Maradona Hand of God match ball sells for $3.355 million at Heritage Auctions

Bidding results in Dallas

The Adidas Azteca match ball used during the 1986 World Cup quarter-final between Argentina and England sold for $3.355 million (2.87 million euros or 2.5 million pounds) at Heritage Auctions on Saturday, 22 August 2026. Bidding opened at $2.5 million at the Dallas-based auction house. The final purchase price fell below pre-sale expectations, as Heritage auctioneers had estimated the ball could achieve up to $10 million (approximately 8.5 million euros or 7.3 million pounds). The auction house had hoped the item would challenge the sales record for football memorabilia. At the same event, the robe worn by heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali for his October 1975 fight against Joe Frazier sold for $549,000 (470,000 euros).

Heritage specialist auctioneer Mike Provenzale described the significance of the item prior to the sale.

It's a true one-of-one item. Arguably the most significant soccer item that exists.

The 1986 World Cup quarter-final

The ball featured in two distinct moments on 22 June 1986 at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. In the 51st minute of the quarter-final, Diego Maradona contested an aerial ball and used his left hand to deflect it past England goalkeeper Peter Shilton. Match referee Ali Bin Nasser did not spot the infraction and awarded the goal. After the match, Maradona told reporters that the goal had been scored "a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God." Four minutes later, in the 55th minute, Maradona collected the ball in his own half and completed a 70-meter run, dribbling past five English outfield players before scoring past Shilton. Argentina won the match 2-1 and later defeated West Germany to win the World Cup.

Ownership and auction history

Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser took possession of the Adidas Azteca ball after the final whistle in 1986 and held it in his private collection for more than three decades. Bin Nasser first sold the ball at auction in 2022 for $2.37 million (2 million euros or 1.74 million pounds). In 2023, Bin Nasser signed a formal letter confirming it was the single ball used throughout the match, a status supported by independent authentication and photo-matching. The buyer listed the ball for auction again in 2023, but bidding fell short of the reserve price. The owner retained the ball until the August 2026 sale, securing a price roughly 500,000 euros higher than the 2022 purchase.

Memorabilia valuation comparisons

The $3.355 million valuation leaves the ball below several other sports memorabilia sales. Maradona's match-worn shirt from the same 1986 quarter-final sold at Sotheby's in 2022 for 8.3 million euros (just under $9.3 million, or 7.1 million pounds), remaining the most expensive football jersey ever sold. The record for any sports ball is held by Shohei Ohtani's 50th home run ball, which fetched $4.392 million in 2024 after Ohtani became the first Major League Baseball player to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. That sale surpassed the $3 million paid in 1998 for Mark McGwire's 70th home run ball. The overall sports memorabilia benchmark remains the 1932 World Series jersey worn by Babe Ruth, sold through Heritage in 2024 for $24.12 million, after a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card fetched $12.6 million in 2022.