In World Cup final week, we just had to ask Jonathan and Rob to decide on the best World Cup finals of all time - and they certainly delivered.

From Uruguay in 1930 to Qatar in 2022, there's no better way to whet your appetite for Sunday evening than by taking a trip down memory lane with the guys.

From the drama of that very first final in 1930, to the political tension and selection intrigue of Hungary’s defeat to Italy in 1938, they trace how the World Cup final quickly became a stage for far more than just football.

Along the way they revisit the heartbreak of the 1950 Maracanazo, the tactical and cultural significance of West Germany’s win over the Netherlands in 1974, and the extraordinary scale of the 1954 Miracle of Bern, when Hungary’s great side were denied by West Germany. They also reflect on the modern classic of Argentina v France in 2022.

Will we have another classic on our hands in 2026?

00:00 Uruguay 4–2 Argentina (1930)

17:45 West Germany 2–1 Netherlands (1974)

30:15 Uruguay 2–1 Brazil (1950)

40:55 Italy 4–2 Hungary (1938)

47:50 Argentina 3–3 France (2022)

54:55 West Germany 3–2 Hungary (1954)

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Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper pick their favourite World Cup quarterfinals while previewing the upcoming last-eight: Portugal’s 5–3 comeback against North Korea at Goodison Park in 1966, highlighting Eusébio’s peak display, disputed refereeing, and the enduring Middlesbrough bond with the North Korean team; Germany–Argentina in 2006 as a pivotal step in Klinsmann’s cultural and tactical reset with Löw, Lehmann’s sock note in the shootout, and debate over Pekerman’s substitutions; and Argentina–Netherlands in 2022, remembered amid Grant Wahl’s death, for Messi’s pass, a record 18 yellows, a late Weghorst equaliser from a worked free kick, and a combustible shootout and aftermath. Wilson also covers Italy–Spain in 1934 as Mussolini’s World Cup’s key test and Draper adds Italy–Brazil 1982 and France–Brazil 1986 as defining classics.

00:00 Quarterfinal Classics Setup

00:47 Portugal vs North Korea 1966

03:40 Goodison Shock and Comeback

08:32 Eusebio Takes Over

10:10 Legacy and Middlesbrough Bond

16:19 Germany vs Argentina 2006

17:20 Klinsmann Revolution Explained

23:27 Match Drama and Lehmann Note

26:11 Argentina vs Netherlands 2022

30:33 Battle of Lusail Chaos

34:48 Penalties And Tragedy

36:04 Mussolini World Cup Clash

41:41 Replay And Brutality

42:58 England Debate Sunderland Joke

44:43 Rossi Sinks Brazil 1982

49:50 Romance Dies Guardiola Inspired

51:57 France Brazil 1986 Classic

57:43 Shootout Controversy Carlos Story

01:00:31 Legacy And Wrap Up

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Throughout the World Cup Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper are recording weekly live Q&As, exclusively for our Patreon subscribers.

This week, all eyes were on England's win over DR Congo, sparking a debate on their reliance on Harry Kane. A worry, or a strength? There's a look at Marcelo Bielsa's Uruguay, a debate on what's happened to Germany, and so much more in this week's World Cup mailbag.

Want in? Then all you need to do is head over to www.patreon.com/ItWas and sign up for £4.99 a month. That'll get you access to Rob and Jonathan's live Q&As and a whole host of bonus content, including:

• The World Cup Collection - dissecting every tournament since 1930.
• Retro Magazine Collection - flicking through the archives of classic football culture.
• Lots of bonus, one-off IWWIW specials.
• Plus, you'll become part of our growing IWWIW community on Patreon.

Sign up today to hear the full episode - and we'll see you on Patreon. Thanks for listening!

