With the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League and UEFA Women's Champions League both kicking off next month, Adidas has rolled out the two new official match balls that will be used for the league phase of each competition.
After winning the men's and women's titles respectively with last season's Finale 25 design, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona will defend their crowns using the new balls which both boast bespoke templates.
The men's version is plastered in a neon-spattered livery that, according to Adidas, has been inspired by players creating colourful moments of magic and personal expression while plugging away at training on cold, foggy training pitches during their quest to attain Champions League greatness.
The design for the women's match ball is a little less abstract. The golden-orange pattern takes its inspiration the aura of the ring of 11 stars that make up the UWCL emblem, with flashes of metallic purple and silver then adding a dash of visual contrast to the mix.
Both balls are based on the "Star Ball" template that Adidas have used for their Champions League match balls since the introduction of the "Finale 1" ball for the 2001-02 season. Since then, over 50 iterations of the UCL star ball have been deployed in the competition -- and that's not including the various hi-vis yellow variants that have been used in winter months over the years.
However, it would seem that the era of the iconic star ball is almost at an end. The Guardian and The Athletic both reported in April that the 2026-27 offerings from Adidas could be the German brand's last after a quarter of a century at the helm, with Nike agreeing a $45 million-a-year deal to take the reins from next season.
While a new contract is yet to be officially announced, if Nike were to take over it would mark the first time that its match balls have been used in the Champions League since the 2000-01 final, when Bayern Munich beat Valencia on penalties while using the Geo Merlin.
With Adidas reportedly holding the rights to the star ball design, Nike will have to find a fresh way to put its own stamp on the Champions League for next season.