Pele’s 1958 World Cup winners’ medal is set to fetch around £500,000 at a BUDDS auction in Wellingborough, England, later this June 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4]. The medal was earned by the Brazilian legend as a teenager in the 1958 World Cup final, where Brazil defeated Sweden 5-2 [1, 2, 3, 4].
The BUDDS auction features 450 World Cup-related items with a total expected sale value of £2 million. The collection is described by David Convery, head of sporting memorabilia at BUDDS, as "the largest collection of World Cup memorabilia ever offered at auction" and he noted its immense historical significance [1].
Among the other notable items are England goalkeeper Gordon Banks’ 1966 World Cup winners’ medal and his shirt from the 1970 tournament, along with Alan Ball’s 1966 final shirt [1, 2, 3, 4].
The auction will begin with an online sale running from June 1 to June 21, 2026, followed by a live auction event on June 25 at the BUDDS auction rooms in Wellingborough [1, 2, 3, 4].
In addition, Pele’s 1958 World Cup final shirt is expected to sell for over US$6 million at a Sotheby’s auction in New York held from June 29 to July 16, 2026, which concludes just three days before the 2026 World Cup final [1, 2, 3, 4]. Pele, born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, passed away in December 2022 at age 82 from colon cancer [1, 2, 3, 4].
The series of auctions celebrates the legacy of World Cup history in the lead up to the 2026 tournament, with key memorabilia drawing significant interest from collectors worldwide.