‘Made in Pakistan’ UCL match balls make headlines

Adidas has unveiled new UEFA Champions League and UEFA Women’s Champions League official match balls, which are made in Pakistan.

They were unveiled after the conclusion of the Champions League play-off ties.

According to Adidas, the ball draws inspiration from the night sky. The Women’s Champions League ball, meanwhile, takes inspiration from the deep space and the northern lights.

Both balls are honouring the stars of the game on their path to Budapest and Oslo, the host cities of the respective finals in May.

The design of both balls features the iconic Champions League stars on a white base.

Moreover, the Men’s ball is finished in gold and painted in blue, complemented by hand-drawn zodiac signs in gold that symbolise heroic deeds and heavenly destiny.

Meanwhile, the Women’s UCL ball has the hexagons between the white stars finished in dark purple and overlaid with neon green technical gradient and flowing neon green paintings inspired by solar movement of the northern lights.

Finishing details of luminous pink and white stars, echoing the brilliance of deep space, give the ball its final glow.

Both balls are completed with the adidas Badge of Sport logo and the respective Champions League logos, rounding off the designs that honour destiny.

Apart from that they also feature a range of adidas technology, which has been rigorously tested in wind tunnels and on the pitch to push the boundaries of performance:

An innovative PRISMA surface with a debossing pattern for improved precision and swerve;
An outer texture coating which offers secure grip and complete control, while the thermally bonded seamless construction is built for ultimate performance;
A groundbreaking CTR-CORE within the ball, tuned for accuracy and consistency, supporting fast, precise play with maximum shape and air retention. The core consists of two components: a zero-waste bladder containing renewable, natural rubber, and the carcass made from a double-patched PES fabric giving the bladder its strength and shape.

As well as using recycled polyester and water-based ink, the 2025/26 iterations are made from more bio-based substances than any previous Champions League official match ball. Each layer of the ball has been adjusted to include materials such as corn fibres, sugar cane, wood pulp and rubber, without impacting its performance.