60 Fun Facts About England National Football Team

After England’s 1966 World Cup quarter-final against Argentina, what did referees’ chief Ken Aston come up with?

Yellow and red cards came to Ken Aston at a set of traffic lights, after the referee’s decisions in that match had left people confused.

Who did England beat 4–2 after extra time in the 1966 World Cup final?

West Germany had forced extra time with Wolfgang Weber’s equaliser in the final seconds of normal time.

Who scored a hat-trick in the 1966 World Cup final?

Geoff Hurst only started the tournament’s later games because first-choice striker Jimmy Greaves was injured in the group stage.

Who captained England to the 1966 World Cup?

Bobby Moore’s quick free kick set up England’s equaliser, and his long pass in the last minute set up the goal that sealed the win.

Which manager guided England to the 1966 World Cup win?

Alf Ramsey had boldly predicted that England would win the World Cup when he took charge of the team.

Which band recorded ‘World in Motion’ with England’s 1990 World Cup squad, including a rap by John Barnes?

New Order got the job after the FA’s press officer phoned their label boss, Tony Wilson, and the song went to number one.

Scotland’s side in England’s first official international came from which club?

Queen’s Park took up the FA’s challenge at a time when Scotland had no football association of its own yet.

As of mid-2026, who was England’s most-capped player, with 125 appearances?

Peter Shilton was the goalkeeper Diego Maradona beat with his hand for the ‘Hand of God’ goal at the 1986 World Cup.

Who is England's all-time record goalscorer?

Harry Kane was in Arsenal’s academy at eight but was let go, and he joined their rivals Tottenham instead.

Where is St George's Park, England's national training centre?

Burton upon Trent: the FA bought the site in 2001, reviewed the plan as Wembley’s costs rose, and only opened the centre in 2012.

Which team beat England 1–0 at the 1950 World Cup in a famous upset?

The United States’ winner was Haitian-born Joe Gaetjens, who later went back to Haiti and disappeared, presumed killed.

Which England midfielder cried after a booking in the 1990 World Cup semi-final that would have ruled him out of the final?

Paul Gascoigne’s tears made him hugely popular, and he was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1990.

Against which team did England win 13–0 in 1882, still their biggest victory as of 2026?

Ireland’s side were novices; their football association had been founded only two years earlier.

Who was England's first full-time manager, appointed in 1946?

Walter Winterbottom never officially had the job of picking England’s team; an FA committee had a hand in choosing it.

Which England striker won the Golden Boot at the 1986 World Cup?

Gary Lineker’s six goals earned him a move that summer to Barcelona, then managed by Terry Venables.

Who missed England’s decisive penalty in the 1990 World Cup semi-final shoot-out?

Chris Waddle had hit the post in extra time, before his shoot-out kick flew over the bar.

Who managed England at the 1990 World Cup?

Bobby Robson’s semi-final run was his last tournament in charge before he left England to manage PSV Eindhoven.

Which manager resigned after England failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup?

Graham Taylor had already been lampooned as a turnip by The Sun after England lost to Sweden at Euro 92.

Which England player missed the decisive penalty in the Euro 96 semi-final shoot-out?

Gareth Southgate’s saved kick later landed him a part in a Pizza Hut advert with fellow penalty-missers.

Who was England's top scorer at Euro 96 with five goals?

Alan Shearer had not scored for England in 12 matches over 21 months before the tournament began.

Which band recorded 'Three Lions' with comedians David Baddiel and Frank Skinner for Euro 96?

The Lightning Seeds’ Ian Broudie wrote the music after the FA asked him for a Euro 96 song, and chose Baddiel and Skinner to write the words.

What colour was England’s away kit at Euro 96?

Grey was officially ‘indigo’ to the FA, but it looked dull grey to fans, and the shirt was retired after just three matches.

Which summer tournament did England win in 1997?

Le Tournoi de France was the hosts’ warm-up for the 1998 World Cup, yet England won it.

Which England manager was sacked in February 1999 over comments he made about disabled people?

Glenn Hoddle’s Times interview was widely taken to mean disabled people were paying for sins in past lives.

In the 1998 World Cup second round, David Beckham was sent off for kicking out at which opponent?

Diego Simeone’s Argentina went through on penalties after a 2–2 draw with ten-man England.

Which teenager scored a solo goal against Argentina at the 1998 World Cup?

Michael Owen, then 18, became an overnight star and was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1998.

Who was England's first foreign manager, in charge from 2001 to 2006?

Sven-Göran Eriksson’s exit after the 2006 World Cup was agreed months earlier, amid pressure from a newspaper’s ‘fake sheikh’ sting.

Which England manager resigned in 2012 after publicly challenging the FA’s decision to strip John Terry of the captaincy?

Fabio Capello quit after a meeting with the FA chairman at Wembley, months before he had been due to leave after Euro 2012.

Whose shot crossed the line but was not given in England's 4–1 loss at the 2010 World Cup?

Frank Lampard’s shot bounced down over the line off the bar, and Sepp Blatter later said it convinced him football needed goal-line technology.

Which nation knocked England out of Euro 2016 in the round of 16?

Iceland won 2–1, and Roy Hodgson resigned as England manager straight after the match.

Which manager lasted just one match and 67 days before leaving by mutual agreement in 2016?

