The 1966 FIFA World Cup mascot was a lion named World Cup Willie.
The tournament, hosted in England, introduced the first official FIFA World Cup mascot. Willie was drawn as an anthropomorphic lion wearing a Union Jack shirt marked “WORLD CUP,” linking the character to the host nation and its national symbolism.
Children’s-book illustrator Reg Hoye designed Willie. The character helped establish a tradition that later World Cups continued with mascots such as Mexico’s Juanito in 1970 and Germany’s Tip and Tap in 1974.
A common mix-up is confusing the mascot with the tournament’s official match ball. The ball was produced by Slazenger, while Willie was the cartoon lion representing the event. “Lion” is therefore the canonical species answer, even though the mascot itself was a fictional, human-like character.