Getty Images
- Adidas has sponsored the Champions League since 2001
- New deal to cover all three of Uefa’s men’s club competitions
- Nike would join AB InBev and PepsiCo as sponsors for next cycle
Nike is in exclusive negotiations to replace Adidas as the official match ball provider for Uefa’s men club competitions, including the Champions League.
Adidas has supplied the match balls for European soccer’s premier club tournament for 25 years, starting in 2001. The German sportswear giant replaced Nike as the competition’s ball sponsor, with its current agreement set to expire at the end of the 2026/27 season.
UC3, the joint venture between Uefa and European Football Clubs (EFC), has now confirmed that it has entered into exclusive negotiations with Nike for a proposed four-year deal beginning in 2027. The contract would run through 2031 and cover all of Uefa’s men’s club tournaments.
The new deal would therefore see Nike also supply the match balls for both the Uefa Europa League and Uefa Conference League competitions. French retailer Decathlon, the current supplier for both tournaments, will continue to provide balls until its contract ends after the 2026/27 campaign.
While the financial terms have not been disclosed, SportsPro understands the new deal will represent a significant increase in value compared to the previous cycle. UC3 stated that its decision follows ‘a highly competitive tender process’ launched in March 2026 by UC3 and its agency, Relevent Football Partners.
It was previously reported that UC3 and Relevent had received early-stage interest from several companies, including Nike and Puma, for the ball sponsorship. This deal marks a significant victory for Nike, especially after it lost the Premier League ball contract to Puma last year.
As for Adidas, it still holds a prominent portfolio, supplying the match balls for the Uefa European Championships and the Fifa World Cup. The brand will also return as the ball supplier for the Bundesliga next season under a four-year deal, taking over from Derbystar.
The shift in Champions League ball sponsorship is part of a broader overhaul of Uefa’s commercial rights, led by UC3 and Relevent. Brands will now be able to sign six-year contracts for the 2027/2033 cycle, an expansion from the current three-year period.
Adidas becomes the second long-term Champions League partner to be replaced. Last year, Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) entered into exclusive negotiations to replace Heineken as the official beer sponsor for Uefa’s men’s club competitions. AB InBev’s deal is reportedly worth €200 million (US$234 million) per year, a significant increase over Heineken’s reported €120 million (US$140.3 million) annual contract.
SportsPro understands that UC3 and Relevent are working to strike a balance between renewing existing partnerships and bringing in new sponsors. PepsiCo, the incumbent soft drinks sponsor, is expected to renew its agreement at a valuation 2.5 times higher than its current deal.
SportsPro says…
The Nike deal further validates UC3’s decision to partner with Relevent to manage the commercial rights for its men’s club competitions. The appointment came after Uefa chose to end its long-standing partnership with Team Marketing for the Champions League.
Both UC3 and Relevent have been relentless in their efforts to unlock greater commercial value for the Champions League, already securing transformative media rights deals with the likes of Paramount+, which will provide clubs and Uefa with an average annual increase in value.
UC3 co-managing director Charlie Marshall told SportsPro last month that the organisation was happy to “shake things up” in its quest to extract more commercial income. The decision to replace Adidas with Nike aligns with this strategy.
Sponsorship remains the most powerful commercial force in sport, yet as investments soar, the ROI gap widens. This April, SportsPro London will deliver frameworks for proving impact beyond logo placement. Learn more here.