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The 1966 FIFA World Cup qualification was a series of tournaments organised by the five FIFA
confederations A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a union of sovereign groups or states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...
. The 1966 FIFA World Cup featured 16 teams with one place reserved for the host nation,
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, and one reserved for defending champions
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
. The remaining 14 places were determined by a qualification process in which the other 72 entered teams, from the five FIFA confederations, competed.
UEFA Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
,
CONCACAF The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football,, ; french: Confédération de football d'Amérique du Nord, d'Amérique centrale et des Caraïbes, . Dutch language, Dutch uses the English name. abbreviated as CON ...
and CONMEBOL qualification was determined within the confederations, whilst AFC and CAF teams (alongside Australia) competed for one place at the tournament. Of these 72 teams, 51 competed, while Guatemala,
Congo-Brazzaville The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...
and
the Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
had their entries rejected. In the Africa/Asia/Oceania zone: *
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
were disqualified after being suspended by FIFA due to
apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
. * All 15 African nations later withdrew in protest after FIFA, citing competitive and logistical issues, confirmed there would be no direct qualification for an African team, with Syria (who were grouped in Europe) withdrawing in support of the African teams. *
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
were later forced to withdraw due to logistical issues after the Asia/Oceania tournament was moved from Japan to Cambodia. The first qualification match, between
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
and
Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
, was played on 24 May 1964 and the first goal in qualification was a penalty, scored by Dutch defender
Daan Schrijvers Daan Schijvers (18 September 1941 – 2 August 2018) was a Dutch footballer who played as a defender in his native Netherlands. He was also capped for the Netherlands national team 22 times. Club career Born in Breda, Schrijvers started and ...
. Qualification ended on 29 December 1965, when
Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...
eliminated
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
in a group tiebreaker to become the final qualifier for the World Cup. There were 393 goals scored over 127 games, for an average of 3.09 goals per game and 51 teams played in qualification.


Qualified teams


Qualification process

The 16 spots available in the 1966 World Cup were distributed among the continental zones as follows: * Europe (
UEFA Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
): ''10 places'', 1 of them went to automatic qualifier
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, while the other 9 places were contested by 32 teams (including
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
and Syria). * South America ( CONMEBOL): ''4 places'', 1 of them went to automatic qualifier
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, while the other 3 places were contested by 9 teams. * North, Central America and Caribbean (
CONCACAF The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football,, ; french: Confédération de football d'Amérique du Nord, d'Amérique centrale et des Caraïbes, . Dutch language, Dutch uses the English name. abbreviated as CON ...
): ''1 place'', contested by 10 teams. * Africa and Asia ( CAF/ AFC): ''1 place'', contested by 19 teams (including Australia from
Oceania Oceania (, , ) is a geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern and Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of and a population of around 44.5 million ...
). 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. 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: * AFC (Asia): 100% (1 of 1 places) * CAF (Africa): n/a (0 of 0 places) *
CONCACAF The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football,, ; french: Confédération de football d'Amérique du Nord, d'Amérique centrale et des Caraïbes, . Dutch language, Dutch uses the English name. abbreviated as CON ...
(North, Central American and Caribbean): 0% (0 of 1 places) * CONMEBOL (South America): 50% (2 of 4 places) * Oceania (No confederation): n/a (0 of 0 places) *
UEFA Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
(Europe): 50% (5 of 10 places)


Summary of qualification


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.


Confederation qualification


AFC, CAF and Oceania

21 teams – Australia, three teams from AFC and 17 teams from CAF – applied to take part in qualification, but the entries of
Congo-Brazzaville The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...
and
the Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
were rejected.
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
, who had been expelled from CAF in 1958 due to the country's apartheid policies, were placed with the Asian and Oceanian teams. Also, Australia were not a member of a confederation at the time (the OFC was not founded until 1966). The qualification process began with four national teams split between two sections for qualification:
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
and Syria competed in European qualification for geographical reasons, whilst
North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...
and
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
were to take part in a group alongside Australia and
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
. The winner of this group would then go on to play the three group winners from the second round of CAF qualifiers. However, South Africa was disqualified after being suspended by FIFA, and all 15 members of CAF withdrew in protest after FIFA declined to allocate them a direct qualifying place. Less than three weeks before the tournament, South Korea were forced to withdraw due to logistical difficulties after the tournament was moved from Japan to Cambodia.


