Nike set to replace Adidas as Champions League ball supplier from 2027

Nike is poised to take over match ball supply duties for UEFA’s men’s club competitions, bringing an end to Adidas’s 25-year association with the Champions League and Decathlon’s role in the Europa League and Conference League.

The change will take effect from the 2027–2031 cycle, with Nike entering exclusive talks with UEFA to become the official match ball provider. The move signals a major commercial shift in European football, with the iconic Champions League ball set for a redesign after more than two decades.

The United States sportswear giant is understood to have outbid both Adidas and Puma, offering to nearly double UEFA’s current annual fee to around $45 million.

Adidas has supplied the Champions League ball since 2001, when it introduced the now-famous Finale design, featuring star panels inspired by the competition’s logo. The design has since become synonymous with elite European club football and has appeared in every Champions League match for over two decades.

Nike previously held the contract between 1997 and 2001, when its match balls featured simpler designs prominently displaying the brand’s swoosh.

Adidas is believed to retain rights to the star motif, meaning the final appearance of the traditional star ball will come at the 2027 Champions League final, scheduled for 5 June at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid.

Nike will work alongside UC3, the joint venture between UEFA and leading European clubs, to develop a new ball design for the competition.

The tender process for the match ball contract was managed by Relevent Football Partners, a sports media, sponsorship, and licensing company within a portfolio owned by Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross.

In a significant shift, the tender combined the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League ball rights into a single package for the first time. Nike secured the contract across all three competitions.

The Europa League and Conference League balls are currently supplied by French retailer Decathlon under its Kipsta brand.

Relevent has introduced a number of commercial changes since securing rights to UEFA’s club competitions from 2027 to 2033, including ending a long-standing partnership structure and reshaping sponsorship deals.

Among those changes, the global beer sponsorship rights were awarded to AB InBev, ending a 35-year association with Heineken that dates back to the inception of the Champions League in 1992.