Overview
- Heritage Auctions sold the Adidas Azteca ball used in Argentina’s 1986 quarterfinal against England for $3.35 million after a weekend auction, a figure widely reported as well below the house’s public hopes.
- Authentication rests on the ball having been kept for decades by referee Ali Bin Nasser and on a 2023 signed declaration from him that the item was the sole match ball, a provenance verified by independent examiners.
- Heritage had opened bidding with a $2.5 million base and publicly suggested the lot could reach roughly $10 million, so the $3.35 million result marked a large shortfall from that estimate.
- The sale continues the ball’s recent turnover: Bin Nasser sold it in 2022 for $2.37 million, a 2023 relisting failed to meet its reserve, and the identity of the 2026 buyer was not disclosed.
- The outcome puts the Azteca well below headline memorabilia records such as Maradona’s 1986 shirt sold for about $9.3 million and the Babe Ruth jersey, and it may signal softer demand or tighter pricing at the highest end of sports collectibles.