The game returned to its roots 103 years after its creation when the World Cup came to England in 1966, at a time when the Beatles and the mini-skirt were at the height of their popularity.
There was panic amongst the organisers when the Jules Rimet trophy was stolen six months before the opening match.
A dog by the name of Pickles came to the rescue, finding the treasured mug buried in a garden in the suburbs of London and getting Scotland Yard off the hook.
The first round threw up a huge surprise when the holders Brazil crashed out of the competition although they were obviously hindered by the absence of Pele who was once again the victim of harsh tackling.
Eusebio gave Portugal reason to brag about their football rather than their rough play, finding the net on nine occasions to walk off with the title of top scorer.
North Korea and their striker Pak Doo-ik stunned two-time champions Italy 1-0, ending their run at the first hurdle for the third consecutive World Cup.
Was it in or not?
The quarter-final between England and Argentina was a messy affair.
West German referee Rudolf Kreitlein sent off the visitors captain Rattin just before the hour mark, but the moody South American initially refused to go before Geoff Hurst scored the only goal of the game to guarantee England a semi-final spot against Portugal.
Franz Beckenbauer led West Germany past the Soviets (2-0) to reach the final and England, thanks to Bobby Charton's two goals, took care of Portugal.
The final turned out to be a see-saw match that went down to the wire and when Wolfgang Weber knocked home a late equaliser, extra-time was played for the first time since 1934.
The moment of controversy came when Hurst neatly swivelled and smashed a shot that hit the underside of the bar, bounced down and then away from the German goal.
Had the ball crossed the line? Swiss referee Gottfried Dienst consulted his linesman who said yes, and despite German protests, England were in the lead.
Hurst then became the first and only player to score a hat-trick during a World Cup final when he left the exhausted German defence for dead and lashed a vicious left-foot drive past Tilkowski's groping right hand.
The goal sparked wild celebrations and England captain Bobby Moore collected the Cup from Queen Elizabeth for England's first ever world triumph.
