1966 European Athletics Championships – Men's marathon
The men's marathon at the 1966 European Athletics Championships was held in Budapest, Hungary, on 4 September 1966.


1966 European Athletics Championships – Men's marathon, Participation
According to an unofficial count, 35 athletes from 19 countries participated in the event.


1966 European Athletics Championships – Men's pole vault
This is the current revision of this page, as edited by Sol1 (talk | contribs) at 22:11, 17 November 2019 (→Qualification). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this version.


1966 European Athletics Championships – Men's pole vault
The men's pole vault at the 1966 European Athletics Championships was held in Budapest, Hungary, at Népstadion on 31 August and 2 September 1966.


1966 European Athletics Championships – Men's pole vault, Participation
According to an unofficial count, 27 athletes from 15 countries participated in the event.


1966 European Athletics Championships – Men's shot put
The men's shot put at the 1966 European Athletics Championships was held in Budapest, Hungary, at Népstadion on 2 and 3 September 1966.


1966 European Athletics Championships – Men's shot put, Participation
According to an unofficial count, 16 athletes from 10 countries participated in the event.


1966 European Athletics Championships – Men's triple jump
The men's triple jump at the 1966 European Athletics Championships was held in Budapest, Hungary, at Népstadion on 3 and 4 September 1966.


1966 European Athletics Championships – Men's triple jump, Participation
According to an unofficial count, 24 athletes from 14 countries participated in the event.


1966 European Athletics Championships – Women's 100 metres
The women's 100 metres at the 1966 European Athletics Championships was held in Budapest, Hungary, at Népstadion on 30 and 31 August 1966.


1966 European Athletics Championships – Women's 100 metres, Participation
According to an unofficial count, 23 athletes from 10 countries participated in the event.


1966 European Athletics Championships – Women's 200 metres
The women's 200 metres at the 1966 European Athletics Championships was held in Budapest, Hungary, at Népstadion on 1 and 2 September 1966.


1966 European Athletics Championships – Women's 200 metres, Participation
According to an unofficial count, 19 athletes from 14 countries participated in the event.


1966 European Athletics Championships – Women's 4 × 100 metres relay
The women's 4 x 100 metres relay at the 1966 European Athletics Championships was held in Budapest, Hungary, at Népstadion on 3 and 4 September 1966.


1966 European Athletics Championships – Women's 4 × 100 metres relay, Participation
According to an unofficial count, 40 athletes from 10 countries participated in the event.


1966 European Athletics Championships – Women's 400 metres
The women's 400 metres at the 1966 European Athletics Championships was held in Budapest, Hungary, at Népstadion on 30 and 31 August, and 1 September 1966.


1966 European Athletics Championships – Women's 400 metres, Participation
According to an unofficial count, 30 athletes from 16 countries participated in the event.


1966 European Athletics Championships – Women's 80 metres hurdles
The women's 80 metres hurdles at the 1966 European Athletics Championships was held in Budapest, Hungary, at Népstadion on 2, 3, and 4 September 1966.


1966 European Athletics Championships – Women's 80 metres hurdles, Participation
According to an unofficial count, 26 athletes from 16 countries participated in the event.


1966 European Athletics Championships – Women's 800 metres
The women's 800 metres at the 1966 European Athletics Championships was held in Budapest, Hungary, at Népstadion on 2, 3, and 4 September 1966.


1966 European Athletics Championships – Women's 800 metres, Participation
According to an unofficial count, 29 athletes from 16 countries participated in the event.


1966 European Athletics Championships – Women's discus throw
The women's discus throw at the 1966 European Athletics Championships was held in Budapest, Hungary, at Népstadion on 31 August and 1 September 1966.


1966 European Athletics Championships – Women's discus throw, Participation
According to an unofficial count, 14 athletes from 9 countries participated in the event.


1966 European Athletics Championships – Women's high jump
The women's high jump at the 1966 European Athletics Championships was held in Budapest, Hungary, at Népstadion on 3 and 4 September 1966.


1966 European Athletics Championships – Women's high jump, Participation
According to an unofficial count, 24 athletes from 16 countries participated in the event.


1966 European Athletics Championships – Women's javelin throw
The women's javelin throw at the 1966 European Athletics Championships was held in Budapest, Hungary, at Népstadion on 2 and 3 September 1966.


1966 European Athletics Championships – Women's javelin throw, Participation
According to an unofficial count, 16 athletes from 8 countries participated in the event.


1966 European Athletics Championships – Women's long jump
The women's long jump at the 1966 European Athletics Championships was held in Budapest, Hungary, at Népstadion on 2 and 3 September 1966.


1966 European Athletics Championships – Women's long jump, Participation
According to an unofficial count, 23 athletes from 16 countries participated in the event.


1966 European Athletics Championships – Women's pentathlon
The women's pentathlon at the 1966 European Athletics Championships was held in Budapest, Hungary, at Népstadion on 1 September 1966.


1966 European Athletics Championships – Women's pentathlon, Participation
According to an unofficial count, 25 athletes from 19 countries participated in the event.


1966 European Athletics Championships – Women's shot put
The women's shot put at the 1966 European Athletics Championships was held in Budapest, Hungary, at Népstadion on 30 August 1966.


1966 European Athletics Championships – Women's shot put, Participation
According to an unofficial count, 14 athletes from 9 countries participated in the event.


1966 European Cup Final
The 1966 European Cup Final was a football match held at the Heysel Stadium, Brussels, on 11 May 1966 that saw Real Madrid of Spain defeat FK Partizan of Yugoslavia 2–1 to win the 1965–66 European Cup title.


1966 European Cup Final, Match, Summary
The final was a competitive match. First Partizan took the lead through a goal by Velibor Vasović in the 55th minute, but Real Madrid soon took over, getting an equaliser in the 70th minute from Spanish international Amancio Amaro. Real Madrid got the winner in the 76th minute from Fernando Serena. With this goal, Real Madrid sealed their win and became European Champions once again.


1966 European Cup Final, Match, Summary
This was Real Madrid's sixth European Cup triumph in the 11 years of the tournament's existence. However, Los Blancos would not win the competition again until 1998, when Predrag Mijatović–– who was, ironically, a former Partizan player–– scored the winning goal in the 66th minute of the final.


1966 European Cup Winners' Cup Final
The 1966 European Cup Winners' Cup Final was an association football match between Borussia Dortmund of West Germany and Liverpool of England played on 5 May 1966 at Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland. It was the final match of the  1965–66 season of Europe's secondary cup competition, the European Cup Winners' Cup. Both sides were competing in their first European final.


1966 European Cup Winners' Cup Final
Each club needed to progress through four rounds to reach the final. The rounds were contested over two legs, with a match at each team's home ground. Borussia's ties varied from close affairs to comfortable victories. They beat Atlético Madrid by a single goal over two legs, while they defeated Floriana 13–1 on aggregate in the first round. Liverpool's ties were mainly close affairs. Only one of Liverpool's ties was won by more than two goals.


1966 European Cup Winners' Cup Final
Watched by a crowd of 41,657, the first half was goalless. Dortmund took the lead in the second half when Sigfried Held scored, Liverpool equalised seven minutes later through Roger Hunt. The scores remained the same to the end of the second half, which meant the match went into extra time. Reinhard Libuda scored in extra-time for Dortmund, and with no further goals, Dortmund won the match 2–1 to win the Cup Winners' Cup and become the first German team to win a European trophy.


1966 European Cup Winners' Cup Final, Route to the final, Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund gained entry to the competition by winning the 1964–65 DFB-Pokal, Germany's annual domestic cup competition. Their opponents in the first round were the Maltese cup winners Floriana. Dortmund won the first leg at Floriana's home ground the Independence Ground 5–1, and the second leg 8–0 at Dortmund's home ground Stadion Rote Erde, thus winning the tie 13–1 on aggregate.


1966 European Cup Winners' Cup Final, Route to the final, Borussia Dortmund
Their opponents in the second round were Bulgarian cup winners' CSKA Sofia. The first leg was in Germany. Dortmund won 3–0 after goals from Wilhelm Sturm, Sigfried Held and Aki Schmidt. The second leg was played in Bulgaria at the Vasil Levski National Stadium. CSKA won the match 4–2, but Dortmund progressed to the quarter-finals after winning the tie 5–4 on aggregate.


1966 European Cup Winners' Cup Final, Route to the final, Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund's opponents in the quarter-finals were Spanish cup winners' Atlético Madrid. The first leg held at Atlético's home ground the Metropolitano finished 1–1. Dortmund won the second leg 1–0 in Germany and progressed to the semi-finals courtesy of a 2–1 aggregate victory. Their opponents in the semi-finals were the previous season's champions West Ham United of England, who had England internationals Bobby Moore and Geoff Hurst in their side. The first leg at the Boleyn Ground, West Ham's home ground was won 2–1 by Dortmund. Dortmund won the second leg in Germany 3–1, to win the tie 5–2 on aggregate and progress to the first Cup Winners' Cup final.


1966 European Cup Winners' Cup Final, Route to the final, Liverpool
Liverpool qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup by winning the 1964–65 FA Cup, England's annual domestic cup competition. Their opponents in the first round were Italian cup winners Juventus. The first leg was held at Juventus' home ground the Stadio Communale. With 81 minutes played and the score at 0–0, Gianfranco Leoncini scored for Juventus. The Italian side subsequently won the first leg 1–0. The second leg was held at Liverpool's home ground Anfield, and they won the match 2–0 with two first half goals from Chris Lawler and Geoff Strong. Thus they won the tie 2–1 on aggregate.


1966 European Cup Winners' Cup Final, Route to the final, Liverpool
Their opponents in the second round were Belgian team Standard Liège. Liège were runners-up in the Belgian Cup to Anderlecht, but as Anderlecht had won the league this entitled them to compete in the European Cup and Liège took their place in the Cup Winners' Cup. Liverpool won the first leg in England 3–1 and a 2–1 victory at Liège's home ground Stade Maurice Dufrasne ensured a 5–2 aggregate victory.


