World Cup stories: Maradona turns up the heat at Mexico '86

With 98 days until the 2026 World Cup begins, we continue our look back at memorable tournaments of the past. 

This summer's football festivities will be co-hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico, and having already revisited USA 94, this time it's the turn of Mexico, and the last time they welcomed the footballing world to the country. 

The year was 1986, Liverpool had just completed a league and cup double, Top Gun was the biggest hit at the box office and England, Scotland and Northern Ireland all headed to the heat of Mexico for a tournament that would be dominated by one name. 

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Feel the heat 

Although the American continents had been chosen as the destination for the 1986 World Cup, it was actually in South America where it was originally meant to emanate from. 

Colombia won the bid to host the finals in 1974, but after the tournament was expanded to 24 teams, the country admitted it couldn't afford to go through with the finals and therefore a further vote was conducted and awarded to Mexico, who became the first nation to host the World Cup twice, having been the setting for the 1970 finals.

Of the 24 teams that qualified their were debuts for Canada, Iraq and Denmark, and Italy arrived as the reigning champions, having won the competition in Spain four years earlier. 

For most, the biggest hurdle heading into the tournament would be the climate, with players having to deal with 40-degree heat and playing at high altitude. 

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The moments that mattered 

When it comes to World Cup moments, there are few more infamous and iconic than the happenings during the quarter-final clash between England and Argentina, with one man at the centre of proceedings. 

The game ended 2-1 to the South Americans, but the scoreline only told half the story - it even has its own Wikipedia page.

Diego Maradona scored twice in the game, and each has gone down in World Cup infamy for very different reasons. His first, six minutes into the second half, was what has been dubbed Maradona's 'Hand of God' moment. 

As he went up to challenge Peter Shilton for the ball, the Argentine number 10 clearly used his hand to beat Shilton to the ball and punched the ball into the net. Despite England's vehement complaints, the goal was awarded, and Maradona has long been labelled a cheat for his actions. 

However, if that was the devil moment on one shoulder, the angelic opposition came in Maradona's second, and still looked upon as the goal of the century. The little magician picked up the ball in his own half before dribbling 60 yards, bamboozling four Three Lions players and then slotting the ball into the net. A goal worthy of winning any game, but came with a sour taste thanks to antics earlier in the encounter. 

Elsewhere, Denmark's vibrant team stormed through the Group Stages, thrashing Uruguay and beating one of the favourites in Germany, before crashing out to Spain. 

Scotland and Northern Ireland both failed to get out of the groups without winning a game, while England scraped through thanks to a final game win over Poland. 

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The stars of the finals 

Mexico '86 was the tournament where Gary Lineker established himself as one of the game's expert goal-getters. The England striker netted six times to win the Golden Boot, including a hat-trick against Poland to see England through to the knockouts, and his performances earned him a post-tournament move to Barcelona. 

Enzo Scifo was named the tournament's best young player as he starred for a Belgium side that finished third, while names such as Socrates, Michel Platini and Rudi Voller all had star turns during the tournament. 

However, no tournament has been dominated by one man like Mexico '86. Maradona was Argentina's talisman, leading his team through the tournament with those goals against England, and two more in the semi-final win over France to cement his place as not only the best player in the world at the time, but one of the game's greats. Getty Images

The final

Estadio Azteca in Mexico City was the setting as Argentina and West Germany locked horns in the tournament's final, in one of the more entertaining finals of the era. 

The South Americans opened the scoring through Jose Luis Brown midway through the first half and looked to have secured the win when Jorge Valdano added a second just before the hour. 

However, the Germans hit back, levelling the match thanks to goals from Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Rudi Voller, before Maradona made the difference once again. 

Having been marshalled by Lothar Matteus for the majority of the game, it was his slide through ball to Jorge Burruchaga six minutes from time that saw Argentina finish the job and win their second World Cup crown. 

The legacy 

Some tournaments give birth to a new generation of players, or a regeneration of a country or even a team that defined an era, but 1986 really did belong to one individual. 

No finals have ever been so heavily dominated by one name, and a name that fully lived up to that hype and attention by delivering on football's grandest stage. 

Whether it was delighting in his elegance and excellence as he led Argentina all the way to glory, or through the controversy that to this day some say tarnished the reputation of both player and tournament. 

Whatever way you look at it, Mexico may have been the setting, but 1986 belonged to Diego Armando Maradona. 

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