From Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ to Zidane’s headbutt: the biggest controversies in FIFA World Cup history

The FIFA World Cup is just around the corner, with 48 teams competing from June 11 across the US, Canada and Mexico.

The expanded tournament will feature 104 matches at 16 locations across North America, with MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, hosting the final on July 19.

Every World Cup offers countries and players the opportunity to create standout moments and etch their names in the history books. But every now and then an infamous incident occurs that divides opinion for years to come.

Check out some of the biggest controversies in FIFA World Cup history:

THE ‘HAND OF GOD’

Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ goal against England in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final remains one of, if not the most controversial goals ever scored.

Six minutes into the second half, a poor clearance from the English defense headed towards Maradona, who jumped up and used his left hand to guide the ball past goalkeeper Peter Shilton and into the net.

The referees failed to spot the handball and with no modern technology such as VAR available at the time, the goal was set as Argentina won 2–1. At the post-match press conference, Maradona famously said the goal came from “a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God,” giving rise to one of the most infamous and iconic moments in World Cup history.

SHAME OF GIJON

Algeria was at the center of one of the most controversial events of the World Cup, with West Germany and Austria accused of effectively securing a mutually beneficial result, although allegations of match-fixing have never been proven.

Algeria made a memorable start to the 1982 tournament, beating West Germany 2–1 in the opening match. It then lost to Austria before completing its group stage campaign with a narrow win over Chile. Since Algeria had completed its matches a day before West Germany and Austria met, the qualifying permutations were clear for both European sides.

West Germany needed a win to progress, while Austria would also progress provided they did not lose by more than two goals.

At El Molinón in Gijón, Spain, West Germany scored in the 10th minute through Horst Hrubesch. What followed was widely criticized as the intensity of the match seemed to fade considerably and neither side showed much urgency to change the score. The match finished 1–0, a ​​result that saw both teams through at the expense of Algeria.

The match became known as the ‘Disgrace of Gijón’ and prompted FIFA to change its tournament regulations. Since then, the final group stage matches in each group have been played simultaneously to reduce the possibility of teams manipulating the results based on previous results.

FRANK LAMPARD’S GHOST GOAL

England have had several controversial decisions at the World Cup, including Frank Lampard’s ‘Ghost Goal’ in the round of 16 against Germany in the 2010 tournament.

Goals from Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski, aided by poor defending from the Three Lions, gave Germany a 2-0 lead after 32 minutes before Matthew Upson pulled one back for England.

A few minutes later, Lampard’s shot sailed over goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, hit the crossbar and bounced well behind the goal line. However, neither Uruguayan referee Jorge Larrionda nor his assistants noticed that the ball had crossed the line and play was allowed to continue.

England eventually lost 4–1, with Thomas Müller scoring twice in the second half to seal Germany’s place in the quarter-finals.

ANDRES ESCOBAR KILLED

Few moments in football carry the devastating finality of an own goal.

Days after Colombian defender Andrés Escobar accidentally turned the ball into his own net during a group match against the United States at the 1994 World Cup, he was shot dead in Medellín. Colombia lost the match 2–1 and were eliminated from the tournament.

Although the exact motive is still disputed, the murder was largely linked to the fallout from Colombia’s disappointing World Cup campaign and the large sums of money allegedly wagered on the team’s success.

Escobar’s killer, a bodyguard with ties to drug cartel members, was sentenced to 43 years in prison but was released after 11 years.

ZINEDINE ZIDANE HEADBUTT

Zinedine Zidane enjoyed the perfect swan song and inspired France to another World Cup final in 2006. There too, he put his team ahead with a daring Panenka penalty past Gianluigi Buffon, but Marco Materazzi had other plans.

After Italy equalized, Materazzi provoked Zidane with one barb too many. The French captain, of Algerian descent, lost his cool in extra time and headbutted the Italian defender in front of a global audience.

Zidane was sent off, crushing his World Cup dream as Italy triumphed on penalties.

SUAREZ’S ‘HAND OF GOD’

While Diego Maradona coined the term ‘Hand of God’, Uruguay’s Luis Suárez claimed it as his own after the dramatic 2010 World Cup quarter-final against Ghana.

The match went into extra time after Sulley Muntari and Diego Forlán exchanged goals during regular time. Deep into extra time, Dominic Adiyiah’s header was spectacularly blocked on the line by Suárez, who deliberately handled the ball and was shown a red card.

However, Asamoah Gyan hit the crossbar with the resulting penalty, denying Ghana a place in the semi-finals. Uruguay then won 4-2 in the penalty shootout.

Suárez expressed no remorse for his actions. «The Hand of God is mine now. Mine is the real Hand of God,» he said later.

WORLD CUP TROPHY STOLEN

The first trophy awarded to World Cup winners between 1930 and 1970 was the Jules Rimet Trophy. The original trophy, named after the then FIFA president, survived the Great Depression and two world wars. The 12-inch tall statue depicted the Greek goddess of victory, Nike, holding up a bowl and was called “Victory.”

However, months before the 1966 edition, the trophy was stolen at an exhibition. It was found later that month, under a garden hedge, wrapped in newspaper, by a dog called Pickles.

After the 1970 edition, which Brazil won, they were allowed to keep the trophy permanently after becoming the first country to win the World Cup three times. However, in 1983 the trophy was stolen again from the Brazilian Football Federation in Rio de Janeiro and never recovered.

Published on June 11, 2026