1966 European Cup Winners' Cup Final, Route to the final, Liverpool
In the quarter-finals Liverpool were drawn against Hungarian Cup winners Honvéd. The first leg at Honvéd's home ground the Bozsik József Stadion ended in a 0–0 draw. A 2–0 victory in the second leg in England ensured Liverpool won the tie 2–0 on aggregate to progress to the semi-finals. Liverpool's opponents in the semi-finals were Scottish Cup winners Celtic. Celtic won the first leg 1–0 at their home ground Celtic Park, thanks to a goal from Bobby Lennox. Liverpool needed to win the second leg at Anfield to progress to the final. Two goals from Tommy Smith and Geoff Strong secured a 2–0 victory. Liverpool won the tie 2–1 on aggregate to secure their place in their first European final.


1966 European Cup Winners' Cup Final, Match, Background
Both Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund were appearing in their first European final. It was Liverpool's second season in European competition, the previous season they had been eliminated in the semi-finals of the 1964–65 European Cup by Internazionale. Dortmund first competed in European competition in the 1956–57 European Cup, when they were eliminated in the second round. Their best performance in Europe to date was in the 1963–64 European Cup. Like Liverpool they were eliminated in the semi-finals by Internazionale.


1966 European Cup Winners' Cup Final, Match, Background
Liverpool had won the 1965–66 Football League, a victory over Chelsea F.C. ensured they became English champions. Their league success meant that whatever the result they would be competing in the European Cup the following season. Borussia Dortmund had finished as runners-up in the 1965–66 Fußball-Bundesliga, three points behind champions 1860 Munich. As Bayern Munich had won the 1965–66 DFB-Pokal, Dortmund's only chance of participating in European football the following season was to win the Cup Winners' Cup.


1966 European Cup Winners' Cup Final, Match, Summary
The weather in Glasgow was stormy, with torrential rain nearly flooding Hampden Park. As a result, the stadium didn't reach its normal capacity of 100,000, only 41,657 spectators attended the match. The first half was mostly uneventful, both teams negated the threat of the other. Despite this both sides had opportunities to take the lead. At the start of the match, Liverpool striker Ian St John had a shot cleared off the goal line and midway through the second half Dortmund defender Theodor Redder almost scored an own goal. Towards the end of the half, Dortmund began to have more of an attacking threat. They were only denied by a number of saves from Liverpool goalkeeper Tommy Lawrence, ensuring it remained 0–0 at half-time.


1966 European Cup Winners' Cup Final, Match, Summary
Liverpool had the majority of the possession up to this point, with Dortmund content to counter-attack. The tactic worked as Dortmund took lead in the 61st minute. Sigfried Held passed to Lothar Emmerich on the left hand side of the pitch, Emmerich played a lofted pass to Held, who volleyed the ball into the goal to give Dortmund a 1–0 lead. Seven minutes later Liverpool were level. Peter Thompson ran down the left hand side of the pitch and passed to Roger Hunt who scored to level the match at 1–1.


1966 European Cup Winners' Cup Final, Match, Summary
The linesman on the left hand side of the pitch signalled to the referee that the ball had gone out of play, yet the referee ignored him and allowed the goal to stand. There were few chances for either side until the end of the half when Liverpool had a chance to win the match, but Hunt's shot missed. With the scores still level at 1–1, the match went into extra-time.


1966 European Cup Winners' Cup Final, Match, Summary
The winning goal came in the 107th minute. A clearance by Liverpool goalkeeper Lawrence found Dortmund midfielder Reinhard Libuda. Libuda shot 35 yards from goal on the right hand side of the pitch. The shot went over Lawrence and Liverpool defender Ron Yeats hit the post and rebounded off Yeats into the Liverpool goal to give Dortmund a 2–1 lead. The score remained the same throughout the remainder of extra-time and Dortmund became the first German team to win the Cup Winners' Cup.


1966 European Figure Skating Championships
The 1966 European Figure Skating Championships were held in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia from February 1 to 5. Elite senior-level figure skaters from European ISU member nations competed for the title of European Champion in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing.


1966 European Indoor Games
The 1966 European Indoor Games were the first edition of what later became the European Athletics Indoor Championships. These games took place on 27 March 1966 at Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, a city of West Germany. It was the only edition held on a single day – since 1967 the duration was extended to two days and since 1992 to three.


1966 European Indoor Games
The track used for the championships was 160 metres long.


1966 European Indoor Games – Men's 1500 metres
The men's 1500 metres event at the 1966 European Indoor Games was held on 27 March in Dortmund.


1966 European Indoor Games – Men's 3000 metres
The men's 3000 metres event at the 1966 European Indoor Games was held on 27 March in Dortmund.


1966 European Indoor Games – Men's 4 × 320 metres relay
The men's 4 × 320 metres relay event at the 1966 European Indoor Games was held on 27 March in Dortmund. Each athlete ran two laps of the 160 metres track.


1966 European Indoor Games – Men's 400 metres
The men's 400 metres event at the 1966 European Indoor Games was held on 27 March in Dortmund.


1966 European Indoor Games – Men's 400 metres, Results, Heats
The winner of each heat (Q) and the next 2 fastest (q) qualified for the final.


1966 European Indoor Games – Men's 60 metres
The men's 60 metres event at the 1966 European Indoor Games was held on 27 March in Dortmund.


1966 European Indoor Games – Men's 60 metres, Results, Heats
First 3 from each heat (Q) and the next 3 fastest (q) qualified for the semifinals.


1966 European Indoor Games – Men's 60 metres, Results, Semifinals
First 3 from each heat (Q) qualified directly for the final.


1966 European Indoor Games – Men's 60 metres hurdles
The men's 60 metres hurdles event at the 1966 European Indoor Games was held on 27 March in Dortmund.


1966 European Indoor Games – Men's 60 metres hurdles, Results, Heats
First 2 from each heat (Q) and the next 6 fastest (q) qualified for the semifinals.


1966 European Indoor Games – Men's 60 metres hurdles, Results, Intermediate round
Note: Both Italian runners missed the semifinals. After a protest by Italy was upheld, this round was deemed to be an intermediate round, with the six advancing qualifiers and both Italians running in the semifinals.


1966 European Indoor Games – Men's 60 metres hurdles, Results, Semifinals
First 3 from each heat (Q) qualified directly for the final.


1966 European Indoor Games – Men's 800 metres
The men's 800 metres event at the 1966 European Indoor Games was held on 27 March in Dortmund.


1966 European Indoor Games – Men's 800 metres, Results, Heats
The first 2 from each heat (Q) and the next 3 fastest (q) qualified for the final.


1966 European Indoor Games – Men's high jump
The men's high jump event at the 1966 European Indoor Games was held on 27 March in Dortmund.


1966 European Indoor Games – Men's long jump
The men's long jump event at the 1966 European Indoor Games was held on 27 March in Dortmund.


1966 European Indoor Games – Men's medley relay
The men's 160 + 320 + 480 + 640 medley relay event at the 1966 European Indoor Games was held on 27 March in Dortmund. The first athlete ran one lap of the 160-metre track, the second two, the third three and the anchor four, which gave in total 10 laps or 1600 metres.


1966 European Indoor Games – Men's pole vault
This is the current revision of this page, as edited by Sol1 (talk | contribs) at 21:25, 17 November 2019 (→Results). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this version.


1966 European Indoor Games – Men's pole vault
The men's pole vault event at the 1966 European Indoor Games was held on 27 March in Dortmund.


1966 European Indoor Games – Men's shot put
The men's shot put event at the 1966 European Indoor Games was held on 27 March in Dortmund.


1966 European Indoor Games – Men's triple jump
The men's triple jump event at the 1966 European Indoor Games was held on 27 March in Dortmund.


1966 European Indoor Games – Women's 4 × 160 metres relay
The women's 4 × 160 metres relay event at the 1966 European Indoor Games was held on 27 March in Dortmund. Each athlete ran one lap of the 160 metres track.


1966 European Indoor Games – Women's 400 metres
The women's 400 metres event at the 1966 European Indoor Games was held on 27 March in Dortmund.


1966 European Indoor Games – Women's 400 metres, Results, Heats
The first 2 from each heat (Q) qualified directly for the final.


1966 European Indoor Games – Women's 60 metres
The women's 60 metres event at the 1966 European Indoor Games was held on 27 March in Dortmund.


1966 European Indoor Games – Women's 60 metres, Results, Heats
First 2 from each heat (Q) and the next 4 fastest (q) qualified for the semifinals.


1966 European Indoor Games – Women's 60 metres, Results, Semifinals
First 2 from each heat (Q) and the next 2 fastest (q) qualified for the final.


1966 European Indoor Games – Women's 60 metres hurdles
The men's 60 metres hurdles event at the 1966 European Indoor Games was held on 27 March in Dortmund.


1966 European Indoor Games – Women's 60 metres hurdles, Results, Heats
First 2 from each heat (Q) and the next 6 fastest (q) qualified for the semifinals.


1966 European Indoor Games – Women's 60 metres hurdles, Results, Semifinals
First 3 from each heat (Q) qualified directly for the final.


1966 European Indoor Games – Women's 800 metres
The women's 800 metres event at the 1966 European Indoor Games was held on 27 March in Dortmund.


1966 European Indoor Games – Women's high jump
The women's high jump event at the 1966 European Indoor Games was held on 27 March in Dortmund.


1966 European Indoor Games – Women's long jump
The women's long jump event at the 1966 European Indoor Games was held on 27 March in Dortmund.


1966 European Indoor Games – Women's shot put
The women's shot put event at the 1966 European Indoor Games was held on 27 March in Dortmund.


1966 European Judo Championships
The 1966 European Judo Championships were the 15th edition of the European Judo Championships, and were held in Luxembourg on 18 May 1966. Championships were subdivided into six individual competitions, and a separate team competition. Individual events were not discriminated into amateur and professional as before.


1966 European Junior Games
The 1966 European Junior Games was the second edition of the biennial athletics competition for European athletes aged under twenty. It was the first edition to have received official support from the European Athletic Association, following the unofficial first edition in 1964. The event was held at the Central Stadium Chornomorets in Odessa, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union, on 24 and 25 September.


