One of the most iconic artifacts in soccer history, the 1958 World Cup winner’s medal awarded to Brazilian legend Pele, is poised to go under the hammer later this month in the United Kingdom, with auction experts projecting it will draw bids reaching as high as £500,000, or roughly $670,000.
The piece of sporting history is one of 450 World Cup-themed collectibles being offered by UK-based sporting memorabilia auction house BUDDS. The entire collection is estimated to bring in a total of £2 million in sales, spanning decades of the most prestigious tournament in global soccer.
A separate, high-profile auction taking place on another continent will feature an equally prized Pele artifact: the match shirt the soccer icon wore during the 1958 World Cup final. Sotheby’s New York will host this online-only auction, running from June 29 through July 16. The event is timed to conclude just three days before the 2026 World Cup final, and experts currently predict the shirt could sell for more than $6 million.
Pele, who was just 17 years old when he led Brazil to victory in the 1958 tournament hosted by Sweden, scored two of Brazil’s five goals in the decisive final match against the host nation. This victory marked the very first of Brazil’s five record-setting World Cup titles, three of which were captained and led by the striker affectionately known around the world as “The King of Soccer.” Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, Pele passed away in December 2022 at the age of 82, following a years-long battle with colon cancer.
Beyond Pele’s medal, the BUDDS auction features a roster of historically significant items that capture key moments in World Cup history. Among the standout lots is the match shirt worn by legendary English goalkeeper Gordon Banks during his iconic 1970 World Cup match against Brazil in Mexico, where he made what is widely considered one of the greatest saves in soccer history against a Pele shot.
The auction also showcases an array of memorabilia from England’s own 1966 World Cup championship run, held on home soil. Highlights of this section include Banks’ own 1966 winner’s medal and the match shirt Alan Ball wore during that tournament’s final match.
David Convery, head of sporting memorabilia at BUDDS, emphasized the unprecedented scale and importance of the upcoming sale. “This is the largest collection of World Cup memorabilia ever offered at auction, and it would be hard to find many past or future sales that could rival it in terms of historical significance,” Convery said.
The auction will unfold in two phases: an online bidding period open to global collectors from June 1 through June 21, which will also feature shirts from every national team qualified for the 2026 World Cup. Following the online bidding window, a live in-person auction will be held on June 25 at BUDDS’s auction rooms in Wellingborough, located in central England.