Last time England won the World Cup: How Three Lions hope to end 60-year drought

On Sunday, England took down a difficult Mexico team in Estadio Azteca, securing a spot in the World Cup quarterfinals.

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The Three Lions are one of the World Cup’s most prolific teams, but their success in the tournament doesn’t necessarily match all their expectations. While England is once again won of the tournament’s biggest favorites, the team is looking to snap a 60-year drought this summer.

England is no stranger to playing in the quarterfinals, but the country has higher hopes than finishing in the last eight. For England to live up to expectations, the Three Lions will need to go all the way to the final.

Here’s a look at how long it has been since the last England championship.

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When was the last time England won the World Cup?

England has not won the World Cup since 1966, when the country came out on top in a 16-team tournament as the host country. England first played in a Group Stage that year against Uruguay, Mexico and France, winning twice and playing Uruguay to a draw as the team came out first in the group. Overall, England outscored its opponents 4-0 in its first three games.

In the knockout stage, England secured three wins en route to the title, defeating Argentina, Portugal and West Germany. Not only did England host the tournament, the team played all six of its games at Wembley Stadium in London.

The final against West Germany was the only game in which England allowed two goals, but the Three Lions scored four goals to earn the win. Geoff Hurst was England’s star, as he scored a hat trick to become the first player to score a hat trick in the World Cup Final. 

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Manager Alf Ramsey took over the team after England lost the 1962 World Cup, and he delivered his promise for bringing the trophy to England.

England World Cup drought

Here’s every England finish in the World Cup since winning it last in 1966:

England’s best finish in the drought was as the fourth-place finishes, which occurred in 1990 and 2018. Otherwise, England has five losses in the quarterfinals, two in the Round of 16 and two in the group stage.

How many times has England won the World Cup?

Despite playing in 16 World Cup tournaments, England has just one World Cup title, getting its lone championship in 1966.

In fact, England hasn’t even been to the World Cup final outside of that lone championship in 1966. England’s best finish outside of the title is fourth place, which it did in both 1990 and 2018.

For the most part, England has consistently finished in the quarterfinal round of the World Cup, doing so seven such times. England also has four finishes in the group stage, two in the Round of 16 and two in the semifinals.

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