African boycott

Qualification for the 15 remaining African teams saw them sorted into 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 other and the winner of the Asia/Oceania group. However, these African nations were aggrieved that their second-round winners would be required to enter a final round against the winners of the Asia/Oceania group in order to qualify for the final tournament. These nations demanded that Africa be represented in the tournament, and also objected to the readmission of
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
to FIFA. Due to pressure from the African nations and CAF, South Africa was suspended again on 21 September 1964, and were subsequently disqualified. However, after FIFA declined to change the qualifying format or the allocation of places, citing competitive and logistical issues, all fifteen African teams immediately withdrew in protest: subsequently, CAF informed FIFA that they would refuse to participate in qualifying for
1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). Between 10,000 and ...
unless at least one African team had an automatic place in the World Cup. In 1968, FIFA unanimously voted to grant an automatic place for CAF from the 1970 World Cup onwards.


CONCACAF

10 teams initially entered, but the entry of Guatemala was rejected. 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.


CONMEBOL

As
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
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.


Final positions (Group Stage)

In Group B, Chile and Ecuador finished level on points, and a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would qualify. Chile won the match to win the group.


UEFA

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
qualified automatically as hosts and a further 30 European teams took part in qualification. They were joined by
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
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.


Final positions (Group Stage)

In Group 1, Belgium and Bulgaria finished level on points, and a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would qualify. Bulgaria won the match 2–1. In Group 9, the Republic of Ireland and Spain finished level on points, and a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would qualify. Spain won the match 1–0.


