Two time reigning champions Brazil failed to get past the group stages as they were defeated by Hungary and Portugal.

The two debut teams performed well at the competition – North Korea beat Italy 1–0 on the way to reaching the quarter-finals, where they lost to Portugal 5–3 after leading 3–0.

England was chosen as host of the 1966 World Cup in Rome, Italy, on 22 August 1960, over rival bids from West Germany and Spain.

[3][4][better source needed] Despite the Africans' absence, there was another new record number of entries for the qualifying tournament, with 70 nations taking part.

This was also Switzerland's last World Cup finals until 1994. Notable absentees from this tournament included 1962 runners-up Czechoslovakia and semi-finalists Yugoslavia.

They also protested against the readmission of South Africa to FIFA in 1963, despite their expulsion from CAF due to the country's apartheid regime in 1958.

Yidnekatchew Tessema, then president of the CAF, responded to this punishment by saying, "FIFA has adopted a relentless attitude against the African Associations and its decisions resemble methods of intimidation and repression designed to discourage any further impulses of a similar nature.

"[12] South Africa was subsequently assigned to the Asia and Oceania qualifying group, before being disqualified after being suspended again due to pressure from other African nations in October 1964.

[13] Despite this, FIFA refused to change the qualifying format, citing competitive and logistical issues, and the African teams withdrew in protest.

FIFA told England's Football Association that the tournament would be moved if any qualified team were to be refused entry.

[14][15] On the suggestion of the British Foreign Office, the playing of national anthems, and meetings between players and state figures such as Queen Elizabeth II, would only take place in two games: the opener and the final.

A Foreign Office suggestion for flags outside stadiums to be removed after each team's elimination, in the expectation of an early North Korean exit, was vetoed by the Department of Education and Science.

The draw for the final tournament, taking place on 6 January 1966 at the Royal Garden Hotel in London was the first ever to be televised, with England, West Germany, Brazil and Italy as seeds.

[24] The opening match took place on Monday, 11 July, which made it the second World Cup after 1930 to not begin on May or June.

Before the tournament began, eventual winners England were 9/2 second favourites with bookmakers behind Brazil (9/4), while beaten finalists West Germany were 25/1 outsiders.

FIFA cautioned Argentina for its violent style in the group games, particularly in the scoreless draw with West Germany, which saw Argentinean Rafael Albrecht get sent off and suspended for the next match.

[26][27] In the northwest of England, Old Trafford and Goodison Park played host to Group 3 which saw the two-time defending champions Brazil finish in third place behind Portugal and Hungary, and be eliminated along with Bulgaria.

They won all three of their games in the group stage, with a lot of help from their outstanding striker Eusébio, whose nine goals made him the tournament's top scorer.

Group 4, however, provided the biggest upset when North Korea beat Italy 1–0 at Ayresome Park, Middlesbrough and finished above them, thus earning qualification to the next round along with the Soviet Union.

The quarter-finals provided a controversial victory for West Germany as they cruised past Uruguay 4–0; the South Americans claimed that this occurred only after the referee (who was Jim Finney, from England) had not recognised a handball by Schnellinger on the goal line and then had sent off two players from Uruguay: Horacio Troche and Héctor Silva.

[28] It appeared as though the surprise package North Korea would claim another major upset in their match against Portugal at Goodison Park, when after 22 minutes they led 3–0.

Scoreless when Rattin was dismissed, the game was decided by Hurst's headed goal twelve minutes from the end of normal time.

[31][32] The other semi-final also finished 2–1: Franz Beckenbauer scoring the winning goal with a left foot shot from the edge of the area for West Germany as they beat the Soviet Union.

Debate has long raged over whether the ball crossed the line, with the goal becoming part of World Cup history.

[34] BBC commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme's description of the match's closing moments has gone down in history: "Some people are on the pitch.

England received the recovered Jules Rimet trophy from Queen Elizabeth II and were crowned World Cup winners for the first time.

A memo from the Foreign Office months before the finals began stated that the solution would be "denying the visas to North Korean players".