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Rob Draper and Jonathan Wilson conclude their four-part series on England’s 1966 World Cup win, picking up from the semi-final against Portugal and Eusébio, where Alf Ramsey sticks with Geoff Hurst over the media-favoured Jimmy Greaves and England’s wingless 4-1-3-2 thrives, with Bobby Charlton scoring twice and Jack Charlton’s handball leading to a late penalty. They then set up the final against West Germany, including Ramsey’s instruction for Charlton to sit deeper and nullify Franz Beckenbauer, before revisiting a disjointed 4–2 match shaped by England’s direct play, West Germany’s controversial equaliser, Hurst’s debated goal off the bar, and his hat-trick. The episode also explores Ramsey’s vindication, England’s fitness and planning, and the broader cultural context of Swinging London, post-imperial Britain, and the night of celebrations after victory.

00:00 Doubting Ramsey

00:23 Series Setup

01:04 Semifinal Stakes

02:07 Bobby Charlton Anxiety

05:13 Greaves Or Hurst

07:12 Wingless Wonders Win

08:57 Charlton Double

11:44 Penalty Scare

12:50 Charlton Family Duty

14:53 1966 Life Off Pitch

17:47 Cinema And Trauma

20:13 Final Plan Mark Beckenbauer

22:20 Final Rewatch Context

24:03 Targeting Tilkowski

25:07 Final Goals Breakdown

26:26 German Equaliser Debate

28:13 Ramsey Team Talk Myth

29:26 Ramsey Mind Games

30:08 Fitness Wins Extra Time

30:34 Was It Over The Line

32:52 Pitch Invaders Fourth Goal

33:48 Hurst Becomes Immortal

35:01 Planning Versus Flair

36:52 Ramsey Vindicated

40:19 War Memory And Germany

43:05 Swinging London Soundtrack

45:19 Post Imperial Cool Britannia

50:48 Football Enters Mainstream

54:07 Night Of Celebration

57:05 Legacy And Farewell

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Rob Draper and Jonathan Wilson continue their series on how England won the 1966 World Cup by focusing on the quarter-final against Argentina, presented as the tournament’s key and most controversial test. They explain Alf Ramsey’s tactical preparation, including hiding his 4-1-3-2 “wingless” system and replacing the injured Jimmy Greaves with the more aerially suited Geoff Hurst. The episode traces Ramsey’s lessons from England’s 1964 South American trip, where Argentina’s pragmatic defensive approach and man-marking shaped his thinking, then sets the fraught 1966 backdrop: referee paranoia, Argentina’s internal chaos and recent coup, and a Wembley training dispute caused by greyhound racing. They dissect Antonio Rattín’s baffling dismissal amid language barriers and unclear bookings, the ugly atmosphere, and England’s 1–0 win through Hurst, before covering the aftermath, including Ramsey’s “animals” remark, protests, bans, fines, and Argentina’s defiant homecoming.

00:00 Setting Up England Argentina

01:23 Ramsey Hides Wingless Wonders

03:16 Hurst Replaces Greaves

05:11 Mundialito Lessons In Brazil

09:47 Argentina Pragmatism And Press Reaction

15:43 Referee Paranoia And FIFA Politics

19:14 Argentina Chaos Before Wembley

22:40 Greyhound Racing And Pre Match Tension

26:32 Match Begins And Footage Limits

29:37 Rattin Booking Sparks Flashpoint

33:57 Booking Confusion Builds

35:06 Rattin Sent Off Mystery

38:40 Interpreter Myth Explained

41:53 Aero Bars and Union Jack

45:25 Who Was Actually Booked

46:06 Press Fury and Fix Claims

51:56 Ten Men Battle On

56:01 England Finally Break Through

57:18 Animals Comment Fallout

01:03:17 Bans Fines and Aftermath

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Rob Draper and Jonathan Wilson continue their four-part series on England’s 1966 World Cup win by tracing how Alf Ramsey’s team took shape amid low expectations and press criticism after a 3–2 Wembley loss to Austria. They discuss doubts over the 4-2-4, Bobby Charlton’s role, and growing concerns about Jimmy Greaves’ form, before key friendlies reveal Ramsey’s “wingless wonders” approach: a 4-1-3-2/4-3-3 hybrid showcased in Spain and then unveiled dramatically in Poland with the surprise inclusion of Martin Peters. At the World Cup, Ramsey initially reverts to wingers, drawing 0–0 with Uruguay, then beating Mexico 2–0 via a standout Bobby Charlton strike and France 2–0 with Roger Hunt’s goals. Two shadows emerge: Nobby Stiles’ violent conduct against France and Greaves’ shin injury that rules him out of the quarterfinal, opening the door for Geoff Hurst.