Goalscorers

;7 goals *
Eusébio Eusébio da Silva Ferreira (; 25 January 1942 – 5 January 2014), nicknamed the "Black Panther", the "Black Pearl" or "O Rei" ("The King"), was a Portuguese footballer who played as a striker. He is considered one of the greatest players of ...
;6 goals *
Mimis Papaioannou Dimitrios "Mimis" Papaioannou ( el, Δημήτριος "Μίμης" Παπαϊωάννου; born 23 August 1942) is a Greek former professional football player, who played as a forward, mostly for AEK Athens and a former manager. His nickname w ...
;5 goals *
Paul Van Himst Paul Van Himst (born 2 October 1943) is a Belgian former football player and a football manager who played as a forward, most notably for R.S.C. Anderlecht. Career Van Himst was nicknamed ''Polle Gazon'' (''Polle'' is Paul in Brussels dialect ...
*
Georgi Asparuhov Georgi Asparuhov Rangelov ( bg, Георги Аспарухов Рангелов; 4 May 1943 – 30 June 1971), nicknamed Gundi, was a Bulgarian footballer who played as a striker. A prolific forward of his generation, Asparuhov was renowned ...
*
Sandro Mazzola Alessandro "Sandro" Mazzola (; born 8 November 1942) is an Italian former professional footballer, who played as a forward or attacking midfielder for Internazionale and the Italy national team. He currently works as a football analyst and co ...
*
Isidoro Díaz Isidoro Díaz Mejía (born 14 March 1938) is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Club career Isidoro Díaz played most of his club career for Guadalajara, where he won 15 titles, including 7 league titles and t ...
* Jobby Crossan *
Włodzimierz Lubański Włodzimierz 'Włodek' Leonard Lubański (Polish pronunciation: ; born 28 February 1947 in Gliwice-Sośnica) is a former Polish football striker, the second all-time highest goal scorer for the Polish national team. For his national team, ...
*
Anatoliy Banishevskiy Anatoliy Andreyevich Banishevskiy ( az, Anatoli Andreyeviç Banişevski; russian: Анатолий Андреевич Банишевский; 23 February 1946, in Baku – 10 December 1997, in Baku) was an Azerbaijani footballer. Throughout most o ...
* Héctor Silva ;4 goals *
Nikola Kotkov Nikola Todorov Kotkov ( bg, Никола Тодоров Котков) (9 December 1938 – 30 June 1971), nicknamed Koteto (Котето, "The Kitten") was a Bulgarian football (soccer), footballer who played as a Striker (association football), ...
* Errol Daniels * Leonel Hernández *
František Knebort František Knebort (born 19 January 1944) is a Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three m ...
*
Ernesto Cisneros Ernesto Cisneros Salcedo (born 26 October 1940) is a Mexican former football midfielder who played for Mexico in the 1966 FIFA World Cup. He also played for Club Atlas and he competed in the men's tournament at the 1964 Summer Olympics. Club ...
* Pedro Virgilio Rocha * Roy Vernon *
Milan Galić Milan Galić ( sr-Cyrl, Милан Галић, ; 8 March 1938 – 13 September 2014) was a Yugoslav and Serbian professional footballer who played as a striker. He was part of the Yugoslav squad that won gold at the 1960 Summer Olympics. During ...
;3 goals *
Luis Artime Luis Artime (born 2 December 1938) is an Argentine former footballer, who played as a striker, and scored more than 1,000 goals during his career. His son Luis Fabián Artime is also a retired Argentine footballer who played in the 1990s. Club ...
*
Ermindo Onega Ermindo Ángel Onega (30 April 1940 – 21 December 1979) was an Argentine footballer, attacking midfielder and forward from River Plate. He played for River Plate from 1957 to 1968, scoring 98 goals in 222 matches. In 1972, he played for C ...
* Johnny Thio *
Alberto Fouilloux Alberto Jorge Fouillioux Ahumada (22 November 1940 – 23 June 2018) was a Chilean football midfielder and striker who earned 70 caps and scored 12 goals for the Chile national team during his career. Career Fouillioux made his debut for Uni ...
*
Leonel Sánchez Leonel Guillermo Sánchez Lineros (25 April 1936 – 2 April 2022) was a Chilean professional footballer who played as a striker on the left wing. He is recognized as one of the Best South American Footballers of the 20th Century and one of ...
*
Edgar Marín Edgar Ceferino Marín Leví (born 22 May 1943) is a Costa Rican retired footballer. Club career Born in Pueblo Nuevo, Puntarenas, Marín made his league debut in 1962 for Deportivo Saprissa against Uruguay de Coronado
* William Quirós *
Karol Jokl Karol Jokl (29 August 1945 – 28 October 1996) was a Slovak football player and manager. He played for ŠK Slovan Bratislava and Czechoslovakia. Between 1963 and 1975 he played in the Czechoslovak First League for ŠK Slovan Bratislava, scorin ...
* Enrique Raymondi *
Juhani Peltonen Juhani Peltonen (born 16 June 1936) is a retired Finland, Finnish association football player. Peltonen was the first Finnish player to play in the Germany, German Bundesliga. The Forward (association football), forward made 38 appearances for H ...
*
Nestor Combin Nestor may refer to: * Nestor (mythology), King of Pylos in Greek mythology Arts and entertainment * "Nestor" (''Ulysses'' episode) an episode in James Joyce's novel ''Ulysses'' * Nestor Studios, first-ever motion picture studio in Hollywood, ...
