From the two-ball final in 1930 to FIFA’s trophy protocol, these are some of the most memorable anecdotes.
On Sunday, Argentina and Spain will play in the 2026 World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, United States. The match will mark a milestone because it will be the first World Cup final to feature a halftime show in the style of the traditional Super Bowl.
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With less than 48 hours until the 2026 World Cup final, soccer fans are recalling other championship matches that have produced remarkable stories throughout nearly a century of the sport’s history.
1. The 1930 Final Was Played With Two Balls
The first World Cup final was played with two balls, one Argentine and one Uruguayan, each made of domestic leather with an inflatable bladder, because neither finalist agreed to play with the other’s ball.
Belgian referee John Langenus entered the field carrying both balls and used a coin toss to decide which one would be used in each half. Argentina, using its own ball, led 2-1 at halftime. Uruguay, playing the second half with its own ball — reportedly slightly larger and heavier — rallied to win the title, 4-2.
2. Luis Monti Played Back-to-Back Finals for Different National Teams
Argentina’s Luis Monti remains the only player to have appeared in two World Cup finals for different national teams. He played for Argentina in 1930 and later represented Italy in 1934.
Remarkably, he played under threats in both tournaments. He was threatened by Uruguayans if he won the inaugural edition, and four years later he faced pressure from Benito Mussolini to secure victory for Italy.
DO YOU KNOW: Four fans died after Brazil lost the 1950 World Cup final to Uruguay.
One person committed suicide, and three others died from heart attacks caused by shock and grief and 260 people were injured at The Maracanã Stadium
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This devastating defeat is historically… pic.twitter.com/XPuNMZbSKS
— THE SCORELINE (@THE_SCORELINE_X) July 16, 2026
3. Jules Rimet Left the VIP Box Ready To Present the Trophy to Brazil During the Maracanazo
Confusion was what FIFA President Jules Rimet experienced during the Maracanazo. He left the VIP box early to prepare for the trophy presentation on the field. He departed with Brazil in front, but by the time he reached the pitch, Uruguay had already come from behind.
Rimet took time to understand what had happened because he found a heartbreaking scene of Brazilians and fans in tears before someone approached him to explain that Uruguay had become the 1950 World Cup champion.
4. Brazil Won the 1958 Title Wearing Jerseys Bought at a Swedish Store
Because Sweden and Brazil both wore yellow jerseys, a drawing was held to determine which team would change uniforms for the 1958 World Cup final.
Upset, officials from the Brazilian delegation skipped the drawing, considering it discourteous to require the visiting team to abandon its primary kit.
The drawing went ahead without them. Sweden won, forcing Brazilian officials to buy new jerseys because the blue shirts from the team’s alternate kit had been used during the final training session.
They then had to sew the numbers and the national crest onto the new jerseys. Pele took care of the rest, leading Brazil to its first World Cup title.
5. The Referee Behind the Most Controversial Play Has a Stadium Named After Him
Tofiq Bahramov became known in history as the “Russian linesman.” He was Azerbaijani and, in 1966, a Soviet citizen. His name became forever linked to England’s only World Cup title because he validated the most controversial play in tournament history: Geoff Hurst’s shot that struck the crossbar, bounced on the goal line and came back out.
No image has conclusively shown that the ball completely crossed the goal line, but Bahramov had no doubts. England took a 3-2 lead in extra time and went on to win the final 4-2 after another goal by Hurst.
Following Bahramov’s death in 1993, Baku’s main stadium was renamed Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium in his honor, and a statue of him was erected outside the venue. Geoff Hurst attended the monument’s unveiling.
Alemania Occidental – Holanda
Final del Mundial Alemania 1974 pic.twitter.com/4UqI1kru3B— Alberto Cosín (@albertocosin_) July 16, 2026
The text reads, “West Germany – Netherlands. World Cup Final Germany 1974.”
