After eight seasons, Adidas footballs will return to the pitches of the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2.
Adidas keeps signing new major partnership deals in the world of professional football. On the heels of the Liverpool deal, Adidas has signed a four-year deal with German football’s governing body, the DFL, for the supply of match balls for the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2, the top and second divisions of the German football league, from the 2026-27 season until the end of the 2029-30 season. The deal also covers the Franz Beckenbauer Super Cup and the relegation playoffs.
The agreement marks Adidas’ return to the Bundesliga. It last supplied match balls for the two leagues from the 2010-11 season until the end of the 2017-18 season. After that, German Derbystar took over the partnership, until the change that will come in 2026-27.
GlobalData Sport valued the latest Derbystar-Bundesliga deal, unveiled in March of that year, at $16 million.
“The selection of the right official match ball is of particular relevance for the Bundesliga, given it is the highest-scoring top league in Europe,” Chief Executive Steffen Merkel said, according to Sportcal DFL. “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.”
