Maradona's 'Hand of God' match ball sells for $3.35 million at auction

Published Aug 23, 04:24 PM UTC

The Adidas Azteca ball used by Diego Maradona in the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal between Argentina and England sold for $3.35 million at Heritage Auctions on August 22, 2026. The ball, which was used for both the infamous 'Hand of God' goal and the 'Goal of the Century' in the same match, fell well short of its $10 million estimate. The auction house had hoped it might become the most expensive soccer memorabilia ever sold, but it sold for less than Maradona's shirt from the same game ($9.3 million) and Shohei Ohtani's 50th home run ball ($4.392 million). The ball previously belonged to Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser, who sold it in 2022 for $2.37 million. The sale came during the 2026 World Cup year, which boosted interest in soccer collectibles in the U.S.