Maradona 'Hand of God' ball sells for £2.5m — a third of the hyped $10m figure

The ball Diego Maradona punched into England's net at the 1986 World Cup sold at auction in the United States on 23 August 2026 for £2.5m ($3.3m). Pre-sale forecasts had floated $10m. Heritage Auctions' Mike Provenzale called it "arguably the most significant soccer item that exists." The shirt from the same match fetched £7.1m in 2022.