00:00 England Written Off

01:48 Austria Defeat Fallout

04:17 Ramsey Rethinks Tactics

07:47 Greaves Under Scrutiny

10:24 Spain Reveals Wingless Plan

15:08 Poland Test and Peters Shock

20:43 Hiding the System

22:21 World Cup Opener Uruguay

25:49 Uruguay Stalemate Fallout

26:49 Meet J L Manning

28:58 Tactics Jargon Backlash

32:24 Mexico Magic Moment

33:15 Charlton Screamer Breakdown

36:18 France Win And Rotation

39:04 Stiles Controversy And FA Row

42:36 Greaves Injury Hurst Opportunity

44:50 Greaves Debate Luxury Player

50:05 Next Episode And Patreon Plug

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To listen to the full four-part series instantly, subscribe to our Patreon where listeners can enjoy ad-free listening, our World Cup Wednesdays, bonus editions and live Q&A episodes.

Rob Draper and Jonathan Wilson begin a four-part series revisiting England’s 1966 World Cup win by focusing on Sir Alf Ramsey’s background and the conservative England setup he inherited, including the FA selection committee and a poor early World Cup record. They argue Ramsey, often caricatured as dour, was socially conservative and xenophobic but tactically radical, demanding control of selection and modernizing England with a system-focused approach influenced by his Ipswich success, zonal marking, and experiments that questioned traditional wingers. They discuss his reserved personality, class and heritage issues, a reported instance of backing a player convicted of gross indecency, and why blaming 1966 for later English insularity is misguided. Ramsey’s early England results are mixed, but a 1964 Brazil trip helps crystallize his shift away from 4-2-4, and by April 1965 the emerging core includes Banks, Moore, Jack Charlton, and Nobby Stiles.

00:00 Meet Alf Ramsey

01:49 Ipswich Miracle Title

03:28 Ending Selection Committees

05:20 England World Cup Woes

06:50 Dour Yet Radical

09:23 Xenophobia And Origins

14:14 Was 1966 A Curse

17:28 Ramsey Playing Roots

20:36 Ipswich Tactical Experiments

24:38 Brutalism And Football

27:27 Brutalism Meets Football

31:21 Ramsey Blueprint Emerges

33:02 First Camp Shock Therapy

36:43 Early Results and Doubts

40:05 Brazil Trip Reality Check

40:43 Curfew Crackdown

46:16 Tactics Shift and New Spine

47:51 Jack Charlton and Stiles Debut

53:19 Foundations of 1966

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Welcome back to It Was What It Was, the football history podcast. In this week's episode, co-hosts Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper are joined by Tim Vickery to discuss the extraordinary story of Brazil at the World Cup.

From the ultra-nationalism and hysteria of 1938, to the trauma of the Maracanazo in 1950, and the glorious Pelé years that forged a nation's identity between 1958 and 1970. Vickery traces every Brazilian World Cup campaign.

Drawing on his new book Mundiales, Vickery offers a uniquely South American perspective on how the beautiful game's most celebrated nation has wrestled with myth, race, politics, and tactical evolution across nearly a century of football.

With the 2026 World Cup on the horizon and Carlo Ancelotti now at the helm, can Brazil rediscover their identity, or has the ghost of 1970 become an impossible standard?

00:00 Introduction — Tim Vickery Joins from Rio

06:30 The Myth of Samba Football

13:00 1938, Radio, and Tropical Nationalism

19:30 1950, The Maracanazo and a Nation's Trauma

27:00 1954, The Battle of Bern and Revenge Football

31:30 1958, Meticulous Planning, Pelé, and Redemption

37:20 The Post-1970 Identity Crisis

41:00 1982, Failure and a Lost Midfield Art

47:00 The Domestic Decline of Brazilian Coaching

49:30 Qatar 2022, Were Brazil Really That Far Off?

52:00 Carlo Ancelotti and the 2026 World Cup

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