Sam Allardyce left after undercover Daily Telegraph reporters filmed him apparently advising how to get round FA rules on third-party ownership.

Against which team did England win a World Cup penalty shoot-out for the first time, in 2018?

Colombia lost the shoot-out after Jordan Pickford saved from Carlos Bacca and Eric Dier scored the winning kick.

England played their 1000th international in November 2019, winning 7–0 against which team?

Montenegro were beaten without Raheem Sterling, who had been dropped after a clash with Joe Gomez in the England camp.

Who beat England on penalties in the Euro 2020 final, England's first European Championship final?

Italy won the shoot-out after Marcus Rashford hit a post and goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma saved from Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka.

Who scored England’s goal after 1 minute 57 seconds in the Euro 2020 final?

Luke Shaw finished at the far post from Kieran Trippier’s cross, after Trippier had been brought into the team for the final.

Who scored a stoppage-time bicycle kick against Slovakia to keep England in Euro 2024?

Jude Bellingham was later fined and given a suspended one-match ban by UEFA over a gesture he made after scoring.

Who beat England 2–1 in the Euro 2024 final?

Spain’s late winner came from substitute Mikel Oyarzabal.

Who became England’s head coach on 1 January 2025?

Thomas Tuchel was announced in October 2024 but started in January, so interim boss Lee Carsley finished that year’s Nations League games.

With which king is England’s three lions crest most closely associated?

Richard I, the Lionheart, spent perhaps as little as six months of his ten-year reign in England.

Which England defender headed the opening goal in the 2018 World Cup quarter-final win over Sweden?

Harry Maguire had still been playing in League One with Sheffield United until he joined Hull City in 2014.

Which company took over as England’s kit supplier in 2013?

Nike took over from Umbro, a brand Nike had itself bought and then sold on only months before the switch.

Which manufacturer supplied England's kits between 1974 and 1984?

Admiral collapsed while it still held the England kit contract.

While Wembley was being rebuilt, which ground became England's primary home venue?

Old Trafford hosted England for longer than planned, because the new Wembley, due to open in 2006, was delayed until 2007.

Which team did England’s senior side draw 1–1 with in its first match at the rebuilt Wembley, in June 2007?

Brazil equalised through Diego in stoppage time, after John Terry had headed England’s first senior goal at the new stadium.

As of 2026, who was England’s youngest ever player, capped at 17 years and 75 days in 2006?

Theo Walcott had already been named in the 2006 World Cup squad, yet he never got on the pitch at the tournament.

As of 2026, who was England’s oldest ever player, still playing for them at 42 in 1957?

Stanley Matthews finally won the FA Cup in 1953, when Blackpool came from 3–1 down to beat Bolton 4–3.

Who holds the record for most consecutive England appearances, with 70 between 1951 and 1959?

Billy Wright was nearly let go by Wolves as a boy because the manager thought he was too small.

As of 2026, who scored England’s fastest World Cup finals goal, after 27 seconds in 1982?

Bryan Robson scored that quickly, yet England went out of that World Cup without losing a match.

Which outfield player made 107 England appearances without ever scoring?

Ashley Cole retired from international football after being left out of the 2014 World Cup squad.

Which England manager was dubbed ‘the wally with the brolly’ after sheltering from rain during a 2007 defeat by Croatia?

Steve McClaren’s England lost 3–2 at home that night and failed to qualify for Euro 2008.

Tofiq Bahramov, the linesman who awarded England's disputed 1966 goal, came from which Soviet republic?

Azerbaijan’s Tofiq Bahramov became known in England as ‘the Russian linesman’, though he was not Russian.

Which BBC commentator said ‘they think it’s all over… it is now’ as England won the 1966 final?

Kenneth Wolstenholme was describing fans who had run onto the pitch before the final whistle.

Who scored England’s second goal in the 1966 World Cup final?

Martin Peters’s goal looked like the winner until a last-minute equaliser forced extra time.

England's 2009 World Cup qualifier in Ukraine went out as an internet pay-per-view after which broadcaster went bust?

Setanta went into administration in June 2009 after missing payments it owed to sports bodies such as the Premier League.

At which ground was the first official international, England v Scotland, played on 30 November 1872?

Hamilton Crescent saw a goalless draw in which England’s goalkeeper, Robert Barker, swapped places with an outfield player.

England quit FIFA before the first World Cup over payments to which players?

Amateurs were the sticking point: the British associations split from FIFA over paying them, so England missed the first three World Cups.

At which Liverpool ground did England suffer their first home defeat by a foreign team, in 1949?

Goodison Park was Everton's home, and Everton's own Peter Farrell scored the visitors' late second goal in their 2–0 win.

Which England goalkeeper made the famous save from Pelé's header at the 1970 World Cup?

Gordon Banks made what is often called one of football's greatest saves, but illness then kept him out of England's quarter-final defeat.

Which trophy was stolen in London before England hosted the World Cup, then found by a dog called Pickles?

The Jules Rimet Trophy turned up wrapped in newspaper beside a parked car in south London, after police had already arrested a man demanding a ransom for it.

Whom did England beat 6-4 in the 2026 World Cup third-place match?

France trailed 4–0 at half-time and pulled back to 4–3 after the break, before England pulled clear again.