Justin Bieber’s World Cup Sneakers Auction for Charity

The 2026 FIFA World Cup final delivered drama long before a ball was kicked and long after the trophy was lifted. One of its most unlikely stars? A pair of low-top sneakers in a “latte” colorway with light pink accents.

Christie’s confirmed on Wednesday that Justin Bieber’s custom SKYLRK Matter Daddy sneakers, worn during his acoustic halftime performance of “Everything Hallelujah” at the Spain v. Argentina final on July 19, sold for $26,400. The estimate had sat quietly in the $2,000–$4,000 range. Bidders simply tore that up.

Every dollar goes to the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund through Christie’s One Goal auction, part of a $100 million drive to widen access to both education and football for children worldwide. One pair of shoes, ten times the expected price, feeding into a project built on scale and reach.

Bieber only had them on for a brief spell under the MetLife Stadium lights in New Jersey, but the stage could hardly have been bigger. This was the first-ever FIFA World Cup final halftime show, a made-for-global-TV spectacle that lined up Bieber alongside Madonna, BTS, Shakira, Burna Boy, the Muppets’ Electric Mayhem band, Gustavo Dudamel, the New York Philharmonic and a finale led by set curator Chris Martin of Coldplay, who closed with original song “We Dance” and the PS22 Chorus.

Christie’s says Bieber debuted this particular Matter Daddy “latte” look on that night, and the shoes were far from the only memorabilia drawing deep pockets.

BTS fans, in particular, turned the auction into a statement of force. Clothing and accessories worn by the group during their run through Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Dynamite” raised a combined $300,300. The breakdown reads like a catalogue of pop culture trophies:

• RM’s chunky Untitled-03 black boots at $19,800;
• j-hope’s black and red fingerless gloves at $28,600;
• Jin’s red leather belt at $16,500;
• Suga’s red leather pants with a sewn-in silk scarf listing every BTS member at $33,000;
• V’s custom black silk scarf with the group’s name, demon faces and soccer balls at $46,200;
• Jung Kook’s red, black and white motocross jacket at $46,200;
• Jimin’s white and red jersey with BTS patches soaring to $110,000 on its own.

The bidding frenzy didn’t stop with BTS.

Shakira’s bright yellow costume from the official “Dai Dai” music video drew $8,250, while an Earth Ball signed by Shakira, Kaka and FIFA president Gianni Infantino went for $3,850. Madonna’s fans pushed even harder: her bright pink, bedazzled fingerless gloves from the halftime show’s opening set commanded $41,800.

Coldplay’s fingerprints were on the sale as well. The two-page handwritten lyric sheet for “We Dance” — lyrics on one page, the halftime setlist on the other, signed and carrying a short message of love from Chris Martin — fetched $15,400. A blue World Cup Earth ball inscribed with the names of the halftime performers by Martin cleared more than $6,000.

On the pitch, Spain v. Argentina decided a world champion. Off it, a halftime show that blended pop, orchestral heft and football’s global stage turned costumes, boots, gloves and a single pair of Bieber’s SKYLRK sneakers into serious fundraising tools.

One final, one night in New Jersey, and a pile of keepsakes that now carry a different kind of value: how far can this mix of football and star power push the game’s responsibility to the next generation?