* Philippe Gondet * Giorgos Sideris *
Paolo Barison Paolo Barison (, ; 23 June 1936 in – 17 April 1979) was an Italian association footballer who played as a striker. Club career During his club career, Barison played for S.S.C. Venezia, Genoa C.F.C., A.C. Milan, U.C. Sampdoria, A.S. Roma, a ...
* Lascelles Dunkley * Louis Pilot *
Pak Seung-Zin Pak Seung-zin (a.k.a. Pak Sung Jin; 11 January 19415 August 2011) was a North Korean footballer. He represented North Korea at the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England, scoring two goals, against Chile and Portugal Portugal, officially the Por ...
* Pedro Pablo León *
Jerzy Sadek Jerzy Mirosław Sadek (13 January 1942 – 4 November 2015) was a Polish footballer who played as a striker. Career Born in Radomsko, Sadek played for ŁKS Łódź, Sparta Rotterdam and Haarlem. He also played for the Polish national team, sc ...
*
Valentin Kozmich Ivanov Valentin Kozmich Ivanov (russian: Валентин Козьмич Иванов, 19 November 1934 – 8 November 2011) was a Russian footballer who played as a midfielder. He was the co- leading scorer at the 1962 World Cup, and the co-1960 Euro ...
*
Slava Metreveli Slava Kalistratovich Metreveli ( ka, სლავა კალისტრატეს ძე მეტრეველი; russian: Слава Калистратович Метревели, 30 May 1936 – 7 January 1998) was a Soviet and G ...
* Chus Pereda * Siegfried Haltman *
Köbi Kuhn Jakob "Köbi" Kuhn (12 October 1943 – 26 November 2019) was a Swiss football player and manager. During his playing career he played primarily for FC Zürich and won 63 caps for Switzerland, one of which was at the 1966 FIFA World Cup in Engl ...
*
Ivor Allchurch Ivor John Allchurch MBE (16 October 1929 – 10 July 1997) was a Welsh professional footballer who played for Swansea Town, Newcastle United and Cardiff City, as well as the Wales national football team. Known as the "Golden Boy of Welsh foot ...
* Rudolf Brunnenmeier ;2 goals * Raúl Bernao *
Les Scheinflug Ladislav "Les" Scheinflug (born 1 October 1938) is a former football (soccer) player and coach. Biography Arriving in Australia in the early 1950s he lived as a youth at Villawood Migrant Hostel and played for the hostel soccer team (Villawood ...
*
Carlos Campos Sánchez Carlos Héctor Campos Silva (14 February 1937 – 11 November 2020) was a Chilean footballer. Campos played for Universidad de Chile. He scored 184 goals for the club, and 18 times for the Chile national team. Campos died on 11 November 2020 in O ...
* Rubén Marcos * Eugenio Méndez *
Ignacio Prieto Ignacio Prieto Urrejola (born September 23, 1943) is a former Chilean footballer who played for 5 clubs and in the Chile national football team in the FIFA World Cup England 1966. Teams (Player) * Universidad Católica 1962-1967 * Nacional 196 ...
* Antonio Rada * Hermenegildo Segrera * Ivan Mráz * Ole Fritsen *
Ole Madsen Ole Eduard Fischer Madsen (21 December 1934 – 26 March 2006 Camilla Dam ''Danmarks Radio'', 26 March 2006) was a Danish international footballer, who scored 42 goals in 50 matches for the Denmark national team and competed at the 1964 Europe ...
* Peter Ducke * Jürgen Nöldner * Alberto Pedro Spencer *
János Farkas János Farkas (27 March 1942 in Budapest – 29 September 1989 in Budapest) was a Hungarian footballer. During his club career he played for Vasas SC. He earned 33 caps and scored 20 goals for the Hungary national football team from 1961 ...
*
Máté Fenyvesi Máté Fenyvesi (20 September 1933 – 17 February 2022) was a Hungarian footballer and politician.
*
Giacinto Facchetti Giacinto Facchetti (; 18 July 1942 – 4 September 2006) was an Italian footballer who played as a left-back for Inter Milan from 1960 to 1978. He later served as Inter chairman from January 2004 until his death in 2006. He played 634 official ga ...
*
Bruno Mora Bruno Mora (; 29 March 1937 – 10 December 1986) was an Italian football player and coach, who played as a right winger. He began his club career with U.C. Sampdoria, and later won domestic and international titles with Juventus F.C. and A.C. ...
*
Gianni Rivera Giovanni "Gianni" Rivera (; born 18 August 1943) is an Italian politician and former footballer who played as a midfielder. During his career as a footballer he was mostly utilised as an attacking midfielder. Dubbed Italy's "Golden Boy" by the ...
*
José Luis González Dávila José Luis González "La Calaca" Dávila (September 14, 1942 – September 8, 1995) was a Mexican professional footballer who played as a forward and was a two time Olympian. Career At club level, Gonzalez captained Pumas and Deportivo T ...
*
Javier Fragoso Javier Gonzalo Fragoso Rodríguez (19 April 1942 – 28 December 2014) was a Mexican football player and manager. Club career Born in Mexico City in 1942, he was a forward for Club América, for whom he made his debut in 1962. International ...
*
Aarón Padilla Gutiérrez Aarón is the Spanish form of the Biblical name Aharon. Notable people who are often referred to solely by this name include: * Puerto Rican Pentecostal sect leader Teófilo Vargas Seín, who uses Aarón as his religious title * Aarón Ñíguez ...
* Salvador Reyes Monteón *