1966 European Karate Championships
The 1966 European Karate Championships, the 1st edition, was held in Paris, France from May 7 to 9, 1966. In 1961, Jacques Delcourt was appointed President of French Karate Federation, which was at that stage an associated member of the Judo Federation. In 1963 he invited the six other known European federations (Italy, Great Britain, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Spain) to come to France for the first-ever international karate event, and Great Britain and Belgium accepted the invitation.


1966 European Rowing Championships
The 1966 European Rowing Championships were rowing championships held on the Bosbaan in the Dutch city of Amsterdam; the venue had previously been used for the 1954 and 1964 European Rowing Championships. This edition of the European Rowing Championships was for women only and was held from 26 to 28 August. Thirteen countries contested five boat classes (W1x, W2x, W4x+, W4+, W8+), and 39 teams were competing. Two weeks later, men would meet in Bled, Yugoslavia, at the second edition of the World Rowing Championships.


1966 European Rowing Championships, Background
The championships were initially awarded to Romania, but they withdrew. Other countries, including England, were then asked whether they could host the championships instead. With only a few months to go, the decision was made in April 1966 to hold the championships at the Bosbaan, the same venue that was used for the 1964 championships. For the first time since 1955, FISA allowed separate German crews to compete; in the intervening years, East and West Germany had to have selection trials to determine which rowers would start in the various boat classes.


1966 European Rowing Championships, Medal summary – women's events
The 13 countries represented at the Bosbaan were Bulgaria, Great Britain, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, France, Hungary, Italy, Romania, the Soviet Union, Sweden, East Germany, West Germany, and the Netherlands as hosts.


1966 European Rowing Championships, Medals table
For the first time in the history of the European Championships, the East German women were more successful than their Soviet counterparts. Six of those countries won medals, with both East Germany and the Soviet Union winning medals in all five boat classes.


1966 European Wrestling Championships
The 1966 European Wrestling Championships were held in the Greco-Romane style and  in Essen 13 - 16 May 1966; the men's Freestyle style  in Karlsruhe 05 – 08 May 1966.


1966 FA Charity Shield
The 1966 FA Charity Shield was a Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton at Goodison Park. Liverpool won the Football League and Everton won the 1966 FA Cup Final to qualify for the charity shield. Before the game, Roger Hunt, Alan Ball and Ray Wilson paraded the World Cup, the FA Cup and the Football League Trophy around Goodison Park. Liverpool won the game with a goal from Roger Hunt in the ninth minute of the first half.


1966 FA Cup Final
The 1966 FA Cup Final was a football match played on 14 May 1966. It was contested by Everton and Sheffield Wednesday at Wembley. Everton were the first team since Bury FC in 1903 to reach an FA Cup Final without conceding a goal in the preceding rounds.


1966 FA Cup Final
Everton came back from 2-0 down to win 3–2 with goals by Mike Trebilcock (2) and Derek Temple. Jim McCalliog and David Ford scored the Owls' goals. Temple's winner came after an unfortunate slip by Gerry Young, when the ball squirmed under his foot, and Temple was able to run clear and slot the ball past goalkeeper Springett into the corner. Everton became only the second side ever, after Blackpool in 1953, to come from two goals behind to win the cup without the need of extra time, a feat which has not been repeated since.


1966 FA Cup Final
By contrast, Wednesday hold the unwanted record of being the only side ever to lose an FA Cup Final in normal time having held a two-goal lead and without the loss of a player to injury, Bolton in 1953 having been effectively reduced to nine fit men before losing their two-goal lead.


1966 FA Cup Final
John Lennon and Paul McCartney of The Beatles both attended the match. Everton fan Eddie Cavanagh invaded the playing area and was pursued across the pitch by a policeman.


1966 FA Cup Final
This result meant the FA Cup was taken back to Goodison Park for the third time and the first time for 33 years, since the team which included Dixie Dean had won it in 1933.


1966 FAMAS Awards
The 14th Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences Awards Night was held 1n 1966 for the Outstanding Achievements for the year 1965.


1966 FAMAS Awards
Ang Daigdig Ng Mga Api was the first film ever to win all the major awards in FAMAS history including the FAMAS Award for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Screenplay. It was also the first film to ever win four (out of six) acting awards from the FAMAS: Best Actor (Robert Arevalo), Best Actress (Barbara Perez), Best Supporting Actress (Leni Alano) and Best Child Actress (Ana Trinidad). This was also the first time a husband and a wife won the two top acting awards.


1966 FIBA Africa Championship for Women
The 1966 FIBA Africa Championship for Women was the 1st FIBA Africa Championship for Women, played under the rules of FIBA, the world governing body for basketball, and the FIBA Africa thereof. The tournament was hosted by the Guinea from April 11 to 14, 1966.


1966 FIBA Africa Championship for Women
On day 3 of the competition the United Arab Republic had a 1-1 record while Guinea had a 2-0 record. The United Arab Republic won the match 35-23 with both teams finishing with a 2-1 record but the U.A.R. benefitting from the head-to-head advantage and thus becoming the first African women's basketball champion.


1966 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship
The 1966 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship was an international basketball  competition held in Italy in 1966.


1966 FIBA European Champions Cup Final Four
The 1966 FIBA European Champions Cup Final Four was the concluding tournament of the 1965–66 FIBA European Champions Cup, and the first FIBA European Champions Cup Final Four tournament of all time.


1966 FIBA European Champions Cup Final Four
Simmenthal Milano won its first FIBA European Champions Cup (EuroLeague) title.


1966 FIBA Intercontinental Cup
The 1966 FIBA Intercontinental Cup was the 1st official edition of the FIBA Intercontinental Cup for men's basketball clubs. It took place at Real Madrid Pavilion, Madrid, Spain. From the FIBA European Champions Cup participated Real Madrid and Ignis Varese, from the South American Club Championship participated Corinthians, and from the NABL played the Chicago Jamaco Saints.


1966 FIFA World Cup
The 1966 FIFA World Cup was the eighth FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in England from 11 July to 30 July 1966.


1966 FIFA World Cup
England defeated West Germany 4–2 in the final to win their first and so far only ever title; the match had finished at 2–2 after 90 minutes and went to extra time, when Geoff Hurst scored two goals to complete his hat-trick, the first (and as of 2021, only) to be scored in a World Cup final, with a handful of spectators wandering on to the pitch during the fourth goal. England were the fifth nation to win the event, and the third host nation to win after Uruguay in 1930 and Italy in 1934. Brazil were the defending champions, but they failed to progress from the group stage.


1966 FIFA World Cup
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. Portugal themselves finished third, losing 2–1 to England in the semi-final. Portuguese striker Eusébio was the tournament's top scorer, with nine goals clinching the golden boot with three goals more than second placed Helmut Haller.


1966 FIFA World Cup
The 1966 World Cup was the first FIFA World Cup held in the English-speaking world. Matches were played at eight stadiums across England, with the final being held at Wembley Stadium, which had a capacity of 98,600. The 1966 event featured the highest number of teams of any international tournament to date, with 70 nations participating. 31 African nations boycotted the World Cup, having objected to the number of guaranteed placings at the finals.


1966 FIFA World Cup
Prior to the tournament, the Jules Rimet trophy was stolen, but was recovered by a dog named Pickles four months before the tournament began. It was the first World Cup to have selected matches broadcast via satellite to countries on other continents. The final, which was broadcast locally by the BBC, was the last to be shown entirely in black and white.


1966 FIFA World Cup, Background
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. This is the first tournament to be held in a country that was affected directly by World War II, as the four previous tournaments were either held in countries out of war theatres or in neutral countries.


1966 FIFA World Cup, Background, Qualification
Despite the Africans' absence, there was another new record number of entries for the qualifying tournament, with 70 nations taking part. After all the arguments, FIFA finally ruled that ten teams from Europe would qualify, along with four from South America, one from Asia and one from North and Central America.


1966 FIFA World Cup, Background, Qualification
Portugal and North Korea qualified for the first time. Portugal would not qualify again until 1986, while North Korea's next appearance was at the 2010 tournament. This was also Switzerland's last World Cup finals until 1994. Notable absentees from this tournament included 1962 semi-finalists Yugoslavia and 1962 runners-up Czechoslovakia. France qualified for the first time since 1958.


1966 FIFA World Cup, Background, Controversies, African boycott
Thirty-one African nations boycotted the tournament to protest a 1964 FIFA ruling that required the three second-round winners from the African zone to enter a play-off round against the winners of the Asian zone in order to qualify for the World Cup, as they felt winning their zone was enough in itself to merit qualification. The CAF felt that the representation of African nations in the World Cup was unfair, and so they demanded that FIFA guarantee at least one African nation a spot in the finals of the following tournament.


1966 FIFA World Cup, Background, Controversies, African boycott
They also protested against the readmission of South Africa to FIFA in 1963, despite its expulsion from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) due to the Apartheid regime in 1958. As a result of this boycott, FIFA fined CAF 5,000 Swiss francs. 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. In our opinion, the African National Associations ... really deserved a gesture of respect rather than a fine."


1966 FIFA World Cup, Background, Controversies, African boycott
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. Despite this, after FIFA refused to change the qualifying format, the African teams decided anyway to pull out of the World Cup until at least one African team had a place assured in the World Cup, something which was put in place for the 1970 FIFA World Cup and all subsequent World Cup finals. The Portuguese colonies of Angola and Mozambique participated for Portugal.


1966 FIFA World Cup, Background, Controversies, Trophy incident, mascot and match ball
The 1966 World Cup had a rather unusual hero off the field, a dog called Pickles. In the build-up to the tournament, the Jules Rimet trophy was stolen from an exhibition display. A nationwide hunt for the icon ensued. It was later discovered wrapped in newspaper as the dog sniffed under some bushes in London. The FA commissioned a replica cup in case the original cup was not found in time. This replica, as well as Pickles' collar, is held at the National Football Museum in Manchester, where it is on display.


