| Facts : |
| • |
England, the cradle of the
modern game, took part in the FIFA World Cup
finals for the first time in 1950. Despite
winning their opening game against Chile,
they lost to the USA and Spain and packed
their bags after the first round. In 1954,
England lost to Uruguay in the quarter-finals,
and in 1962 they fell at the same stage to
the eventual world champions Brazil. |
| • |
England's glory came in the 1966 FIFA World
Cup, on home turf. Football's inventors were
crowned world champions for the first and
only time after a 4-2 win against Germany
in the final. Geoff Hurst scored a hat-trick
in the match. |
| • |
Since then, England have not progressed
beyond the semi-finals. In 1990 they reached
the last four but were eliminated by the eventual
champions Germany in a penalty shoot-out. |
