The FIFA World Cup is not just a tournament calendar, but a global archive of memory. Certain scenes—joy, shock, controversy, redemption—remain so present because they traveled the world as images and have been quoted again and again.
For media outlets, agencies, brands, creators, NGOs, and educational institutions, these motifs are still relevant today: as illustrations for reporting, as historical retrospectives, as teaching material, or as part of documentary formats. To support this, IMAGO works with a global network of partner photographers, agencies, and archives, bundling photo and video content for professional use.
The ambition of this piece is a thematic broad sweep: first, a selection of the ten most legendary World Cup moments, followed by four overarching thematic lines that show why certain shots became iconic images—and which motifs tend to work especially well in practice.
The key World Cup projects are being prepared now. Leave your contact details—your dedicated point of contact will get back to develop your tailored content strategy for the 2026 World Cup.
A World Cup moment becomes “legendary” when it is sporting significance and, at the same time, offers a clear, tellable scene: a decisive goal, a questionable call, a trophy presentation, a look into the stands. This combination is what turns sporting events into visual contemporary history.
Images serve a double function. They document facts (who, when, where) and carry context (atmosphere, symbolism, social interpretation). That helps explain why the same photos repeatedly resurface at anniversaries, record stories, or tournament comparisons.
At the same time, when working with World Cup imagery, one rule applies: a license governs usage rights, not ownership. Copyright remains with photographers and/or agencies; in addition, personality rights, trademark rights, or federation rights may also be relevant—especially outside purely editorial contexts.
1950 – “Maracanazo” (Brazil vs. Uruguay 1–2): Brazil’s decisive defeat at the Maracanã is considered an early archetype of the World Cup shock—told through images that move between the mass crowd and sudden silence.
1954 – “Miracle of Bern” (West Germany vs. Hungary 3–2): The final comeback against the favored Hungarians has been remembered intensely in sporting and social terms; iconic are trophy and celebration scenes from Bern.
1958 – Pelé’s breakthrough (Brazil vs. Sweden 5–2): At 17 years and 249 days, Pelé became the youngest World Cup winner; photos from Solna connect youth, a first title, and the rise of a new superstar.
1966 – Wembley final and the “Wembley Goal” (England vs. West Germany 4–2 a.e.t.): A final defined by a disputed goal and Geoff Hurst’s hat-trick—and by the iconic trophy presentation to Bobby Moore.
1970 – Brazil as the image of a team (Brazil vs. Italy 4–1): The Azteca final is closely linked to team play, Pelé’s header, and Carlos Alberto’s famous finish—images that still serve as reference points today.
1986 – Maradona vs. England (2–1): “Hand of God” and “Goal of the Century” happened in the same quarter-final; the handball scene is among the most cited sports photos of all time.
1998 – France’s first title at home (final 3–0 vs. Brazil): Zidane (two headed goals) and the celebrations at the Stade de France are central motifs of a home-tournament triumph.
2010 – Spain’s first World Cup title (final 1–0 a.e.t. vs. the Netherlands): Iniesta scores in extra time—a moment told visually mainly through celebration gestures and symbolism.
2014 – Germany’s road to the title (7–1 vs. Brazil; final 1–0 a.e.t. vs. Argentina): The semi-final (“Mineiraço”) and Götze’s final goal create a rare double iconography: record match and final redemption.
2022 – Final Argentina vs. France (3–3; 4–2 on pens): A decider with Messi’s brace, Mbappé’s hat-trick, and a penalty shootout—images range from action shots to the trophy ceremony.
At first glance, these ten moments look like isolated events. In hindsight, however, they can be organized into four recurring themes: shock and new beginnings, the birth of icons, questions of rules and interpretation—and finally the modern World Cup as a global media event.
The “Maracanazo” of 1950 still stands for the World Cup as a place where favorites can be overturned. Even the setting in the Maracanã becomes part of the story: the stadium as a stage for a result that prevails against expectation and home advantage.
Four years later, a different core motif follows: the comeback in the final. In 1954, West Germany beat the highly rated Hungarian side 3–2 in Bern; visually, it is less a single instant than a sequence of weather, duels, trophy, and later politics of remembrance.
Maracanazo 1950 – World Cup final / final-like character, Uruguay vs. Brazil.
For illustration, motifs with the grandstand backdrop or scenes around Uruguay’s players work especially well. Example IMAGO selection pages on the topic are available.
IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire / FIFA World Cup 1950 final in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil vs. Uruguay, goal for Uruguay.
“Miracle of Bern” 1954 – Puskás/Walter and the trophy moment.
Iconic are photos of the captains and the handover/celebration scenes from the Wankdorf Stadium.
IMAGO / Schirner Sportfoto / FIFA World Cup in Switzerland, final Germany – Hungary 3–2 (2–2). Close-up: Ottmar Walter (left, GER) heads the ball and Lantos (right, HUN) arrives too late.
In both cases, a pattern emerges that still applies today: “legendary” status is created not only by the result, but by the contrast between expectation and reality. That contrast is photographically powerful—because it can be expressed in faces, body language, and reactions in the stands.
If the early tournaments are primarily told through national dramas, the visual logic shifts toward personalization at the end of the 1950s. In 1958, Pelé became the youngest World Cup winner at 17 years and 249 days; photos show not just a player, but a new center of attention.
In 1970, icon-making expands: not only a star, but an entire team becomes “the image.” The Brazil–Italy final (4–1) at the Azteca provides classic motifs—from Pelé’s header to Carlos Alberto lifting the trophy.