1966 FIFA World Cup, Background, Controversies, Trophy incident, mascot and match ball
The mascot for the 1966 competition was "World Cup Willie", a lion wearing a Union Jack jersey emblazoned with the words "WORLD CUP". This was the first World Cup mascot, and one of the first mascots to be associated with a major sporting competition. Willie was designed by freelance children's book illustrator Reg Hoye. The official match ball was produced by Slazenger for the tournament.


1966 FIFA World Cup, Background, Controversies, Doping
West Germany encouraged and covered up a culture of doping across many sports for decades. The report, titled "Doping in Germany from 1950 to today", links the West German national team of 1966, which reached the World Cup final, with doping.


1966 FIFA World Cup, Format
The format of the 1966 competition remained the same as 1962: 16 qualified teams were divided into four groups of four. Each group played a round-robin format. Two points were awarded for a win and one point for a draw, with goal average used to separate teams equal on points. The top two teams in each group advanced to the knockout stage.


1966 FIFA World Cup, Format
In the knockout games, if the teams were tied after 90 minutes, 30 minutes of extra time were played. For any match other than the final, if the teams were still tied after extra time, lots would be drawn to determine the winner. The final would have been replayed if tied after extra time. In the event, no replays or drawing of lots was necessary.


1966 FIFA World Cup, Format
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.


1966 FIFA World Cup, Venues
Eight venues were used for this World Cup. The newest and biggest venue used was Wembley Stadium in north London, which was 43 years old in 1966. As was often the case in the World Cup, group matches were played in two venues in close proximity to each other.


1966 FIFA World Cup, Venues
Group 1 matches (which included the hosts) were all played in London: five at Wembley, which was England's national stadium and was considered to be the most important football venue in the world; and one at White City Stadium in west London, which was used as a temporary replacement for nearby Wembley. The group stage match between Uruguay and France played at White City Stadium (originally built for the 1908 Summer Olympics) was scheduled for a Friday, the same day as regularly scheduled greyhound racing at Wembley.


1966 FIFA World Cup, Venues
Because Wembley's owner refused to cancel this, the game had to be moved to the alternative venue in London. Group 2's matches were played at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield and Villa Park in Birmingham; Group 3's matches were played at Old Trafford in Manchester and Goodison Park in Liverpool; and Group 4's matches were played at Ayresome Park in Middlesbrough and Roker Park in Sunderland. The stadium construction cost are estimated to be today's equivalent of 19.2 million GBP, additional to 36.22 million GBP for tournament organization.


1966 FIFA World Cup, Venues
The most used venue was Wembley, which was used for nine matches, including all six featuring England, the final and the third-place match. Goodison Park was used for five matches, Roker Park and Hillsborough both hosted four, while Old Trafford, Villa Park and Ayresome Park each hosted three matches and did not host any knockout round matches.


1966 FIFA World Cup, Tournament summary
The opening match took place on Monday 11 July. With the exception of the first tournament, which commenced on 13 July 1930, every other tournament (up to 2018) has commenced in 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. The final took place on 30 July 1966, the 36th anniversary of the first final. This remains the latest date that any tournament has concluded. The reason for the unusually late scheduling of the tournament appears to lie with the outside broadcast commitments of the BBC, which also had commitments to cover Wimbledon (which ran between 20 June and 2 July) and the Open Golf Championship (6 to 9 July).


1966 FIFA World Cup, Tournament summary, Group stage
1966 was a World Cup with few goals as the teams began to play much more tactically and defensively. This was exemplified by Alf Ramsey's England as they finished top of Group 1 with only four goals, but having none scored against them. They also became the first World Cup winning team not to win its first game in the tournament. Uruguay were the other team to qualify from that group at the expense of both Mexico and France. All the group's matches were played at Wembley Stadium apart from the match between Uruguay and France which took place at White City Stadium.


1966 FIFA World Cup, Tournament summary, Group stage
In Group 2, West Germany and Argentina qualified with ease as they both finished the group with 5 points, Spain managed 2, while Switzerland left the competition after losing all three group matches. 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.


1966 FIFA World Cup, Tournament summary, Group stage
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. Brazil were defeated 3–1 by Hungary in a classic encounter before falling by the same scoreline to Portugal in a controversial game. Portugal appeared in the finals for the first time, and made quite an impact. 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.


1966 FIFA World Cup, Tournament summary, Group stage
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. This was the first time that a nation from outside Europe or the Americas had progressed from the first stage of a World Cup: the next would be Morocco in 1986.


1966 FIFA World Cup, Tournament summary, Knock-out stages
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. 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. It fell to one of the greatest stars of the tournament, Eusébio, to change that. He scored four goals in the game and José Augusto added a fifth in the 78th minute to earn Portugal a 5–3 win.


1966 FIFA World Cup, Tournament summary, Knock-out stages
Meanwhile, in the other two games, Ferenc Bene's late goal for Hungary against the Soviet Union, who were led by Lev Yashin's stellar goalkeeping, proved little more than a consolation as they crashed out 2–1, and the only goal between Argentina and England came courtesy of England's Geoff Hurst. During that controversial game (for more details see Argentina and England football rivalry), Argentina's Antonio Rattín became the first player to be sent off in a senior international football match at Wembley. Rattín at first refused to leave the field and eventually had to be escorted by several policemen. After 30 minutes England scored the only goal of the match. This game is called el robo del siglo (the robbery of the century) in Argentina.


1966 FIFA World Cup, Tournament summary, Knock-out stages
All semi-finalists were from Europe. The venue of the first semi-final between England and Portugal was changed from Goodison Park in Liverpool to Wembley, due to Wembley's larger capacity. This larger capacity was particularly significant during a time when ticket revenue was of crucial importance. Bobby Charlton scored both goals in England's win, with Portugal's goal coming from a penalty in the 82nd minute after a handball by Jack Charlton on the goal line. 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.


1966 FIFA World Cup, Tournament summary, Knock-out stages
Portugal went on to beat the Soviet Union 2–1 to take third place. Portugal's third place was the best finish by a team making its World Cup debut since 1934. It was equalled by Croatia in 1998.


1966 FIFA World Cup, Tournament summary, Final
London's Wembley Stadium was the venue for the final, and 98,000 people attended. After 12 minutes 32 seconds Helmut Haller put West Germany ahead, but the score was levelled by Geoff Hurst four minutes later. Martin Peters put England in the lead in the 78th minute; England looked set to claim the title when the referee awarded a free kick to West Germany with one minute left. The ball was launched goalward and Wolfgang Weber scored, with England appealing in vain for handball as the ball came through the crowded penalty area.


1966 FIFA World Cup, Tournament summary, Final
With the score level at 2–2 at the end of 90 minutes, the game went to extra time. In the 98th minute, Hurst found himself on the scoresheet again; his shot hit the crossbar, bounced down onto the goal line, and was awarded as a goal. Debate has long raged over whether the ball crossed the line, with the goal becoming part of World Cup history. England's final goal was scored by Hurst again, as a celebratory pitch invasion began. This made Geoff Hurst the only player ever to have scored three times in a single World Cup final. BBC commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme's description of the match's closing moments has gone down in history: "Some people are on the pitch. They think it's all over ... [ Hurst scores] It is now!"


1966 FIFA World Cup, Tournament summary, Final
England's total of eleven goals scored in six games set a new record low for average goals per game scored by a World Cup winning team. The record stood until 1982, when it was surpassed by Italy's 12 goals in seven games; in 2010 this record was lowered again by Spain, winning the Cup with eight goals in seven games. England's total of three goals conceded also constituted a record low for average goals per game conceded by a World Cup winning team. That record stood until 1994, when it was surpassed by Brazil's three goals in seven games. France again lowered the record to two goals in seven during the 1998 tournament, a record that has since been equalled by Italy at the 2006 tournament and by Spain's two goals conceded during the 2010 tournament.


1966 FIFA World Cup, Tournament summary, Final
England received the recovered Jules Rimet trophy from Elizabeth II and were crowned World Cup winners for the first time.


1966 FIFA World Cup, Tournament summary, Final
In this World Cup, the national anthems were played only in the final. They were not played in the earlier matches because the organisers (FIFA and the FA) feared that North Korea's presence – a socialist country that was not recognised by the United Kingdom – in the World Cup would cause problems with South Korea. A memo from the Foreign Office months before the finals began stated that the solution would be "denying the visas to North Korean players". The final, held at Wembley Stadium, was the last to be broadcast in black and white.


1966 FIFA World Cup, Match officials
A total of 26 match referees and other officials featured at the event. Despite the event being a worldwide tournament, the majority of the officials were from Europe. Gottfried Dienst refereed the final between England and West Germany.


1966 FIFA World Cup, Goalscorers
With nine goals, Eusébio was the top scorer in the tournament. In total, 89 goals were scored by 47 players, with two of them credited as own goals.


1966 FIFA World Cup, Final standings
In 1986, FIFA published a report that ranked all teams in each World Cup up to and including 1986, based on progress in the competition, overall results and quality of the opposition. The rankings for the 1966 tournament were as follows:


1966 FIFA World Cup Final
The 1966 FIFA World Cup Final was a football match played at Wembley Stadium, London, on 30 July 1966 to determine the winner of the 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth FIFA World Cup. The match was contested by England and West Germany, with England winning 4–2 after extra time to claim the Jules Rimet Trophy. It was the first – and to date only – occasion that England has hosted or won the World Cup. This remains England's only major tournament win and last final at a major international football tournament for 55 years, until 2021 when the nation reached the UEFA Euro 2020 Final at the new Wembley Stadium (which England lost to Italy after a penalty shootout).


1966 FIFA World Cup Final
The match is remembered for England's only World Cup and major international title, Geoff Hurst's hat-trick – the first and (as of 2021) only one ever scored in a FIFA World Cup final – and the controversial third goal awarded to England by referee Gottfried Dienst and linesman Tofiq Bahramov. The England team became known as the "wingless wonders", on account of their then-unconventional narrow attacking formation, described at the time as a 4–4–2.


1966 FIFA World Cup Final
In addition to an attendance of 96,924 at the stadium, the British television audience peaked at 32.3 million viewers, making it the United Kingdom's most-watched television event ever.


