Topend Sports Logo

World Cup Highlights - Memorable Moments in World Cup History

The 'Hand of God' goal by Maradona is undoubtedly the most iconic and memorable moment in World Cup history. There have also been many other memorable moments, but none can surpass that.

Hand of God Ball

The goal scored by Diego Maradona that gave Argentina a 1-0 lead in the 1986 quarterfinal against England has become part of the soccer legend. Maradona jumped as if to head the ball, but instead punched it past the goalkeeper. Despite protests to the ref by the England players, the goal stood. Maradona quipped afterward that it was scored "a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God," leading to its iconic name. Four minutes after the Hand of God goal, Maradona scored what is called The Goal of the Century, often cited as the greatest individual goal of all time. Maradona dribble past five England players on the way to the goal. Argentina won the match 2–1, and went on to win the 1986 World Cup title with a victory over West Germany.



More Iconic Moments



Related Pages

send us a comment Any comments, suggestions, or corrections? Please let us know.

FIFA World Cup Extra

The next men's World Cup will be held held jointly in Canada, USA and Mexico 2026, for the women the next will be Brazil in 2027. See more firsts and other trivia, a quiz, and also information about each country at the World Cup. Most importantly, who are the winners?

More Football

Football (some call it soccer) is the world's most popular sport. There are many major football tournaments, the pinnacle is the FIFA World Cup. See a calendar of what is coming up. There have been many legends of the game, particularly winners of the Ballon d'Or. For players, there are articles about Football Fitness and Fitness Testing.

Major Events Extra

The largest sporting event in the world is the Olympic Games, but there are many other multi-sport games. In terms of single sport events, nothing beats the FIFA World Cup. To see what's coming up, check out the calendar of major sporting events.

 → How to Cite