The football that Diego Maradona used to score the infamous 'Hand of God' goal in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final will be auctioned in Texas from August 21 to August 23, 2026. Heritage Auctions, based in Texas, is managing the sale with an opening bid set at $2.5 million and an estimated final price of around $10 million [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
Maradona scored the controversial goal by punching the ball past the England goalkeeper during the match between Argentina and England at Estadio Azteca. He later described the strike as "a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God" [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The ball was also used in Maradona's other legendary goal of the match, the 'Goal of the Century,' where he dribbled past several English defenders before scoring [1, 2]. Argentina won the match 2-1 and went on to claim the 1986 World Cup title [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
Dan Imler, vice-president of sports at Heritage Auctions, called the ball "easily the most historic ball in the realm of soccer," underlining the iconic status of both goals scored with it [1, 2, 3].
Maradona passed away in November 2020. His match-worn Argentina jersey from the same game previously sold for a record $9.3 million, marking the highest price ever paid for a football shirt at auction [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
The auction will run over three days in August 2026, giving collectors worldwide a chance to bid on one of football's most famous artifacts [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