1966 FIFA World Cup Final, Road to the final
Both teams were strong throughout the tournament. Each won two and drew one of their three matches in the group stages. England did not concede a goal until their semi-final against Portugal.


1966 FIFA World Cup Final, Match, Summary, Normal time
England, managed by Alf Ramsey and captained by Bobby Moore, won the toss and elected to kick off. After 12 minutes, Sigfried Held sent a cross into the English penalty area which Ray Wilson misheaded to Helmut Haller, who got his shot on target. Jack Charlton and goalkeeper Gordon Banks failed to deal with the shot which went in, making it 1–0 to West Germany.


1966 FIFA World Cup Final, Match, Summary, Normal time
In the 18th minute, Wolfgang Overath conceded a free kick, which Moore took immediately, floating a cross into the West German area, where Geoff Hurst rose unchallenged; his downward glancing header went into the net and levelled the scores at 1-1. The teams were level at half-time, and after 77 minutes England won a corner. Alan Ball delivered the ball to Geoff Hurst whose deflected shot from the edge of the area found Martin Peters. He produced the final shot, beating the West German keeper from eight yards to make the score 2–1 to England.


1966 FIFA World Cup Final, Match, Summary, Normal time
Germany pressed for an equaliser in the closing moments, and in the 89th minute Jack Charlton conceded a free kick for climbing on Uwe Seeler as they both went up for a header. The kick was taken by Lothar Emmerich, who struck it into George Cohen in the wall; the rebound fell to Held, who shot across the face of goal and into the body of Karl-Heinz Schnellinger. The ball deflected across the England six-yard box, wrong-footing the England defence and allowing Wolfgang Weber to level the score at 2–2 and force the match into extra time. Banks protested that the ball had struck Schnellinger on the arm, and reiterated the claim in his 2002 autobiography, but replays showed that it actually struck Schnellinger on the back.


1966 FIFA World Cup Final, Match, Summary, Extra time
England pressed forward and created several chances. In particular, with five minutes gone, Bobby Charlton struck the post and sent another shot just wide. With 11 minutes of extra time gone, Alan Ball put in a cross and Geoff Hurst swivelled and shot from close range. The ball hit the underside of the crossbar, bounced down and was cleared. The referee Gottfried Dienst was uncertain if it had been a goal and consulted his linesman, Tofiq Bahramov from Azerbaijan in the USSR, who indicated that it was, and the Swiss referee awarded the goal to the home team. The crowd and the audience of 400 million television viewers were left arguing whether the goal should have been given or not. The crossbar is now on display in the Wembley Stadium.


1966 FIFA World Cup Final, Match, Summary, Extra time
England's third goal has remained controversial ever since the match. According to the Laws of the Game the definition of a goal is when "the whole of the ball passes over the goal line". English supporters cited the good position of the linesman and the statement of Roger Hunt, the nearest England player to the ball, who claimed it was a goal and that was why he wheeled away in celebration rather than attempting to tap the rebounding ball in.


1966 FIFA World Cup Final, Match, Summary, Extra time
Modern studies using film analysis and computer simulation have shown that the whole ball never crossed the line – only 97% did. Both Duncan Gillies of the Visual Information Processing Group at Imperial College London and Ian Reid and Andrew Zisserman of the Department of Engineering Science at University of Oxford have stated that the ball would have needed to travel a further 18±4 cm to fully cross the line. Some Germans cited possible bias of the Soviet linesman, especially as the USSR had just been defeated in the semi-finals by West Germany.


1966 FIFA World Cup Final, Match, Summary, Extra time
One minute before the end of play, the West Germans sent their defenders forward in a desperate attempt to score a last-minute equaliser. Winning the ball, Bobby Moore picked out the unmarked Geoff Hurst with a long pass, which Hurst carried forward while some spectators began streaming onto the field and Hurst, as he later revealed, tried to shoot the ball as far into the Wembley stands as he could, to waste time.


1966 FIFA World Cup Final, Match, Summary, Extra time
He mishit that attempt, but the mishit went straight to the top corner of Hans Tilkowski's net, sealing a historic hattrick and winning the World Cup for England. The goal gave rise to one of the most famous calls in English football history, when BBC commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme described the situation as follows:


1966 FIFA World Cup Final, Match, Summary, Extra time
"And here comes Hurst. He's got... some people are on the pitch, they think it's all over. It is now! It's four!"


1966 FIFA World Cup Final, Match, Summary, Extra time
One of the balls from the final is on display in the National Football Museum in Manchester.


1966 FIFA World Cup Final, Aftermath, Champions photograph and statue
One of the enduring images of the celebrations in Wembley immediately after the game was the picture of the captain Bobby Moore holding the Jules Rimet Trophy aloft, on the shoulders of Geoff Hurst and Ray Wilson, together with Martin Peters. In recognition of Moore and other West Ham United players' contribution to the win, the club and Newham Borough Council jointly commissioned a statue of this scene.


1966 FIFA World Cup Final, Aftermath, Champions photograph and statue
On 28 April 2003 Prince Andrew as president of The Football Association, duly unveiled the World Cup Sculpture (also called The Champions) in a prominent place near West Ham's ground, at the time, the Boleyn Ground, at the junction of Barking Road and Green Street. The 13-foot (4 m)-high bronze piece was sculpted by Philip Jackson and weighed 4 tonnes.


1966 FIFA World Cup Final, Aftermath, Cultural impact, Broadcasting and viewership
The final is the most watched event ever on British television, as of July 2021, attracting 32.30 million viewers.


1966 FIFA World Cup Final, Aftermath, Cultural impact, Influence
In Germany, a goal resulting from a shot bouncing off the crossbar and hitting the line is called a Wembley-Tor (Wembley Goal) due to the controversial nature of Hurst's second goal. This goal has been parodied a large number of times. Some of the most notable include:


1966 FIFA World Cup Final, Aftermath, Cultural impact, Influence
In August 1966 a special 4d stamp marked ENGLAND WINNERS was issued by the Royal Mail to celebrate the victory. It soared in value to up to 15 shillings each on the back of public enthusiasm for the victory before falling back in value when the public realised it was not rare.


1966 FIFA World Cup Final, Aftermath, Cultural impact, Influence
Marking the 50th anniversary of England's World Cup victory in July 2016, ITV broadcast 1966 – A Nation Remembers, which was narrated by the actor Terence Stamp who attended every England game at the tournament.


1966 FIFA World Cup Final, Aftermath, Cultural impact, Influence
The World Cup win features in the song "Three Lions" (known by its chorus "Football's Coming Home"), the unofficial anthem of the England football team. England's win in the final also helped fans to create the "Two World Wars and One World Cup" chant.


1966 FIFA World Cup Final, Aftermath, Cultural impact, Influence
The match features in the fifth episode, (“Signal 30”) of season 5 of American period drama Mad Men, with one of the characters, Englishman Lane Pryce, watching and celebrating the game in a pub.


1966 FIFA World Cup Final, Aftermath, 2009 receipt of winners medals
The players and staff of England's winning squad who did not get medals in 1966 received them on 10 June 2009 after a ceremony at 10 Downing Street in London. Initially, only the 11 players on the pitch at the end of the match received medals, but FIFA later awarded medals to every non-playing squad and staff member from every World Cup-winning country from 1930 to 1974.


1966 FIFA World Cup Group 1
Group 1 of the 1966 FIFA World Cup consisted of Uruguay, hosts England, France, and Mexico. Play began on 11 July 1966 and concluded on 20 July 1966. England won the group and Uruguay finished as runners-up, and both advanced to the quarter-finals. Mexico and France failed to advance. England went on to win the tournament.


1966 FIFA World Cup Group 2
Group 2 of the 1966 FIFA World Cup consisted of Argentina, West Germany, Spain, and Switzerland. Play began on 12 July 1966 and concluded on 20 July 1966. West Germany won the group and Argentina finished as runners-up, and both advanced to the quarter-finals. Spain and Switzerland failed to advance.


1966 FIFA World Cup Group 3
Group 3 of the 1966 FIFA World Cup consisted of holders Brazil, Hungary, Portugal, and Bulgaria. Play began on 12 July 1966 and concluded on 20 July 1966. World Cup newcomers Portugal won the group, Hungary finished as runners-up, and both advanced to the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, Bulgaria and defending Champions Brazil failed to advance.


1966 FIFA World Cup Group 4
Group 4 of the 1966 FIFA World Cup consisted of Chile, Soviet Union, Italy, and North Korea. Play began on 12 July 1966 and concluded on 20 July 1966. Soviet Union won the group and North Korea finished as runners-up on their World Cup debut, and both advanced to the quarter-finals. Italy and Chile failed to advance.


1966 FIFA World Cup knockout stage
The knockout stage of the 1966 FIFA World Cup was the second and final stage of the competition, following the group stage. The knockout stage began on 23 July with the quarter-finals and ended on 30 July 1966 with the final match, held at Wembley Stadium in London. The top two teams from each group (eight in total) advanced to the knockout stage to compete in a single-elimination style tournament. A third place play-off also was played between the two losing teams of the semi-finals.


