And, to commemorate the accomplishment of Sir Alf Ramsey’s squad, Wembley will play host to two major events.
World Cup ’66 Live is a spectacular live show which will tell the story of the famous afternoon.
Starting at 2.30pm at the Wembley SSE Arena, a stone’s throw away from where the action took place, the event will feature England legends Sir Geoff Hurst and Sir Bobby Charlton, with actor Martin Freeman playing the role of Bobby Moore.
There will also be live performances of classic songs from ’66 performed by artists including Reef, Squeeze, Lemar and more.
The event is being broadcast live by the BBC, and will also be shown in Picturehouse cinemas up and down the country.
This will be followed by a 1966 Golden Anniversary Gala Dinner, starting at 6.30pm at Wembley Stadium, connected by EE.
The evening will be attended by several members of the ’66 World Cup-winning team, including Sir Geoff Hurst, George Cohen MBE and Gordon Banks OBE, with entertainment on the night provided by 60s icon Lulu.
66 winners George Cohen, Gordon Banks, Martin Peters and Sir Geoff Hurst
These events mark the pinnacle of a series of commemorative occasions celebrating the achievement of the World Cup winners, with next week’s Community Shield providing another platform the commemorate the spirit of ’66.
The anniversary year was launched in January at the Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington, the official hotel for the World Cup in 1966 and home to the players during much of the campaign.
This was followed in April by Football Shirt Friday, when people across the country don their football shirts to work, at the same time raising vital funds for the Bobby Moore Fund. In May Wembley Stadium hosted its first ever film premiere, as Matt Lorenzo’s Bo66y recounted the triumph and tragedy behind one football’s most iconic heroes.
Events picked up with the start of the summer, including the launch of The FA’s ’66 for 66’ campaign, which is donating 66 grants of £1,966 via County Football Associations, community groups and charities supported by the former World Cup players.
Grants have been put to good use across the country, from Fulham FC using the money to fund a new statue of World Cup winner George Cohen, to the Army FA using its grant to enhance the opportunities for female soldiers in grassroots football.
The initiative has produced a multitude of inspiring stories and will leave a fitting legacy across all levels of the game.
Other highlights in the run up to the anniversary itself have been the launch of the 1966 exhibition, first at the National Football Museum in Manchester, and later at our own Wembley Stadium.
The FA has also supported and been present at the opening of the Bobby Lounge at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington, and the recent unveiling of an English heritage blue plaque at Bobby’s birthplace, in Barking, Essex.
In addition, and to ensure the anniversary leaves a positive and long-lasting legacy, a benevolent fund has been set up in a partnership between The FA and The PFA. This will be preserved to support the management and players of the squad of 1966, and their immediate families, should they be in need of help.
The FA's CEO, Martin Glenn, said: “On the eve of England’s finest sporting hour, I’m heartened that we’re working closely with the PFA to provide support to those inspirational men who made history half a century ago.”
The FA’s work to commemorate 1966 does not stop this weekend. The following weekend’s FA Community Shield will see a pre-match 1966-themed reception, being attended by seven of the 1966 squad. Among these are Sir Bobby Charlton and Gordon Banks OBE, whose former clubs – Manchester United and Leicester City – face each other in the traditional curtain-raiser to the domestic season.
Later in the year, a private function is planned at the St. George’s Park, The FA-owned national football centre and home of coach education, to honour the memory of Sir Alf Ramsey, a bust of whom is a permanent fixture in the players’ tunnel at Wembley Stadium.
