The renowned Champions League ball is set for a redesign next year, following Nike’s exclusive negotiations with UEFA to be the official match ball supplier for the competition’s 2027-2031 cycle.
The American sportswear giant has outperformed its competitors, including the current supplier Adidas and challenger Puma, by proposing to increase UEFA’s existing fee to approximately $45 million annually.
Adidas has been the provider of the Champions League match ball since 2001, when they launched the famous Finale ball characterized by a star pattern that reflects the Champions League logo. This design has been featured in every match ball since its inception and has become a recognized symbol of elite European football.
Previously, Nike served as UEFA’s match ball supplier from 1997 to 2001, utilizing simpler designs that prominently displayed the brand’s iconic swoosh.
Adidas is believed to retain the rights to the star design, meaning the final match featuring the star ball will take place during the Champions League final on June 5, 2027, at Madrid’s Estadio Metropolitano.
Nike will collaborate with UC3, the partnership between UEFA and top clubs that oversee the Champions League, to create a new ball design.
The tender process for the match ball was conducted on behalf of UC3 by Relevent Football Partners, a sports media, sponsorship, and licensing firm under the ownership of Stephen Ross, who also owns the Miami Dolphins.
For the first time, Relevent combined the Champions League match ball with those for the Europa League and Conference League, and Nike has secured the contract for all three tournaments.
Currently, the Europa League and Conference League match balls are provided by French retailer Decathlon under the Kipsta brand.
In a separate development, FC Barcelona has formally complained about the officiating following their 2-0 home loss to Atlético Madrid in the Champions League. The complaint focuses on an incident early in the second half, where Barcelona sought a penalty after Atlético’s goalkeeper, Juan Musso, seemingly restarted play from a goal kick. Defender Marc Pubill then handled the ball inside the six-yard box, but referee Istvan Kovacs allowed play to continue without penalty, and VAR did not intervene, prompting outrage from the Barcelona coaching staff.
A statement from the club indicated that legal services have lodged a complaint with UEFA regarding the match against Atlético Madrid. They expressed that a player from the opposing team handled the ball in their area without being penalized, which they consider a significant error, alongside the VAR’s lack of intervention, and have called for an investigation.
Past interpretations of similar situations have varied. In the Champions League quarter-finals in April 2024, Bayern Munich was denied a penalty after an incident involving Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhães. Later that year, VAR did step in to award Club Brugge a penalty in a similar scenario involving Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martínez and Tyrone Mings.
Since securing the contract for UEFA’s club competitions from 2027 to 2033, Relevent has made substantial changes, ending their long-standing partnership with Team. In a notable move, Relevent sold the global beer sponsorship rights to AB InBev, the makers of Budweiser and Michelob, concluding a 35-year relationship with Heineken that began with the establishment of the Champions League in 1992.
Relevent has also managed the global TV rights sales process, resulting in over a 20% increase in the top five European markets, with Paramount acquiring the majority of Champions League rights in the UK and Germany for the 2027-2031 period.
In the United States, CBS Sports/Paramount holds the rights for UEFA club competitions until 2030.
