Stockport area coroner Chris Morris ordered a full inquest into the death of former Manchester United footballer Nobby Stiles on July 10, 2026. The decision followed the coroner's determination that a traumatic injury was included in the cause of Stiles's death, which occurred in October 2020 at the age of 78.

Morris stated that an inquest was required due to the inclusion of a traumatic injury in the cause of death. "On the basis of that cause of death, particularly the inclusion of a traumatic injury included in the cause of death, I'm satisfied an inquest is required into the sad death of Mr Stiles," Morris told Stockport Coroner's Court.

Dr. Daniel du Plessis examined Stiles's brain samples and medical records, concluding that the primary cause of death was Alzheimer's disease. Du Plessis further stated that high-stage chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), stage three limbic predominant age-related TDP-43, and small vessel cerebrovascular disease contributed to Stiles's death.

The coroner's office was not informed of Stiles's death when it initially occurred. Morris noted that the investigation began after information was provided by Stiles's family. The inquest is scheduled to take place on July 15, 2026.

Nobby Stiles made nearly 400 appearances for Manchester United and was a member of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup, earning 28 caps for the national team. His son, John Stiles, previously stated that football had "killed" his father and is the head of the Football Families for Justice (FFJ) group.

The Stiles family sold Nobby Stiles's World Cup winner's medals to help fund his dementia care. John Stiles is part of a group of former footballers and their families who are suing the Football Association, the Football Association of Wales, and the English Football League. These lawsuits claim that the football associations were "negligent and in breach of their duty of care" to former players.

In 2019, a study co-funded by the Football Association and the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) found that footballers were three-and-a-half times more likely to die of neurodegenerative disease than age-matched individuals in the general population. Television presenter Hayley McQueen noted that the England's 1966 World Cup winning team has been "pretty much wiped out" by neurodegenerative disease.