Reimagining the FIFA World Cup (Part II: 1966–1990)

Alternative trajectories the World Cup could have taken

This is mid-section of a 3-part series, where I look at every World Cup edition and Final played, and try to imagine if it could’ve followed an alternative trajectory, a different direction and or a divergent destiny.

Given the difference in World Cup formats, and football rules, a comparison is not always exact. To maintain consistency, I look at each competition from the semi-final (equivalent). This allows for a decent sample size and keeps the post to a readable length.

Following from Part 1, this journey goes from England 1966 to Italia 90.

1966

Same Final, Same Winner

There was a slight hiccup before the tournament — the Jules Rimet trophy was stolen! It was however recovered in time for the World Cup. Another notable aspect was the boycott by several African nations in protest against their World Cup qualification play-offs. Still in Africa, Angola and Mozambique played for their then colonial master Portugal, the latter being the birthplace of the Black Panther (Eusebio).

Eusebio’s Portugal, the “form” side of the tournament faced hosts England in the semi-final. A brace by Bobby Charlton…