The Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL), which runs both 1. Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga in Germany, has announced a four-year partnership with Adidas, roping it in as the official match ball supplier for the two divisions from the 2026/27 season.
Additionally, Adidas will provide balls for the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup and the relegation playoff. The current supplier, DERBYSTAR, will continue in the role until the end of the 2025/26 season, seeing out the partnership agreement.
Adidas previously supplied match balls to the top two tiers of men’s professional football in Germany between the 2010/11 and 2017/18 seasons.
Steffen Merkel, CEO, DFL, said:
“The selection of the right official matchball is of particular relevance for the Bundesliga, given it is the highest-scoring top league in Europe. adidas tabled a very strong offer that was accepted by the DFL and the 36 clubs in all parameters. We are very pleased about this return and the early planning security that comes with the co-operation. adidas is a company that is deeply rooted in Germany and at the same time has great global appeal. Together, we want to utilise this starting from the season after next.”
Marina Moguš, Managing Director for Central Europe, Adidas, added:
“We are very excited about the new partnership with the DFL. The future cooperation once again strengthens our presence in the domestic market. After all these years, it was very important to us to once again provide the official match ball for the German Bundesliga. Now we can hardly wait to write a new chapter together with the DFL from the 2026/27 season. In view of the upcoming change, we would like to thank our current partner DERBYSTAR all the more for the excellent, trusting cooperation throughout the partnership.“
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