The Wait — Sixty years of England at the tournament, 1966 to 2026
The Wait
Sixty years. Eleven tournaments. One trophy.
1966
The Glory
July 30th. Wembley. Hurst's hat trick, Wolstenholme's voice cracking, Moore lifting the trophy in the afternoon sun. For one day, football belonged to England. We've spent sixty years trying to feel that way again.
1986
The Hand
Mexico again. Two goals from Maradona in the quarter-final — one with his fist, one with his feet. The first was a crime. The second was a masterpiece. Lineker won the Golden Boot and it meant nothing. The injustice still burns.
1990
The Tears
Italia '90. Gazza got booked in the semi and his lip wobbled and the whole country fell apart with him. Waddle put his penalty somewhere over Turin. We'd never been closer, and we'd never felt further away. Football came home that summer — and so did the heartbreak.
1998
The Red Card
France. Owen announced himself to the world against Argentina and it didn't matter. Beckham's petulant flick, Campbell's disallowed goal, Batty's saved penalty. Another shootout, another exit, another scapegoat on the front pages. The pattern was setting in.
2006
The Golden Generation
Germany. Beckham, Gerrard, Lampard, Rooney, Terry, Ferdinand — the most talented squad in a generation. Quarter-final. Penalty shootout. You already know how it ended. You always know how it ends.
2010
The Ghost Goal
South Africa. Lampard's shot hit the bar, bounced a foot over the line, and the referee waved play on. Germany scored four. It wouldn't have changed anything. But it would have changed everything. We're still not over it.
2018
The Waistcoat
Russia. Southgate, once the villain of '96, became the nation's favourite geography teacher. We beat Colombia on penalties. We actually beat someone on penalties. The country lost its mind. Semi-final. Croatia. Extra time. Mandžukić. 'It's Coming Home' wasn't ironic anymore — and that somehow made it worse.
2024
The Final
Germany. The Euros, not the World Cup, but it didn't matter — we were in a final. A major tournament final. The first since that afternoon at Wembley fifty-eight years earlier. And we lost. Of course we lost. But we were there. We were right there.
2026
Sixty years.
Gear Up