Set to feature on Europe’s elite pitches under the lights from tonight onwards, Adidas has unveiled the UEFA Champions League official match ball for the knockout stages of the 2023 competition. The design is inspired by host city, Istanbul’s heritage and the legacy of football’s biggest club competition.
The Champions League returns tonight, with all the stars set to shine on Europe’s biggest club stage – literally and figuratively, with the action playing out under the night sky. That music, those stadiums, and of course, that ball, adorned with those iconic stars. And in time for the knockout stages, where all teams will have dreams of reaching the final in Istanbul on 10 June, adidas have given it a refresh, dressing it out in a new look that’s worthy of the latter stages of the competition.
Hot on the heels of the reveal of the UWCL Pro Ball ‘Eindhoven’ earlier this week, we now get the UCL Pro Ball ‘Istanbul’, which takes over from the group stage ball, revealed back in August and in use since.
For the UCL Pro Ball ‘Istanbul’, we get a visually striking design, with the group stage look inverted to give us white stars that play out across an eye-catching blue background with a gold and silver graphic inspired by traditional Turkish art covering most of the upper. The gold is intended to represent Istanbul's history while the silver is a homage to the Champions League trophy itself. It is also the first men’s UCL ball to feature the new Adidas performance logo, a clean execution that sits within one of the many stars.
Expect to see this one hitting the back of nets from tonight...
Shop for the adidas UCL 2023 knockout ball at prodirectsport.com/soccer
