1966 FIFA World Cup England
England, the home of football, beat West Germany 4–2 after extra time for their first title. North Korea, in its first finals, beat Italy and reached the quarter-finals.
Unknown author · Public domain · Source
The tournament was held in England from 11 to 30 July 1966. Four months earlier the Jules Rimet Cup was stolen from an exhibition in London; a week later a dog named Pickles found it under a hedge. The African nations boycotted qualifying in protest at Africa, Asia and Oceania being given only one place between them. In the final at Wembley on 30 July England and West Germany were level 2–2 after ninety minutes, and England won 4–2 in extra time. Geoff Hurst scored the first hat-trick in a final, though whether his second, in extra time, crossed the line is still disputed.
North Korea qualified for the first time by beating Australia twice in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. On 19 July at Ayresome Park, Middlesbrough, Pak Doo-ik’s goal beat Italy 1–0, making North Korea the first Asian team to reach the quarter-finals. There, at Liverpool on 23 July, they led Portugal 3–0 before Eusébio scored four and Portugal won 5–3. Eusébio finished as top scorer with nine goals.
