The official ball used in the 2026 World Cup final, and the shirt worn by BTS member Jimin during the halftime show of that match, each sold for $110,000, becoming the highlights of this World Cup-related memorabilia auction.
Christie's "One Goal to Win: FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund Charity Auction," a week-long event, concluded on Wednesday. The auction grossed $652,630, far exceeding previous expectations.
According to Christie's, bidders from 24 countries participated in the online auction.
“The market for memorabilia is currently booming, and it’s a very rare opportunity to bid on items that have just been retired from the field,” said Elizabeth Siegel, head of Christie’s Private and Iconic Collections Department, shortly after the auction began.
Items worn by members of the South Korean group BTS, who performed "Dynamite" during intermission, fetched a total of $300,300, accounting for 46% of the total auction sales. Other BTS-related items included a scarf worn by Kim Taehyung ($46,200), a jacket worn by Jeon Jungkook ($46,200), pants worn by Min Yoongi ($33,000), gloves worn by Jung Hoseok ($28,600), boots worn by Kim Namjoon ($19,800), and a belt worn by Kim Seokjin ($16,500).
Other items sold included a 2026 Argentina home jersey signed by Lionel Messi and once gifted to Shakira, which sold for $66,000; a pair of fingerless goalkeeper gloves worn and signed by Madonna during her opening performance, which sold for $41,800; and a pair of Skylrk sneakers worn by Justin Bieber during his unplugged performance of "Everything Hallelujah," which sold for $26,400.
The proceeds from this auction will support the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, which plans to raise $100 million to broaden access to quality education and football for children in underdeveloped communities and support grassroots projects in 200 countries.
“This is an excellent result for such a significant philanthropic endeavor. The intensity and global nature of this auction were comparable to the competition on the World Cup stage,” said Julian Pradells, President of Christie’s Americas, in a statement.
The auction also included the halftime show's setlist and Chris Martin's handwritten lyrics for "One Dance," which sold for $15,400. The song, performed by Coldplay, puppet show characters, Sesame Street characters, Emmanuel Kelly, and the PS22 Choir, was the closing act of the halftime show.
Speaking about Coldplay's lead singer, Siegel said, "Chris Martin was deeply involved in the production of the halftime show. The entire idea and inspiration for the halftime show came from him. It was his planning that brought these global artists together."
The outfit Shakira wore in the music video for the official World Cup theme song, "Dai Dai," also sold for $8,240 at this auction. The song was also performed during the halftime show.
On July 19, the World Cup final was held at Metropolitan Life Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, where Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 to win the championship.
