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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Sport
Matt Hughes

No more stars: Champions League ball to be redesigned after Nike wins rights

UEFA Champions League match ball on the pitch at Bayern Munich's stadium
The Adidas Finale has featured a star design in a variety of colors since its introduction in 2001 Photograph: Michaela Stache/Reuters

The iconic Champions League ball will be redesigned next year after Nike entered exclusive talks with Uefa to become the official match ball provider for the 2027 to 2031 cycle of the competition.

The US sportswear group has beaten off competition from incumbent supplier Adidas and fellow challenger Puma after offering to double Uefa’s current fee to around $45m per year.

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