- Goodison Park hosted five matches during the 1966 World Cup
- England’s semi-final against Portugal was moved from Goodison to Wembley
- The decision sparked fury on Merseyside and still feels horribly familiar
FIFA treating supporters as an inconvenience is not a modern invention.
Long before expanded tournaments, bloated schedules and 2026’s stupid hydration breaks began making World Cup games feel suspiciously like four quarters, Goodison Park had already learned the lesson the hard way.
In 1966, Everton did everything asked of it.
Goodison hosted Brazil, Portugal, North Korea, the Soviet Union and West Germany. It gave the tournament one of its great matches when Eusebio inspired Portugal’s comeback from 3-0 down to beat North Korea 5-3. It welcomed the world.
Then came the snub.
Goodison had earned its moment
England’s semi-final against Portugal was originally scheduled to be played at Goodison Park.
For Merseyside, it would have been huge. Alf Ramsey’s team. Eusebio’s Portugal. A place in the World Cup final at stake.
Instead, just 48 hours before kick-off, the match was moved to Wembley.
The explanation was not complicated. Wembley was bigger. A bigger crowd meant a bigger gate. And, as ever, money had the loudest voice in the room.
England beat Portugal 2-1 in London. Goodison was left with West Germany against the Soviet Union.
Still a World Cup semi-final, of course, but not the one supporters had been led to expect.
Merseyside made itself heard
The anger was immediate.
The Liverpool Daily Post called it “the greatest betrayal in sporting history”, a line that still sums up the mood perfectly.
Many supporters stayed away from the ‘second’ semi-final. Goodison’s crowd of 38,273 for West Germany’s 2-1 win over the Soviet Union was its lowest of the tournament and more than 20,000 down on the Brazil v Portugal group game.
Those who did attend did not sit quietly and accept it.
Banners inside Goodison read “England fix insults Liverpool” and “England snubs Liverpool”.
Not subtle. But accurate? Many on Merseyside certainly thought so.
The same old FIFA
That is why the story still lands in 2026.
FIFA insists this year’s hydration breaks are about player welfare, and in North American summer heat, that argument has some legs.
But when every match is stopped twice, regardless of conditions, sometimes in air-conditioned indoor stadiums, and broadcasters suddenly have neat little windows for adverts, supporters are entitled to question it. Just as they’re right to question Infantino’s worthiness to be president.
Football is supposed to be two halves. FIFA increasingly seems happy for it to look like four quarters if the money follows.
Goodison’s 1966 slight belongs to another age, but the feeling is familiar.
Back then, supporters in Liverpool were moved aside because Wembley could make more money. Today, fans watch the rhythm of games adapted to television and sponsorship needs.
Different tournament. Different language. Same old priorities.
And that is what makes this such an Everton story.
Goodison opened its doors to the world, staged football history, and still found itself treated as expendable when the bigger payday appeared elsewhere.
Merseyside did not forget.
Nor should it.