Hennie van Nee Hendrik van Nee (13 August 1939 — 25 January 1996) was a Dutch footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward from 1957 to 1971. Born in Zwolle, he played for PEC Zwolle, Zwolsche Boys, Heracles Almelo (two spells), PEC Zwo ...
* Virgilio Sille * Han Bong-Zin * Kim Seung-Il *
George Best George Best (22 May 1946 – 25 November 2005) was a Northern Irish professional footballer who played as a winger, spending most of his club career at Manchester United. A highly skilful dribbler, Best is regarded as one of the greatest p ...
*
Harald Berg Harald Johan «Dutte» Berg (born 9 November 1941 in Bodø) is a former Norwegian playmaker and midfielder, nickname "Dutte". He is the brother of Knut Berg, the father of Ørjan Berg, Runar Berg and Arild Berg, and grandfather of Patrick Berg ...
* Erik Johansen * Luis Zavalla *
Ernest Pol Ernest Pohl (3 November 1932 – 12 September 1995), a.k.a. Ernst Pol, was a Polish football player. He was born in Ruda (now Ruda Śląska), Poland and died in Hausach, Germany. Career Pohl scored 39 goals in 46 international matches for Poland ...
* Nicolae Georgescu *
Viorel Mateianu Viorel Mateianu (1 June 1938 – 25 November 1997) was a Romanian football player and coach. Club career Mateianu was born in Lipănești, Prahova and started playing football in the Romanian lower leagues at Flacăra Boldești and Progresul ...
*
John Greig John Greig (born 11 September 1942) is a Scottish former professional footballer, who played as a defender. He spent his entire career with Rangers, as a player, manager and director. Greig was voted "The Greatest Ever Ranger" in 1999 by the ...
* Denis Law * Vladimir Barkaya * Stanley Humbert Krenten * Edmund Waterval * Lars Granström *
Bo Larsson Bo-Göran "Bosse" Larsson (born 5 May 1944) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder and striker. Best remembered for his time with Malmö FF, he also represented VfB Stuttgart and Trelleborgs FF during his caree ...
*
Agne Simonsson Tore Klas Agne Simonsson (19 October 1935 – 22 September 2020) was a Swedish footballer who played as a striker. Beginning his career with Örgryte IS in 1953, he went on to represent Real Madrid and Real Sociedad in La Liga in the early 1960 ...
* Torbjörn Jonsson * René-Pierre Quentin * Andy Aleong *
Fevzi Zemzem Fevzi Zemzem (27 June 1941 – 21 March 2022) was a Turkish professional footballer who played as a striker for Göztepe and the Turkey national team. Playing career Zemzem played for Göztepe for his entire fourteen-year professional care ...
* Ed Murphy * Werner Krämer * Wolfgang Overath *
Klaus-Dieter Sieloff Klaus-Dieter Sieloff (27 February 1942 – 13 December 2011) was a German footballer who played as a defender. He spent 11 seasons in the Bundesliga with VfB Stuttgart and Borussia Mönchengladbach. He played in two World Cup Qualifying matches ...
*
Dragan Džajić Dragan Džajić ( sr-Cyrl, Драган Џајић; born 30 May 1946) is a Yugoslav former footballer from Serbia. Džajić is widely considered to be one of the best footballers to emerge from the former Yugoslavia, and one of the greatest l ...
;1 goal *
Mexhit Haxhiu Mexhit Haxhiu (born 3 January 1943) is an Albanian former association football, footballer who played for Flamurtari Vlorë, Partizani Tirana and Besa Kavajë, as well as the Albania national football team, Albania national team. He is currently t ...
* Robert Jashari *
Erich Hof Erich Hof (3 August 1936 – 25 January 1995) was an Austrian footballer and coach who played as a forward. Career Born in the Brigittenau district of Vienna, Hof began playing football as a striker with FC Hochstädt. In 1952, he joined Wiener ...
*
Armand Jurion Armand Joseph Jurion (born 24 February 1937), nicknamed Jef, is a Belgian former professional footballer who played for the Belgium national team from 1955 to 1967. Jurion spent most of his club career at R.S.C. Anderlecht where he won nine ch ...
* Wilfried Puis * Jacques Stockman * Fortunato Castillo * Ramón Quevedo * Rolando Vargas * Stoyan Kitov *
Ivan Petkov Kolev Ivan Petkov Kolev ( bg, Иван Петков Колев) (Plovdiv 1 November 1930 – 1 July 2005) was a Bulgarian football player and coach. He represented Bulgaria at both the 1962 FIFA World Cup and the 1966 FIFA World Cup, He also pla ...
* Fernando Jiménez * Tarcisio Rodríguez Viquez * Juan González Soto * Nicolás Martínez * Ángel Piedra * Antonio dos Santos *
Alexander Horváth Alexander Horváth (28 December 1938 – 31 August 2022) was a Slovak footballer who played as a defender. He made 26 appearances for the Czechoslovakia scoring 3 goals. Horváth was a participant at the 1970 FIFA World Cup. He played mostly f ...
* Dušan Kabát *
Andrej Kvašňák Andrej Kvašňák (19 May 1936 – 18 April 2007) was a Slovak football player. Born in Košice, he played for Czechoslovakia, for which he played 47 matches and scored 13 goals. He is usually considered one of the best Czechoslovak footballers. ...
* Mogens Berg *
Kaj Poulsen Kaj Kvistgård Poulsen, known as Kaj Poulsen, (born 31 December 1942) is a Danish former association footballer in the striker position, who played 141 games and scored 29 goals for Vejle Boldklub. He played five matches for the Denmark national ...