Pelé 1958 – celebrations after the final in the Solna/Stockholm setting. Archive imagery condenses the “young world champion” narrative into a single scene.
IMAGO / Horstmüller / FIFA World Cup 1970, final Brazil–Italy (4–1), Carlos Alberto (Brazil) presents the trophy.
The transition is decisive: national turning points become a World Cup narrative remembered strongly through faces and gestures. That still shapes how editorial teams structure photo galleries—often with players serving as “chapter headings” of tournament history.
Legendary moments are often also questions of rules and interpretation. The 1966 final is a permanent example: England win 4–2 after extra time, and a goal in the 101st minute (the “Wembley Goal”) is still debated—images cannot “solve” the ball contact, but they symbolize the controversy.
In 1986, arguably the best-known single image of this category follows: Maradona’s “Hand of God” in the quarter-final against England. The crucial point is not only the illegality, but the photographic clarity of the instant—hand, ball, goalkeeper, line of sight.
IMAGO / Ferdi Hartung / FIFA World Cup 1966, final at Wembley, England – Germany 4–2 a.e.t. Team presentation before the 1966 final, incl. West Germany players and match officials, and England led by Bobby Moore.
“Hand of God” 1986 – the key scene at the Azteca. IMAGO lists specific individual motifs with descriptive metadata.
IMAGO / Laci Perenyi / Toni Schumacher, Germany goalkeeper, celebrates after the equalizer scored by Rudi Völler, final Argentina vs. Germany 3–2 on 29/06/1986 at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.
These two examples share a practical editorial lesson: even if images cannot definitively settle a rules controversy, they document historical perception—and that perception is often exactly what retrospectives aim to tell.
With 1998 (France), another motif moves to the center: the home win as a national media event. The 3–0 final victory over Brazil—including Zidane’s two headed goals—was anchored permanently through images from the Stade de France and the celebrations that followed.
2010 (Spain) shows how strongly a tournament final can be remembered through a single goal. The Netherlands–Spain final ends 1–0 after extra time; visually, Iniesta is told mainly through his goal celebration and the subsequent trophy scene.
2014 (Germany) condenses two different image types: record/shock imagery from the 7–1 against hosts Brazil, and the “classic” final image of Götze’s extra-time winner against Argentina. Here, the World Cup is remembered simultaneously as a statistical event and as a final-story narrative.
2022 (Argentina–France) finally stands for the World Cup as real-time dramaturgy: 3–3 after extra time, a penalty shootout decision, Messi as “Man of the Match,” Mbappé with a hat-trick. Iconic motifs range from action shots to the trophy presentation and the moment the winner’s cup becomes “the image.”
France 1998 – Zidane/Deschamps with the trophy. These motifs work especially well in retrospectives because they visually “close” the result.
IMAGO / APL / Zinedine Zidane, Didier Deschamps and Robert Pires of France celebrate with the World Cup trophy after the FIFA World Cup final between Brazil and France at the Stade de France on July 12, 1998, in Saint-Denis, France.
Spain 2010 – Iniesta celebrates after the decisive goal. IMAGO image pages include precise descriptions (final, extra time, goalscorer).
IMAGO / Horstmüller / FIFA World Cup 2010, final: Netherlands – Spain, 11/7/2010 in Johannesburg, Andres Iniesta (ESP) celebrates at the final whistle.
Germany 2014 – 7–1 vs. Brazil or Götze’s final moment. For dossiers, both narrative strands can be illustrated: record semi-final and final decision.
IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire / FIFA World Cup 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, final Germany vs. Argentina, Mario Götze scores the 1–0 goal against Sergio Romero.
Argentina 2022 – Messi with the trophy / ceremony. Both trophy celebrations and award-ceremony motifs are available here.
IMAGO / Ulmer/Teamfoto / FIFA World Cup 2022, final Argentina vs. France, Lionel Messi (Argentina) with the World Cup trophy.
The common thread across these four tournaments is less a style of play than a media form: the closer you get to the present, the more image series (sequences, shifting perspectives, mixed zones, stands, ceremonies) matter. That expands choice for editorial teams—and makes licensing and rights management more relevant at the same time.
Anyone working with legendary World Cup moments is almost always operating in the field of editorial use: reporting, retrospectives, documentaries, analysis. IMAGO describes various licensing models for this, defining the usage framework by medium, term, and reach.
Typical options include Rights Managed (RM) and Royalty Free (RF) variants. The underlying logic is important: a license determines how, where, and for how long an image may be used, while copyright remains with the rights holder.
For commercial contexts (advertising, sponsorship, packaging), additional considerations apply, including model and property releases as well as potential federation and trademark issues. IMAGO explains release concepts and indicates status in the metadata so customers can filter accordingly.
Access depends on need: single purchases in the webshop, credit packages, or direct coordination with sales managers—especially for extensive photo stories, series, or recurring productions.
World Cup history is remembered not only through results, but through visual shorthand: a stadium, a trophy, an illegal touch, a leap of celebration, a moment of exhaustion. That is exactly why legendary World Cup moments have a second life—as images that compress context.
Anyone publishing such motifs benefits from clear metadata, precisely defined licenses, and image selections that enable different storytelling forms—from a single key image to a chronological series. IMAGO aggregates content from partner networks and archives and supports different user groups, from newsrooms to educational projects.