1966 saw the World Cup held in the country that had originally given the game to the World, England. Players came to play on famous grounds such as Old Trafford, Villa Park and of course Wembley.

As well as the expected main contenders such as West Germany, the tournament threw up some surprises; a classy Portugal side spearheaded by Eusebio and a North Korea team who beat Italy in the shock result of the group stages.

The final saw England face West Germany, winners in 1954, and the Germans took the lead in the 12th minute through Haller. Geoff Hurst equalised six minutes later. There was no further score till 12 minutes from time, when Martin Peters put England ahead. Germany managed to equalise in the dying minutes, sending the match into extra time.

Hurst's second goal remains one of the most talked about in World Cup history. The shot was crashed against the underside of the German crossbar, coming down - in the opinion of Russian linesman Tofik Bakhramov over the line. This is a view poorly supported by films of the game, but Hurst put matters beyond doubt in the closing seconds, completing an unprecedented World Cup Final hat-trick and sealing victory for Alf Ramsey's team.

More World Cup Champions

Brazil '02

France '98

USA '94

Italy '90

Mexico '86

Spain '82

Argentina '78

West Germany '74

Mexico '70

England '66

Chile '62

Sweden '58

Switzerland '54

France '38

Italy '32

Uruguay '30