* Tommy Troelsen * Eberhard Vogel * Romulo Gómez *
Washington Muñoz Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
* Martti Hyvärinen * Semi Nuoranen * Marcel Artelesa * André Guy * Angel Rambert * Andreas Papaemmanouil *
José Ricardo Taylor José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...
*
Ferenc Bene Ferenc Bene (17 December 1944 – 27 February 2006) was a Hungarian Association football, football player of Újpest FC, Újpesti Dózsa, who was a member of the team that won the gold medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. A Forwar ...
* Kálmán Mészöly *
Dezső Novák Dezső Novák (3 February 1939 – 26 February 2014) was a Hungarian footballer who played as a defender. During his club career he played for Ferencvárosi TC. For the Hungary national team, he participated in the 1964 European Nations' ...
* Gyula Rákosi * Andy McEvoy *
Rahamim Talbi Rachamim Talbi ( he, רחמים טלבי; born Rahamim Talbiev ( bg, Paхaмим Taлбиeв; born 17 May 1943 in Vidin, Bulgaria) is a former Israeli football forward, who played for the Israel national team between 1965 and 1973. He was part o ...
*
Giacomo Bulgarelli Giacomo Bulgarelli (; 24 October 1940 – 12 February 2009) was an Italian international footballer who played as a midfielder. Regarded as one of Italy's greatest ever midfielders, Bulgarelli spent his entire club career with Italian side Bologna ...
*
Ezio Pascutti Ezio Pascutti (; 1 June 1937 – 4 January 2017) was an Italian football manager and player, who played as a forward, either as a striker or as a winger. He spent his entire club career with Bologna, and represented Italy at two FIFA World Cup ...
* Syd Bartlett * Oscar Black * Patrick Blair *
Art Welch Art Welch (born 16 April 1944) is a Jamaican former professional soccer player who played in the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League. He began his career in Jamaica with Cavaliers FC, alongside twin brother Asher. In ...
*
Asher Welch Asher Welch (born 16 April 1944) is a Jamaican former professional soccer player who played in the NASL between 1967 and 1970 for the Baltimore Bays and Kansas City Spurs. He began his career in Jamaica with Cavaliers FC, alongside twin broth ...
* Ernest Brenner * Edy Dublin *
Ady Schmit Adolphe Schmit (born 17 August 1940), known as Ady Schmit, is a Luxembourgish former footballer. Schmit played most of his career in France. He scored three of his six goals for the Luxembourg national team on 8 October 1961 during a 4–2 win ...
* José Luis Aussin * Ignacio Jáuregui *
Ramiro Navarro Ramiro Navarro de Anda (born 25 May 1943) is a Mexican former football forward who played for Mexico in the 1966 FIFA World Cup. Career Born in Tepatitlán Tepatitlán de Morelos is a city and municipality founded in 1530, in the centr ...
*
Frans Geurtsen Frans Geurtsen (17 March 1942 – 12 December 2015) was a Dutch footballer, who played at both professional and international levels as a striker. Club career Geurtsen started his professional career at hometown side Velox, winning promotion t ...
* Theo Laseroms *
Bennie Muller Bennie Muller (born 14 August 1938) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a midfielder for Ajax and the Netherlands national team. Early life Muller was born in the Jewish Quarter of Amsterdam-East. His grandfather was a frui ...
*
Daan Schrijvers Daan Schijvers (18 September 1941 – 2 August 2018) was a Dutch footballer who played as a defender in his native Netherlands. He was also capped for the Netherlands national team 22 times. Club career Born in Breda, Schrijvers started and ...
*
Im Seung-Hwi Im Shung-hwi (a.k.a. Im Song Hwi; born 3 February 1946) is a North Korean football midfielder who played for North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitut ...
*
Pak Doo-Ik Pak Doo-ik ( Chosungul: 박두익; Hanja: 朴斗翼; born 17 December 1943) is a North Korean former football player. He is well known for being the footballer who scored the goal which knocked out Italy from the group stage of the 1966 World C ...
* Willie Irvine *
Terry Neill William John Terence Neill (8 May 1942 – 28 July 2022) was a Northern Irish football player and manager. A centre-back, he captained and later managed Arsenal, guiding the club to a European final in 1980 and three consecutive FA Cup final ...
* Per Kristoffersen *
Olav Nilsen Nils Olav Nilsen (24 January 1942 – 11 October 2021) was a Norwegian footballer who played as a striker in his early career, but was later used as a midfielder. He scored 19 goals in 62 matches for the Norway national team. On club level Ni ...
*
Arne Pedersen Arne Knut Pedersen (1 November 1931 – 16 November 2013) was a Norwegian footballer. He was a deep-lying inside forward, or offensive midfielder by today's terminology, who spent his entire playing career at his hometown club Fredrikstad FK, w ...
* Finn Seemann * Kai Sjøberg *
Ole Stavrum Ole Einar Stavrum (born 22 May 1940) is a Norwegian footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Ca ...
*