6. Germany Started the 1974 Final Already Trailing
The first time West Germany touched the ball in the 1974 World Cup final, it was already behind 1-0. The Netherlands’ “Total Football” reached its peak in the opening sequence of that final: 16 consecutive passes without a German player touching the ball, followed by a penalty committed by Uli Hoeneß on Johan Cruyff after 53 seconds.
Johan Neeskens converted the penalty after 88 seconds, scoring the fastest goal in the history of World Cup finals. It was not enough to win the title, however. Paul Breitner equalized from the penalty spot in the 25th minute, and Gerd Müller scored the winner in the 43rd.
7. Passarella, Baresi and Ronaldo Became World Champions Without Playing
The list of players who became World Cup champions without playing a single minute in the tournament is extensive and consists largely of goalkeepers. It also includes renowned figures such as Argentina’s Daniel Passarella, Italy’s Franco Baresi and Brazil’s Ronaldo Nazario.
Passarella captained Argentina to the 1978 World Cup title. Eight years later, he was selected by coach Carlos Bilardo for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico but did not play a single minute, first because of an intestinal infection and later because of a muscle tear.
Franco Baresi was part of Italy’s 1982 World Cup-winning squad at age 22, but coach Enzo Bearzot never used him.
In 1994, after a rapid recovery from a torn meniscus, he captained Italy in the Rose Bowl final against Brazil. He missed his penalty in the shootout and was unable to celebrate on the field the title he had won 12 years earlier.
Ronaldo was also part of that 1994 World Cup squad, but only as another member of Carlos Alberto Parreira’s delegation.
“The Phenomenon” had scored 59 goals in 57 matches with Brazil’s under-17 team and arrived in the United States at the same age Pele had amazed the world in 1958. Despite criticism urging Parreira to give playing time to the young star, the coach never used him. Ronaldo would go on to win the title in 2002 as the tournament’s leading scorer.
Experts warn poor air quality could impact players and fans at the World Cup final, as wildfire smoke continues to affect New York and New Jersey https://t.co/UKSiN3UuLn pic.twitter.com/kGPJ1TnkqA
— Reuters (@Reuters) July 17, 2026
8. Germany’s Kramer Asked the Referee During the Match Whether They Were Playing the Final
German midfielder Christoph Kramer’s case is one of the most unusual in World Cup history. In the 2014 World Cup final in Brazil, played at the Maracana between Germany and Argentina, he entered the starting lineup at the last minute after Sami Khedira was injured during warmups, but he effectively played only 16 minutes.
After colliding with Ezequiel Garay in the 16th minute, Kramer suffered a concussion that left him wandering around the field. For about 15 minutes, he appeared disoriented and even asked Italian referee Nicola Rizzoli whether they were playing in the World Cup final.
That was not his only bizarre moment. He tried to remove captain Philipp Lahm’s armband and confused Thomas Müller with Gerd Müller, the hero of the 1974 final. He was substituted in the 31st minute for Andre Schürrle.
Kramer joined the postgame celebrations with the trophy in his hands, but after being taken to the hospital he lost all memory of what had happened. Because of the concussion, he remembers nothing about the final.
9. Three Curses Have Affected Every World Cup Final
World Cup finals have been marked by at least three recurring superstitions and curses over nearly a century: no foreign coach has ever won the tournament; the winner has never been the team featuring that year’s Ballon d’Or recipient; and no team that began the tournament ranked No. 1 in the FIFA rankings has gone on to win the World Cup.
The last of those would apply to Argentina. Countering it are two lesser-known trends: no coach older than 60 has won the World Cup — Spain coach Luis de la Fuente is 65 — and no team has become champion after going through the group stage without conceding a goal — as Spain did.
10. ‘Don’t Touch the Cup’ Is More Than Superstition
Tradition holds that the trophy awarded to the World Cup winner should not be touched before the final. Some players even avoid looking at it as they walk onto the field. But the tradition is not based solely on superstition.
FIFA’s official handling and security protocol for the original trophy prohibits anyone other than a world champion, a head of state or the FIFA president from touching it with bare hands.
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