1966 FIFA World Cup knockout stage
England won the final 4–2 against West Germany for their first World Cup title.


1966 FIFA World Cup knockout stage, Qualified teams
The top two placed teams from each of the four groups qualified for the knockout stage.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification
The 1966 FIFA World Cup qualification was a series of tournaments organised by the five FIFA confederations. The 1966 FIFA World Cup featured 16 teams with one place reserved for the host nation, England, and one reserved for defending champions Brazil. The remaining 14 places were determined by a qualification process in which the other 74 entered teams, from the five FIFA confederations, competed. UEFA, CONCACAF and CONMEBOL qualification was determined within the confederations, whilst AFC and CAF teams (alongside Australia) competed for one place at the tournament.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification
Of the 74 teams, 51 competed; Guatemala, Congo-Brazzaville and the Philippines had their entries rejected.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification
In the Africa/Asia/Oceania zone, South Africa were disqualified after being suspended by FIFA due to apartheid, while all 15 African nations withdrew in protest after FIFA, citing competitive and logistical issues, confirmed there would be no direct qualification for an African team (Syria, who were grouped in Europe, withdrew in support of the African teams). South Korea were later forced to withdraw due to logistical issues after the Asia/Oceania tournament was moved from Japan to Cambodia.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification
The first qualification match, between Netherlands and Albania, was played on 24 May 1964 and the first goal in qualification was a penalty, scored by Dutch defender Daan Schrijvers. Qualification ended on 29 December 1965, when Bulgaria eliminated Belgium in a group tiebreaker to become the final qualifier for the World Cup.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification
There were 393 goals scored over 127 games, for an average of 3.09 goals per game and 51 teams played in qualification.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification, Qualification process
The 16 spots available in the 1966 World Cup were be distributed among the continental zones as follows:


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification, Qualification process
UEFA, CONMEBOL and CONCACAF had a guaranteed number of places, whereas the CAF and AFC had to contest a play-off to determine which confederation would be represented.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification, Qualification process
After the first round of 1966 FIFA World Cup finals, the percentage of teams from each confederation that passed through to the Quarter-finals was as follows:


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification, Qualification process, Tiebreakers
For FIFA World Cup qualifying stages using a league format, the method used for separating teams level on points was the same for all Confederations. If teams were even on points at the end of group play, the tied teams played a play-off at a neutral ground.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification, Confederation qualification, AFC and Oceania
Five teams from AFC applied to take part in qualification, but the entry of the Philippines was rejected. Australia took part in this section of qualification, although they were not a member of a confederation at the time: the OFC was not founded until 1966.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification, Confederation qualification, AFC and Oceania
The qualification process began with four national teams split between two sections for qualification: Israel and Syria competed in European qualification for geographical reasons, whilst North Korea and South Korea were to take part in a group alongside Australia and South Africa. The winner of this group would then go on to play three group winners from the second round of CAF qualifiers.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification, Confederation qualification, AFC and Oceania
Problems arose, however, as all 15 members of CAF withdrew to protest against the allocation of places, while South Africa was disqualified after being suspended by FIFA, and South Korea withdrew due to logistical difficulties following the tournament's move from Japan to Cambodia.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification, Confederation qualification, CAF
17 teams from Africa entered the qualification, but Congo-Brazzaville had their application rejected, and South Africa, who had been expelled from CAF in 1958 due to the country's apartheid regime, were placed with the Asian and Oceanian teams.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification, Confederation qualification, CAF
Qualification for the 15 remaining teams saw them sorted in to six groups, three groups of two and three groups of three. The winners of these groups were then to play a two-legged tie in the following combinations: Group 1 winners v Group 5 winners, Group 2 winners v Group 4 winners and Group 3 winners v Group 6 winners, with the winners advancing to play in the final group with each and the victor of the Asia/Oceania group.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification, Confederation qualification, CAF, African boycott
The African nations were aggrieved their second-round winners needed to enter a final round against the winners of the Asian and Oceanian zone in order to qualify for the final tournament. They protested that their zone was not represented in the tournament, and against the readmission of South Africa to FIFA.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification, Confederation qualification, CAF, African boycott
South Africa was subsequently disqualified after being suspended again in 1965 due to pressure from African nations.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification, Confederation qualification, CAF, African boycott
After FIFA declined to change the qualifying format or the allocation of places, citing logistical and competitive issues, all fifteen African teams withdrew in protest, and CAF refused to participate in future until at least one African team had an automatic place in the World Cup. This was agreed to for the 1970 World Cup.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification, Confederation qualification, CONCACAF
10 teams initially entered, but the entry of Guatemala was rejected.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification, Confederation qualification, CONCACAF
The remaining nine teams were placed in to three groups of three, with the winner of each group proceeding to a final group. The winner of this group would go on to the final tournament.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification, Confederation qualification, CONMEBOL
As Brazil has already qualified as reigning champions, the remaining nine CONMEBOL teams were split in to three groups of 3, playing each other twice (home and away). The top team from each group qualified.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification, Confederation qualification, UEFA
England qualified automatically as hosts and a further 30 European teams took part in qualification. They were joined by Israel and Syria, although Syria then withdrew in support of the African teams. The teams were divided into 9 groups - four groups of 3 and five groups of 4. Syria's withdrawal meant that group 9 only contained two teams.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification, Confederation qualification, UEFA, Group play-offs
The group play-offs were contested for groups 1 and 9, as the top two teams in both groups were level on points.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification (Africa, Asia and Oceania)
21 teams entered in the 1966 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the African, Asian and Oceanian zone (Confederation of African Football, Asian Football Confederation and what later would become the Oceania Football Confederation). The entries of Congo and the Philippines were rejected.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification (Africa, Asia and Oceania)
South Africa, which had been moved to the Asia/Oceania zone, was disqualified after being suspended by FIFA due to apartheid, and all fifteen African zone teams withdrew in protest after FIFA, citing logistical and competitive issues, confirmed that there would be no direct qualification for an African team.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification (Africa, Asia and Oceania)
Later, South Korea was forced to withdraw due to logistical difficulties after the three team tournament was moved from Japan to Cambodia, leaving only Australia and North Korea to contest the final place. North Korea easily won both legs to qualify.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification (Africa, Asia and Oceania), Africa First Round
The second round pairings were scheduled as follows: Group 1 winners v Group 5 winners, Group 2 winners v Group 4 winners and Group 3 winners v Group 6 winners, home-and-away, with the winners advancing to the final round.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification (Africa, Asia and Oceania), Africa First Round
As all teams withdrew to protest at the allocation of places, the African First and Second rounds were scratched.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification (Africa, Asia and Oceania), Asia / Oceania First Round
Originally, this was scheduled as a four-team tournament between Australia, North Korea, South Africa and South Korea, to be played in Japan.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification (Africa, Asia and Oceania), Asia / Oceania First Round
Before the tournament began, South Africa were disqualified after being suspended by FIFA due to apartheid, and South Korea were forced to withdraw due to logistical difficulties after the tournament was moved to Cambodia.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification (Africa, Asia and Oceania), Asia / Oceania First Round
Further complicating matters, North Korea lacked diplomatic relations with most countries and did not have a FIFA-standard venue, while Australian immigration laws meant the North Korean team would be unlikely to receive visas to enter the country.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification (Africa, Asia and Oceania), Asia / Oceania First Round
As such, finding a venue for the matches proved difficult until Head of State Norodom Sihanouk, an ally of Kim Il-sung, allowed the matches to be held in Phnom Penh.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification (Africa, Asia and Oceania), Asia / Oceania First Round
Due to the withdrawal of all African teams, the Final Round was scratched, meaning that North Korea also qualified automatically.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)
FIFA rejected the entry of Guatemala. There would be two rounds of play:


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL – Group 2)
The three teams in this group played against each other on a home-and-away basis. Chile and Ecuador finished level on points, a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would qualify. The winner (Chile) qualified for the 1966 FIFA World Cup held in England.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL – Group 2), Matches
Chile and Ecuador finished level on points, and a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would qualify.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL – Group 3)
The three teams in this group played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The winner Argentina qualified for the eighth FIFA World Cup held in England.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)
The 9 teams were divided into 3 groups of 3 teams each. The teams played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winners would qualify. Brazil did not participate, as they were granted a spot in the finals after winning the 1962 World Cup.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL), Results, Group 2
Chile and Ecuador finished level on points, and a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would qualify.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
The 31 teams were drawn into nine groups of three or four teams each; however, after the withdrawal Syria, one group had just two teams. The teams played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winners would qualify.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA), Group 1
Belgium and Bulgaria finished level on points, and a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would qualify.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA), Group 6
Hungary qualified. This is the first time Austria failed to qualify. The previous absences of the Austrian team at World Cup were all due to withdrawals (1938, 1950, and 1962).


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA), Group 9
Syria withdrew to support the African teams who had withdrawn in protest at the allocation of spots. Republic of Ireland and Spain finished level on points, and a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would qualify. This match was initially to be played in London, a city with a large Irish immigrant population, but the Spanish and Irish football associations later came to an agreement and moved the match to Paris.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 1
The three teams in this group played against each other on a home-and-away basis. Belgium and Bulgaria finished level on points, a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would qualify. The winner (Bulgaria) qualified for the eighth FIFA World Cup held in England.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 1, Matches
Belgium and Bulgaria finished level on points, and a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would qualify.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 2
The three teams in this group played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The winner West Germany qualified for the eighth FIFA World Cup held in England.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 3
The four teams in this group played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The winner (France) qualified for the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 3, Team stats, Yugoslavia
Head coach:  Ljubomir Lovrić (first match);  Aleksandar Tirnanić (second to sixth match)


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 4
The four teams in this group played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The winner Portugal qualified for the 1966 FIFA World Cup held in England.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 4, Team stats, Czechoslovakia
Head coach:  Václav Jira (first match);  Jozef Marko (second to sixth match)


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 5
The four teams in this group played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The winner Switzerland qualified for the eighth FIFA World Cup held in England.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 5, Team stats, Netherlands
Head coach:  Elek Schwartz (first match);  Denis Neville (second to sixth match)


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 5, Team stats, Albania
Head coach:  Zyber Konçi (first to fifth match);  Loro Boriçi (sixth match)


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 6
The three teams in this group played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The winner Hungary qualified for the eighth FIFA World Cup held in England.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 6, Matches
Hungary qualified. This is the first time Austria failed to qualify. The previous absences of the Austrian team at World Cup were all due to withdrawals (1938, 1950, and 1962).


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 7
The four teams in this group played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The winner Soviet Union qualified for the eighth FIFA World Cup held in England.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 8
The four teams in this group played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The winner Italy qualified for the eighth FIFA World Cup held in England.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 8, Team stats, Scotland
Head coach:  Ian McColl (first match);  Jock Stein (second to sixth match)


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 9
This group originally included Syria as well as Spain and the Republic of Ireland. However Syria withdrew in support of the African teams who withdrew in protest at the allocation of spots. The Republic of Ireland and Spain subsequently played against each other on a home-and-away basis. When both teams won their home match, a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would qualify.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 9
This match was initially to be played in London, a city with a large Irish immigrant population, but the Royal Spanish Football Federation and the Football Association of Ireland later came to an agreement and moved the match to Paris. Spain won the play-off and qualified for the 1966 FIFA World Cup.