Celino Mora Celino Mora (born 21 October 1945) is a Paraguayan footballer. He played in 23 matches for the Paraguay national football team from 1967 to 1970. He was also part of Paraguay's squad for the 1967 South American Championship The 1967 South A ...
*
Vicente Rodríguez Vicente Rodríguez Guillén (; born 16 July 1981), known simply as Vicente, nicknamed ''El puñal de Benicalap'' (''The dagger of Benicalap''), is a Spanish former professional footballer. A left winger with outstanding technique, pace and sc ...
* Juan Carlos Rojas *
Nemesio Mosquera Nemesio Edulivio Mosquera Jiménez (born 19 December 1936) is a Peruvian footballer. He played in five matches for the Peru national football team in 1963. He was also part of Peru's squad for the 1963 South American Championship The 1963 ...
* Jesús Peláez Miranda * Víctor Zegarra * Roman Lentner *
Mário Coluna Mário Esteves Coluna (; 6 August 1935 – 25 February 2014) was a Portuguese footballer who played mainly as a central midfielder. He spent most of his career with Benfica, appearing in 525 official matches and scoring 127 goals during 16 p ...
* Jaime Graça *
Sorin Avram Sorin Aristotel Avram (29 March 1943 – 29 September 2015) was a Romanian football player and coach. He started his career in 1956, by joining the youth team of Letea Bacău. From there he moved to Dinamo Bacău in 1959 and then to Viitorul ...
*
Alexandru Badea Alexandru Badea (8 March 1938 – 17 July 1986) was a Romanian footballer. International career Alexandru Badea played four matches at international level for Romania, scoring two goals. He made his debut against Eusébio's Portugal in a 1966 F ...
*
Dan Coe Daniel Coe (8 September 1941 – 19 October 1981) was a Romanian football defender. He was part of the Romanian team that reached quarterfinals at the 1964 Summer Olympics, and later participated at the 1970 World Cup. Club career Originating ...
*
Carol Creiniceanu Carol Creiniceanu (1 February 1939 – 14 January 2012) was a Romanian association football player. He was part of the Romanian team that reached quarterfinals at the 1964 Summer Olympics. International career Carol Creiniceanu played three gam ...
* Ion Pârcălab * Stevie Chalmers * Dave Gibson *
Billy McNeill William McNeill (2 March 1940 – 22 April 2019) was a Scottish football player and manager. He had a long association with Celtic, spanning more than sixty years as a player, manager and club ambassador. McNeill captained Celtic's 'Lisbon Lio ...
*
Davie Wilson David Wilson (10 January 1937 – 14 June 2022)Boris Kazakov *
Galimzyan Khusainov Galimzyan Salikhovich Khusainov ( tt-Cyrl, Галимҗан Салих улы Хөсәенев, russian: Галимзян Салихович Хусаинов) (27 June 1937 – 5 February 2010) was a Soviet football player of Tatar ethnicity who ...
*
Mikheil Meskhi Mikheil Meskhi (Georgian: მიხეილ მესხი; Russian: Михаил Шалвович Месхи; born 12 January 1937 in Tbilisi; died 22 April 1991 in Tbilisi) was a Georgian footballer. Nicknamed the "Georgian Garrincha" for hi ...
*
Yozhef Sabo Yozhef Yozhefovich Sabo ( uk, Йожеф Йожефович Сабо; hu, Szabó József; born 29 February 1940) is a former Ukrainian football player and football manager. He is of Hungarian background. He is baptized as a Greek-Catholic. ...
* Valery Voronin *
Carlos Lapetra Carlos Lapetra Coarasa (29 November 1938 – 24 December 1995) was a Spanish footballer who played as a forward. He spent ten of his 11 years as a professional with Zaragoza, appearing in 279 official games (62 goals) and winning three major ti ...
* José Ufarte *
Kenneth Kluivert Kenneth Ramon Kluivert (born 26 August 1941) is a Surinamese former footballer who played as a left winger for S.V. Robinhood in the SVB Hoofdklasse, and for the Suriname national football team. He is the father of former Dutch International f ...
*
Kurt Hamrin Kurt Roland "Kurre" Hamrin (; born 19 November 1934) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a winger. He began his career in his home country with AIK, but later played for several Italian clubs, most notably Fiorentina, with w ...
*
Ove Kindvall Bengt Ove Kindvall (born 16 May 1943) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a striker. He started his career at IFK Norrköping, where he played until he joined Feyenoord in 1966 and became professional. The same year, he w ...
*
Anton Allemann Anton "Toni" Allemann (6 January 1936 – 3 August 2008) was a Switzerland, Swiss Association football, footballer. He began his career at BSC Young Boys in Berne in 1957 at age 21, where he spent four seasons. Early life and career Allemann c ...
* Robert Hosp *
Alvin Corneal Alvin Ainsley Corneal (born 13 October 1937, San Juan, Trinidad and Tobago) is a Trinidad and Tobago former footballer. Corneal also played three unofficial matches with Barbados in 1962 when the latter was not yet a FIFA member. He also played ...
* Jeff Gellineau * Bobby Sookram *
Ayhan Elmastaşoğlu Ayhan Elmastaşoğlu (born 23 August 1941) is a retired Turkish professional footballer. Elmastaşoğlu is best known for his 12 year stint with Galatasaray from 1960-1972. He helped Galatasaray win 5 Süper Ligs, 4 Turkish Cups, and 2 Turkish S ...
*
