The Champions League’s iconic star-patterned ball is set to change next year after Nike entered exclusive talks with Uefa to become the official match ball provider for the 2027 to 2031 cycle.
The current design has been in place since 2001, making it one of the most recognisable images in European club football. Under the new arrangement, the familiar look is expected to be replaced after Nike secured the lead position in the bidding process.
The US sportswear company has beaten competition from incumbent supplier Adidas and fellow challenger Puma. According to the source material, Nike offered to double Uefa’s current fee to around $45m a year in order to win the rights to supply the governing body’s club competitions.
The deal would cover Uefa’s club competitions across the five-year cycle from 2027 to 2031, marking a significant shift in a long-running partnership landscape for elite European football.
Adidas had been the incumbent supplier, but Nike’s bid has put it in pole position for the next cycle. The move means the Champions League ball will no longer carry the star motif that has defined it for more than two decades.
No further details of the redesign have been announced, but the change is expected to become one of the more visible updates to the competition in 2027.
