Adidas set to lose Champions League match ball contract to Nike after 25 years
Deal for top three competitions is expected to rise sharply from current value and could exceed €40mn a year
Nike is set to win the race to manufacture and sponsor the match ball for the Uefa Champions League, the elite football tournament in Europe, in a blow to longtime supplier Adidas.
The US sportswear group has entered exclusive talks to become the official match ball provider for all Uefa men’s club competitions, including the second and third-tier Europa League and Conference League, according to the organisers.
UC3, the partnership between European football governing body Uefa and the region’s top clubs, said on Thursday it had chosen to negotiate exclusively for Nike to become the match ball provider from 2027 to 2031.
The value of the deal across the competitions is expected to rise substantially and could roughly double to more than €40mn a year, according to a person with knowledge of the process. Nike and Adidas did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Adidas has held the rights to provide the Champions League match ball since 2001 and is known for producing the iconic “starball” design that has become synonymous with the Champions League.
Retailer Decathlon is the current match ball provider for the Europa League and Conference League.
Relevent Football Partners, the sports media, sponsorship and licensing company, led the tender process on behalf of UC3. The agency, which is led by executive chair Daniel Sillman and chief executive Boris Gartner, last year won the right to manage the commercial rights for the Uefa men’s club competitions between 2027 and 2033.
Relevent, which is part of US real estate and sports tycoon Stephen Ross’s portfolio of companies, has shaken up Uefa’s sponsorship approach since taking on the mandate.
Anheuser-Busch InBev last year entered the exclusive talks to replace Heineken as global beer partner to the Uefa men’s football competitions, including the Champions League.
Relevent also led the process in which Paramount Skydance was selected as preferred bidder for the Champions League in the UK and Germany from 2027-31. Paramount’s arrival was a major driver as UC3 secured €2.5bn a season for the media rights across the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain, up from about €2bn in the current arrangements.