Whereas fans can purchase versions of the Belgian jersey from Adidas for $150, Sotheby’s is offering the jersey Pelé wore during Brazil’s first World Cup title in 1958 for an estimated $6 million at auction later this month. Pelé was the youngest player ever to score in a final, at just 17. Also available as part of “The Beautiful Game” auction are a 1958 Alifabolaget Pelé rookie card and seven Lionel Messi match-worn shirts. Sotheby’s set the standing record for game-worn soccer memorabilia in 2022 when Diego Maradona’s “The hand of God” jersey sold for $9.3 million.
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Science World in Vancouver, British Columbia, during its conversion into “The Beautiful Dome”, a temporary structure designed as the adidas Trionda match ball for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. License.
This year’s FIFA World Cup in North America has turned into an unlikely showcase for art as soccer, sculpture, and sports memorabilia converge across the tournament cities. One of the Belgian team’s jerseys paid homage to a Surrealist master; Sotheby’s is auctioning a shirt worn by Pelé in the 1958 final; and two dozen sculptures inspired by the sport have taken up residence across New York and New Jersey. Each is a tribute to the game’s own artistry.
When the Belgian soccer team took the field against the United States in Seattle on July 6, their pink and blue jerseys were a stark contrast to the usual color-blocked kit of national teams. The design was a tribute to Belgian Surrealist painter René Magritte whose 1930 diptych titled Grelots roses, ciels en lambeaux (Pink Bells, Tattered Skies) includes imagery of salmon-colored jingle bells and a partly cloudy sky in soft blues. Similar bell imagery appeared later in a painting of three metallic orbs floating above a field of grass and flowers in The Voice of Space. The phrase “Ceci n’est pas un maillot” or “This is not a jersey” appears on the inside collar and back of the jersey in a nod to Magritte’s 1929 painting of a pipe captioned “Ceci n’est pas une pipe.”
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The Treachery of Images (This Is Not A Pipe/Ceci n'est pas une pipe), 1929, by René Magritte. License.
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"The hand of God." The moment when Diego Maradona flicks the ball with his hand past the outstretched arm of Peter Shilton. 1986. License.
For those seeking a less pricey artistic experience during the World Cup, 23 large-scale soccer ball sculptures are scattered across New York City’s five boroughs and throughout New Jersey as part of a collaboration between ARTS 14C and the FIFA World Cup NY/NJ Host Committee. Each sculpture is built from 32 aluminum panels adorned by museum-selected artists and mounted on a stainless steel frame. Sotheby’s will auction five of the sculptures, with part of the proceeds benefiting ARTS 14C and Studio in a School, both nonprofits supporting the development of young artists.
The Guggenheim is also screening Zidane, a 21st Century Portrait by Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno through the final World Cup match. The 2006 film follows soccer legend Zinedine Zidane through 17 synchronized cameras during a single 2005 match in Madrid. Elements of the film nod to artists like Francisco Goya, Diego Velázquez, and Andy Warhol.
Together, these pieces elevate the World Cup from simply a series of soccer matches to a cultural experience with something for everyone, holding audience attention long after the final whistle.
