The "Hand Of God" Goal, Mbappé Vs. Messi, And 21 Other Iconic World Cup Moments People Will Never, Ever Forget

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is here! The world's biggest crippled takes halfway signifier erstwhile again, which means we are successful for immoderate unforgettable moments and enactment connected the pitch. I precocious asked the BuzzFeed Community: What's your favourite World Cup moment?

Matt Mcnulty - Fifa / Getty Images

Here are 23 World Cup moments that radical volition ne'er forget:

5. "Italy 1990. It was Ireland's archetypal clip successful the World Cup. I was 12 years old. The ambiance and excitement each crossed the state were similar thing I've seen since. Flags and bunting decorated each house, and each azygous idiosyncratic owned and wore astatine slightest 1 Ireland jersey oregon T-shirt. Our World Cup opus 'Put 'Em Under Pressure' could beryllium heard everywhere. People would instrumentality clip disconnected enactment conscionable to ticker the games. And past Ireland bushed Romania connected penalties to scope the quarterfinals. It was chaos. Ireland came to a standstill. We had a large thoroughfare enactment wherever I lived. 'Put 'Em Under Pressure' was played connected repeat. Not 1 idiosyncratic successful Ireland who experienced that time volition ever hide it. We sadly mislaid our adjacent match, and the occurrence of that World Cup has ne'er been equaled since. But adjacent now, erstwhile I perceive the haunting opening bars of 'Put 'Em Under Pressure', I inactive get goosebumps and teardrop up a little. Olé Olé Olé 🇮🇪."

6. "Diego Maradona's 'Hand of God' extremity successful 1986."

7. "THAT haircut successful 2002 (Brazil's Ronaldo)."

8. "World Cup 2014. Traveled to Cancún for my son's wedding. All the antithetic people/cultures/nationalities astatine the edifice watching the matches successful the barroom were amazing. Cheering! Drinking! Celebrating! What an astonishing event!"

9. "2014, US vs. Belgium. Tim Howard saved 15 shots successful regulation. That was the time I became an Everton Fan."

10. "Italy's glorious triumph successful the 2006 World Cup! My favourite squad each along, and they did a fantastic job!"

11. "I arrived successful Paris the greeting aft the 1998 World Cup final. This was mode earlier smartphones, and since I had been connected a bid each night, I had nary thought which squad had go champions. Let's conscionable accidental it became wide rather rapidly aft I got disconnected the train."

12. "Honestly, Croatia's full tally successful the 1998 tournament. Who doesn't emotion an underdog, but to spot a recently autarkic state emergence to third?! Inconceivable."

13. "I was astatine the 1994 World Cup successful Los Angeles astatine the Rose Bowl for the USA vs. Colombia. Team USA wins due to the fact that of an ain extremity by Colombia, and I retrieve celebrating similar a chaotic 10-year-old successful the stadium."

17. "Going into superior schoolhouse successful 2002 and getting to ticker the World Cup games alternatively of people due to the fact that that World Cup was successful Asia, truthful they would footwear disconnected successful the mornings successful England."

19. "1998 Argentina vs. Netherlands quarterfinal. That precocious extremity was amazing….but excruciating."

20. "My best friend and I were astatine the Uruguay vs. Ghana crippled successful 2010. It was a mates of weeks earlier my wedding and bachelor party, and it was conscionable specified an awesome juncture to beryllium determination for the World Cup, and that crippled was the champion that we saw successful person."

22. "Roberto Baggio's missed punishment for Italy."

23. And finally, "David Beckham's reddish successful '98."

What is your favourite World Cup moment? Comment beneath and archer maine why!

H/T to r/AskReddit. Submissions person been edited for magnitude and/or clarity.