1966 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 9, Matches
Syria withdrew to support the African teams who had withdrawn in protest at the allocation of spots. Republic of Ireland and Spain finished level on points, and a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would qualify. This match was initially to be played in London, a city with a large Irish immigrant population, but the Spanish and Irish football associations later came to an agreement and moved the match to Paris.


1966 FIFA World Cup squads
Below are the squads for the 1966 FIFA World Cup final tournament in England. Spain (3), West Germany (3) and France (2) had players representing foreign clubs.


1966 FIFA World Cup squads, Notes
Each national team had to submit a squad of 22 players. All the teams included 3 goalkeepers, except Brazil, Chile and North Korea who only called two.


1966 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship
The 1966 FIVB Men's World Championship was the sixth edition of the tournament, organised by the world's governing body, the FIVB. It was held from 30 August to 11 September 1966 in Czechoslovakia.


1966 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship, Results, Final round
The results and the points of the matches between the same teams that were already played during the first round are taken into account for the final round.


1966 Far East Circuit
The 1966 Far East Circuit was the fifth season of golf tournaments that comprised the Far East Circuit, later known as the Asia Golf Circuit.


1966 Far East Circuit
Taiwan joined the circuit in 1966, bringing the number of tournaments to seven. However later in the season it was announced that the Philippine Open would not count for the Dunlop sponsored overall circuit prize, so the number of counting events remained at six.


1966 Far East Circuit, Schedule
The table below shows the 1966 Far East Circuit schedule. There was one change from the previous season as the circuit expanded to seven tournaments with the addition of the Republic of China Open.


1966 Far East Circuit, Final standings
The Far East Circuit standings were based on a points system.


1966 Faroese general election
General elections were held in the Faroe Islands on 8 November 1966. The Social Democratic Party emerged as the largest party in the Løgting, winning 7 of the 26 seats.


1966 Federation Cup (tennis)
The 1966 Federation Cup was the fourth edition of what is now known as the Fed Cup. 21 nations participated in the tournament, which was held at the Turin Press Sporting Club in Turin, Italy from 10–15 May. United States won their second title, defeating West Germany in the final, in what was the first final not featuring Australia.


1966 Federation Cup (tennis), Draw
All ties were played at the Turin Press Sporting Club in Turin, Italy on clay courts.


1966 Felthorpe Trident crash
On 3 June 1966, a newly built Hawker Siddeley Trident jetliner crashed during a pre-delivery test flight near the village of Felthorpe, Norfolk, England, killing all four crew. The aeroplane had entered a deep stall from which the crew were unable to recover. It was the first loss of a Trident aircraft.


1966 Felthorpe Trident crash, Aircraft
The aircraft involved was a tri-jet Hawker Siddeley Trident 1C, registration G-ARPY, serial number 2126; that was about to be delivered to British European Airways.


1966 Felthorpe Trident crash, Accident flight
The aircraft was making its first flight, which was a routine test flight to enable the aircraft's Certificate of Airworthiness to be issued. There were four crew on board. The aircraft took off from Hatfield Aerodrome at 16:52. Tests established that the stick shaker operated at 102 knots (189 km/h), and that stall recovery system operated at 93 knots (172 km/h). The crew then disconnected the stall warning systems in order to ascertain the actual margin left after the warning had been given before the aircraft stalled. On this particular flight, the aircraft was being operated with its centre of gravity towards its aft limit.


1966 Felthorpe Trident crash, Accident flight
Shortly after 18:30, the pilot reported that the aircraft was in a "superstall". At the time, the aircraft was observed to be configured for landing. It was at an altitude of 10,000 feet (3,000 m). The nose was seen to pitch up by 30 to 40° before the aircraft turned to port, followed by the starboard wing dropping. Although full power was applied, the aircraft entered into a flat spin, and crashed at Felthorpe, killing all on board. It was not fitted with an anti-spin parachute. The site of the accident was in a field adjacent to Felthorpe Airfield.


1966 Felthorpe Trident crash, Crew
The crew were pilots Peter Barlow and George Errington, and technicians E. Brackstone-Brown and G.W. Patterson.


1966 Felthorpe Trident crash, Investigation
The Accidents Investigation Branch opened an inquiry into the accident. The investigation found that accident was the result of the pilot delaying recovery manoeuvres for too long, thereby allowing the aircraft to enter a deep stall from which it was impossible to recover.


1966 Fianna Fáil leadership election
The 1966 Fianna Fáil leadership election in the Republic of Ireland began in October 1966 following the decision of Seán Lemass to resign as party leader and Taoiseach. Lemass had occupied both posts for over seven years and, while there was no pressure on him to resign, he felt that the time was right to hand over to a new generation. His successor was elected by the members of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party on 10 November 1966. After one ballot the election was won by Jack Lynch.


1966 Fianna Fáil leadership election, Candidates, Declined to stand
The following prominent Fianna Fáil politicians were speculated upon by media organisations and were even encouraged by Lemass himself to contemplate standing for election:


1966 Fianna Fáil leadership election, Campaign
In October 1966 Seán Lemass decided to retire as leader of Fianna Fáil and Taoiseach. A number of factors made the decision to retire easier. Firstly he did not want to follow the example of his predecessor, Éamon de Valera, and remain in office too long. Secondly, if he remained as leader, fought another general election and lost he would have the unpalatable task of leaving office as a defeated Taoiseach. Thirdly, and most importantly, the fiftieth anniversary celebrations of the Easter Rising in 1966 marked the end of a particular chapter in Irish history. Lemass, who had been active during the Rising in 1916 believed that it was time for him, and some of the other founding-fathers, to step off the stage of history and hand over to the younger generation.


1966 Fianna Fáil leadership election, Campaign
The two most likely candidates to succeed Lemass were George Colley and Charles Haughey. Both men were out of the country at the time but rushed back to Dublin immediately to stake their claim. While both men were 41 years old and had less than ten years experience in the Dáil, they were, in reality, like chalk and cheese. Colley, who was the son of a party elder, was seen as the representative of the traditional wing of the party, dedicated to its original principles like the Irish language.


1966 Fianna Fáil leadership election, Campaign
He had the support of the older members of the party such as Frank Aiken. Haughey on the other hand was considered a moderniser. The epitome of the "young man in a hurry", he had more support amongst the younger TDs. While a Colley-Haughey election seemed possible at an earlier stage, many members were unhappy about the choice that was on offer.


1966 Fianna Fáil leadership election, Campaign
It was reported that Lemass had already approached Patrick Hillery and Jack Lynch in an attempt to get them to stand, however, they both told him emphatically that they weren't interested. When no other candidate seemed likely to challenge Haughey and Colley, Neil Blaney decided to enter the race with strong support from the republican wing of the party. When it looked like the election could lead to a three-way split in the party, the pressure mounted on Jack Lynch to reverse his decision and to allow his name go forward. Lynch was the obvious choice to succeed Lemass.


1966 Fianna Fáil leadership election, Campaign
As Minister for Finance he was in charge of the most powerful ministry in the cabinet. He had nearly 20 years Dáil experience and had served in cabinet for nine consecutive years. Apart from his political record Lynch was a national sporting hero, winning All-Ireland medals in hurling and Gaelic football. A group of backbench TDs began a "draft Jack" campaign in the hope that he would stand for the leadership. Lynch also came under pressure from Lemass once again. Facing this pressure he finally decided that he would allow his name to go forward.


1966 Fianna Fáil leadership election, Results
Following Lynch's entry into the election, Haughey and Blaney withdrew in support of him. It seemed that Lynch would be unanimously elected as leader, however, Colley refused to withdraw and wanted to push for a vote. At the meeting of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party on 9 November the following votes were cast:


1966 Fianna Fáil leadership election, Results
To show that there were no hard feelings Lynch retained Colley in his first Cabinet. Colley in turn gave total loyalty to the new leader, and in time would become his closest ally in cabinet. Jack Lynch, while initially dismissed as a "compromise candidate" and "interim Taoiseach", went on to lead Fianna Fáil for thirteen years. He served as Taoiseach on two occasions; 1966–1973 and 1977–1979.


1966 Fijian general election
General elections were held in Fiji between 26 September and 8 October 1966, the last before independence in 1970 and the first held under universal suffrage. The result was a victory for the Alliance Party, which won 23 of the 34 elected seats. Its leader Kamisese Mara became the country's first Chief Minister the following year.


1966 Fijian general election, Background
A constitutional conference was held in London in 1965, which resulted in the Legislative Council being reorganised to consist of 36 seats; 14 for Fijians and other Pacific Islanders (two of which were nominated by the Great Council of Chiefs), 12 for Indo-Fijians and 10 for all other ethnic groups. The total number of registered voters was 156,683; 75,768 Indo-Fijians, 74,575 Fijians and 6,340 General electors.


1966 Fijian general election, Background
Members of the Legislative Council were elected from two types of constituencies; communal and cross-voting, with voters being able to cast four votes each. Each voter cast a single vote in one of the 25 communal constituencies, in which they could only vote for a candidate of their own ethnicity. In the three three-seat cross-voting constituencies, voters voted for a candidate from each of the three ethnic groups.


1966 Fijian general election, Campaign
For the first time, the elections were a largely partisan event, dominated by the Fijian Alliance Party and the Indo-Fijian Federation Party. A total of 79 candidates contested the elections, three of which were women.


1966 Fijian general election, Aftermath
Following the elections, the two independents joined the Alliance Party. A new government was formed with Kamisese Mara as Leader of Government Business. The Executive Council consisted of six elected members and four civil servants.


1966 Fijian general election, Aftermath
At the first meeting of the Legislative Council on 11 November, Ronald Kermode was elected Speaker unopposed, with James Madhavan elected Deputy Speaker.