Nedim Doğan Nedim Doğan (born 1943 in İstanbul) was a Turkish football player of Fenerbahçe. He played as a forward. He started his professional career with İstanbulspor and then transferred to Fenerbahçe where he played twelve years between 1961-73. H ...
* Helmut Bicek * Walt Schmotolocha * Danilo Menezes *
José Urruzmendi José Eusebio Urruzmendi Aycaguer (born 25 August 1944) is a Uruguayan football striker who played for Uruguay in the 1966 FIFA World Cup. He also played for Club Nacional de Football Club Nacional de Football (, ''National Football Club'' o ...
*
Freddy Elie Fréderic José Elie Arlet (10 March 1946 – 2 November 2023) was a Haitian-born Venezuelan football player and manager. Born in Haiti, he made 20 appearances for the Venezuela national team between 1964 and 1977. Career Freddy Elie stood ou ...
*
Rafael Santana Rafael Francisco Santana de la Cruz (born January 31, 1958) is a former Major League Baseball shortstop who won a World Series ring with the 1986 New York Mets. He currently serves as the Dominican Republic scouting and player development superv ...
* Humberto Francisco Scovino * Argenis Tortolero * Ron Davies *
Wyn Davies Ronald Wyn Davies (born 20 March 1942) is a Welsh former professional footballer who made over 550 Football League appearances in the 1960s and 1970s, and who was also capped by Wales. Domestic career Although he began his career with Wrexham, ...
*
Mike England Harold Michael England (born 2 December 1941) is a Welsh former footballer and manager. Playing career Playing as a central defender, England began his career at Blackburn Rovers in 1959, before moving to Tottenham Hotspur in July 1966, ultimat ...
* Ronnie Rees * Alfred Heiß *
Uwe Seeler Uwe Seeler (; 5 November 1936 – 21 July 2022) was a German footballer and football official. As a striker, he was a prolific scorer for Hamburger SV and also made 72 appearances for the West Germany national team. Widely regarded as one of ...
*
Heinz Strehl Heinz Strehl (20 July 1938 – 11 August 1986) was a German footballer who played as a forward. Career A Bundesliga title-winner with 1. FC Nürnberg in 1968, Heinz Strehl was one of the proven goalscorers in West Germany in the 1960s and abl ...
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Horst Szymaniak Horst "Schimmi" Szymaniak (29 August 1934 – 9 October 2009) was a German footballer who played as a midfielder. Club career Szymaniak was born in Oer-Erkenschwick. The clubs he played for include: SpVgg Erkenschwick, Wuppertaler SV, Karlsr ...
*
Dražan Jerković Dražan Jerković (; 6 August 1936 – 9 December 2008) was a Yugoslav and Croatian professional football manager and player. His professional playing career spanned from 1954 to 1966, during which he played for Dinamo Zagreb and AA La Gantoise. ...
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Vladica Kovačević Vladimir "Vladica" Kovačević (, ; 7 January 1940 – 28 July 2016) was a Yugoslav and Serbian footballer who played as a forward. Club career Born in Ivanjica, Kovačević moved to Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; names in other languages) ...
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Džemaludin Mušović Džemaludin Mušović (born 30 October 1944) is a Bosnian retired football manager and player. He is regarded as one of the most successful Bosnian football managers. Club career Mušović joined Hajduk Split from Sarajevo in 1966 for 13 millio ...
*
Velibor Vasović Velibor Vasović (Serbian Cyrillic: Велибор Васовић; 3 October 1939 – 4 March 2002) was a Serbian footballer and manager, also one of the legendary players of Partizan Belgrade and Ajax and one of greatest defenders of his gener ...
;1 own goal * José Ramos Delgado (playing against Bolivia) *
Ivan Vutsov Ivan Kolev Vutsov ( bg, Иван Кoлeв Вуцов; 14 December 1939 – 18 January 2019) was a Bulgarian football player and coach. His career included periods playing for and later managing the Bulgarian national team. He played in three mat ...
(playing against
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
) * Kostas Panayiotou (playing against
West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
) * Stig Holmqvist (playing against
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
) * Ricardo González (playing against
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
) *
José Ángel Iribar José Ángel Iribar Kortajarena (born 1 March 1943), nicknamed ''El Chopo'' ("the Populus, Poplar"), is a Spanish retired Association football, football Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper and Manager (association football), manager. ...
(playing against
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
) * Graham Williams (playing against the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
)


References


External links


RSSSF - 1966 World Cup Qualification
{{DEFAULTSORT:1966 Fifa World Cup Qualification
Qualification Qualification is either the process of qualifying for an achievement, or a credential attesting to that achievement, and may refer to: * Professional qualification, attributes developed by obtaining academic degrees or through professional exper ...
FIFA World Cup qualification