertised as good vs evil, right vs wrong, and England vs the old enemy. The stage was set for drama, and boy did it deliver.
Germany took the lead just 12 minutes in through Helmut Haller, shocking Wembley into silence. Was this how it ended? So close to the title on home soil, only to have it stripped away by a nation which at the time was the most hated in Europe?
However, in typical gritty fashion, England fought back, with Geoff Hurst netting from close range with another header just six minutes after falling behind, and London was rocking again. Chance after chance presented itself at either end, and it was truly a miracle that the game reached half-time at just 1-1.
Much of the second half passed in the same manner, with both sides creating plenty but unable to finish anything. Eventually though, the pressure told – Martin Peters found himself in the right place at the right time to volley home West Ham teammate Hurst’s deflected effort with 12 minutes to go, and it looked as if England had done it. Germany looked flat, defeated, and demoralised, and England had the entirety of Wembley on their side.
However, we long ago learnt never to count out the Germans, and this rung true yet again here, as with one minute of normal time remaining, Wolfgang Weber equalised in dramatic fashion from close range in order to send the game to extra time.
The tension was unbearable, the what-ifs unspeakable, and the game virtually unwatchable – everyone was going through it. However, playing like a man possessed, Hurst once again took it upon himself to get the job done, bringing a cross under his spell and rifling an effort off the underside of the bar.
🌎🏆 2026 FIFA World Cup Countdown
— Football Park (@thefootballpark) June 4, 2026
Day 92/100: Geoff Hurst's Original Ghost Goal🏴
The age-old question: Did Geoff Hurst's second goal in the 1966 World Cup final cross the line or not?
Scientific experiments have proven both sides; Sky Sports made a full 3D simulation to show… pic.twitter.com/s1JFaeukGG
To this day, there is controversy about whether it actually went in, but in the moment, the officials gave the goal, and England led 3-2, with Hurst once again directly involved.
Germany put their foot to the floor and launched attack after attack on England. The Three Lions may have been leading, but it was far from over, and some heroic defending was needed in order to keep their opponents at arm's length.
Then, in the 120th minute, Germany pushed their luck too far. A window of opportunity opened, and the ball, not for the first time, found the feet of Geoff Hurst. Despite obvious fatigue and 120 minutes of football in his legs, the West Ham legend doggedly ran the ball from the halfway line to inside the Germany box, accompanied by Kenneth Wolstenholme’s iconic commentary. We’ll let him take it from here.
“And here comes Hurst! Some people are on the pitch, they think it’s all over … IT IS NOW!” Goosebumps. Hurst fired the ball into the top corner with his left foot, handing England a 4-2 lead with seconds left, completing not only a hat-trick but also a perfect hat-trick and earning him and his nation their first ever World Cup trophy.
📅 On this day, in 1966, England won the World Cup thanks to a Geoff Hurst hat-trick against Germany.
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Footballtweet) July 29, 2024
The day football came home. 🦁🦁🦁 pic.twitter.com/Eq9Ze3apAz
It was a final for the ages – laced with controversy, individual brilliance, late goals, unexpected comebacks and everything in between; it was a fitting end to what had been a hugely entertaining campaign from both participating nations, and it was topped off with the most poetic of endings, as England lifted their first, and to this day only, Jules Rimet trophy in front of nigh on 100,000 raucous home fans, a moment that has gone down in history as arguably the nation's greatest ever sporting achievement.
Simon Miller 