1966 Fijian general election, Aftermath
Full ministerial government was introduced on 1 September 1967. On the same day, the Federation Party MLCs walked out of the Legislative Council. After they missed three meetings, the nine Indo-Fijian communal seats were declared vacant and a series of by-elections held in 1968.


1966 Finnish parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Finland on 20 and 21 March 1966. The Social Democratic Party (SDP) overtook the Centre Party as the largest faction in Parliament. Rafael Paasio of the SDP subsequently became Prime Minister and formed a popular front government consisting of the SDP, the Centre Party, the People's Democratic League (SKDL), and the Social Democratic Union of Workers and Smallholders (TPSL) in May 1966.


1966 Finnish parliamentary election, Background
Prior to the elections, Centre Party Prime Minister Johannes Virolainen had led a centre-right coalition government since September 1964. Meanwhile, Paasio had moved the SDP further to the left in order to attract back voters from the TPSL. Finnish society was undergoing a period of radical criticism of traditional values, such as Christianity, marriage, parents' authority over their children, teachers' authority over their students, patriotism, and civil servants' (including judges') authority over private citizens. The Social Democrats and the SKDL tapped into this discontent at the expense of the centre-right coalition. At the same time, leading Social Democrats, such as former Minister of Social Affairs and Minister of the Interior Väinö Leskinen, had promised to support President Kekkonen's foreign policy with regards to the Soviet Union, and his continuance as President.


1966 Finnish parliamentary election, Results
Overall, the leftist coalition achieved a combined majority (51.0%) of the votes cast in the election.


1966 Firecracker 400
The 1966 Firecracker 400 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on July 4, 1966, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.


1966 Firecracker 400, Race report
Forty-six thousan two hundred fans would attended this event. It took two hours and thirty-six minutes to finish. Four cautions slowed the race for 23 laps. The average speed of the race was 153.813 miles per hour (247.538 km/h). Sam McQuagg would beat Darel Dieringer by one minute and six seconds.


1966 Firecracker 400, Race report
This was the first time that a rear spoiler would be used in any NASCAR Cup Series race. On the day of the race, the factory engineers at Dodge would install this new invention on McQuagg's car (which caused him to go several miles per hour faster than his opponents).


1966 Firecracker 400, Race report
Individual winnings for this event ranged from the winner's share of $13,600 ($107,168 when considering inflation) to the last-place finisher's share of $350 ($2,758 when considering inflation). A total of $55,105 was handed out to every driver ($434,227 when considering inflation).


1966 Firecracker 400, Finishing order
† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased * Driver failed to finish race


1966 Five Nations Championship
The 1966 Five Nations Championship was the thirty-seventh series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the seventy-second series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played between 15 January and 26 March. It was contested by England, France, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.


1966 Five Nations Championship
Wales won their 15th title, with a single loss, while England finished in a disappointing fifth and last place.


1966 Florida Gators football team
The 1966 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 1966 NCAA University Division football season. The Gators competed in the University Division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). In their seventh season under head coach Ray Graves, the Gators compiled a 9–2 overall win-loss record, finished 5–1 and placed third among the SEC's ten teams.


1966 Florida Gators football team
Led by quarterback Steve Spurrier, the Gators outscored their opponents by a combined total of 265 to 147 and concluded their 1966 season with a 27–12 victory over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the 1967 Orange Bowl. The Gators were not ranked in the final AP Poll, but finished No. 11 in the final UPI Coaches Poll.


1966 Florida Gators football team
Spurrier won the 1966 Heisman Trophy and was the unanimous first-team quarterback on the 1966 All-America Team. He completed 179 of 291 passes for 2,012 yards and 16 touchdowns with eight interceptions. Tailback Larry Smith was the team's leading rusher with 742 yards and nine touchdowns on 162 carries. Smith was also selected as the most valuable player in the 1967 Orange Bowl after setting two Orange Bowl records with 187 rushing yards and a 94-yard touchdown run. Finally, flanker Richard Trapp set a new team record with 63 catches during the 1966 season.


1966 Florida Gators football team
In addition to Spurrier, center Bill Carr was the team's only other first-team All-American, receiving first-team honors from Time magazine and The Sporting News. Five Gators received first-team honors from either the Associated Press (AP) or United Press International (UPI) on the 1966 All-SEC football team. Carr, Smith, Spurrier and Trapp were consensus first-team picks by both the AP and UPI, while guard Jim Benson took first-team honors from the UPI and second-team honors from the AP.


1966 Florida Gators football team, Before the season
The 1965 Florida team compiled a 7–4 record and finished in third place in the SEC. Quarterback Steve Spurrier returned to the 1966 team, but his two leading receivers, Charles Casey (58 catches in 1965) and Barry Brown (33 catches in 1965), were lost to graduation. Before the season began, head coach Ray Graves noted: "This team has to be a question mark. I don't know what type of football team we have."


1966 Florida Gators football team, Season summary, Game 1: Northwestern
The Gators opened their 1966 season on September 17, with a 43–7 victory over the Northwestern Wildcats at Florida Field. Quarterback Steve Spurrier passed for 219 yards and three touchdowns and kicked two field goals in the game. Receiver Richard Trapp caught two touchdown passes (19 and 53 yards) and Ealdsen caught another (10 yards). Back-up quarterback Harmon Wages also scored on a 25-yard run. Preston also scored on a 15-yard pass from Kay Stephenson. In all, Florida gained 506 yards of total offense, 206 rushing and 302 passing.


1966 Florida Gators football team, Season summary, Game 2: Mississippi State
On September 24, 1966, Florida won its second game of the season by a 28–7 score over Mississippi State. The game was played before a record crowd of 49,333 at Florida Field. The first half ended in a 7–7 tie, but the Gators scored three touchdowns in a seven-minute span in the third quarter. Quarterback Steve Spurrier threw two touchdown passes, a 16-yard pass to Jack Coons and a 13-yard pass to end Paul Ewaldsen. Florida's other touchdowns came on runs by Larry Smith and Harmon Wages. Three of Florida's four touchdowns were set up by interceptions of passes thrown by Mississippi State quarterback Don Saget.


1966 Florida Gators football team, Season summary, Game 3: at Vanderbilt
On October 1, 1966, Florida defeated the Vanderbilt Commodores by a 13–0 score at Dudley Field in Nashville, Tennessee. Both Florida touchdowns were the result of passes thrown by Steve Spurrier, a 22-yarder to Jack Coons in the second quarter and a five-yarder to Larry Smith in the third quarter.


1966 Florida Gators football team, Season summary, Game 4: at Florida State
On October 8, 1966, Florida defeated Florida State Seminoles by 22–19 at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida. Quarterback Steve Spurrier threw two touchdown passes to Richard Trapp in the first half, but Florida State scored nine points in the third quarter to take a 19–14 lead. In the fourth quarter, Spurrier threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Larry Smith and then completed a pass to Richard Trapp for a two-point conversion to give the Gators a three-point lead. Late in the game, a Florida State receiver was ruled out of bounds when he caught a pass in the end zone; the Seminoles missed a 48-yard field goal attempt as time expired. Spurrier completed 16 of 24 passes for 219 yards and three touchdowns.


1966 Florida Gators football team, Season summary, Game 5: at NC State
On October 15, 1966, Florida came into its fifth game ranked No. 8 in the AP Poll and defeated North Carolina State by a 17–10 score at Carter–Finley Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina. The victory marked the first time since 1928 that the Gators had won the first five games of a season. Early in the fourth quarter, North Carolina State kicked a field goal and led 10–3. The Gators then sustained a 74-yard drive and tied the game on a short touchdown run by Larry Smith. Shortly thereafter, linebacker Steve Heidt intercepted a pass on Florida's 23-yard line. Quarterback Steve Spurrier then led a 77-yard drive capped by a 31-yard touchdown pass to Richard Trapp.


1966 Florida Gators football team, Season summary, Game 6: at LSU
On October 22, 1966, Florida defeated the LSU Tigers by a 28–7 score at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Gators took a 21–0 lead at halftime on an eight-yard touchdown pass from Steve Spurrier to Larry Smith, a two-yard touchdown run by Smith, and a 13-yard touchdown pass from Spurrier to Richard Trapp. Fullback Graham McKeel also scored a touchdown on a short run in the third quarter. LSU did not score until the fourth quarter. Spurrier completed 17 of 25 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns in the game.


1966 Florida Gators football team, Season summary, Game 7: Auburn
On October 29, the Gators won their seventh straight game, defeating coach Shug Jordan's Auburn Tigers before a record homecoming crowd at Florida Field by a 30–27 score, trading the lead back and forth all day. After Auburn fumbled the opening kickoff, quarterback Steve Spurrier threw a touchdown pass to Richard Trapp on the third play of the game. On the day, Spurrier completed 27 of 40 passes for 259 yards. Touchdowns also came on short runs from backs Graham McKeel and Larry Smith. Smith finished the day with 102 rushing yards on twenty-two carries, including a 53-yard run.


1966 Florida Gators football team, Season summary, Game 7: Auburn
In the fourth quarter, Spurrier scored a touchdown on a quarterback sneak after a 71-yard drive. With the game tied at 27, Spurrier was engineering another late drive for the win, but was stopped at Auburn's 39-yard-line following an intentional grounding penalty. The distance was outside the usual range of the Gators regular placekicker Wayne "Shade tree" Barfield, but Spurrier had kicked 40-yard field goals in practice. He memorably waved off the kicker and booted the  game-winning, 40-yard field goal.


1966 Florida Gators football team, Season summary, Game 7: Auburn
Most believe this play eventually netted Spurrier the Heisman . "Steve Spurrier may own the patent for thrills in football after the 1966 season. Indeed, Spurrier proved he was every bit the calm, collected candidate for the Heisman Trophy." said Pat Parrish of the All Florida News.


1966 Florida Gators football team, Season summary, Game 8: vs. Georgia
On November 5, the Gators lost for the first time during the 1966 season, falling to the rival Georgia Bulldogs by a 27–10 score at Gator Bowl Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. Florida was ranked No. 7 in the AP Poll prior to the game, and dropped out of the AP top 10 after the loss. Bulldogs running back Ron Jenkins led the attack for Georgia with 88 rushing yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.