French soccer’s LFP league organizing body has renewed its commercial partnership with sporting goods retailer Decathlon for another five seasons.
Under the long-term renewal, the French company will continue to supply the official match balls for the top-flight Ligue 1 and second-tier Ligue 2 competitions through its Kipsta soccer brand through the 2031-32 season.
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The new deal sees Decathlon upgraded to a major partner of the LFP, the organization’s top sponsorship category.
Kipsta has been the official ball supplier for the leagues since the 2022-23 season under a five-year contract that was not due to expire until 2026-27.
The brand replaced German sports manufacturer Uhlsport, which had previously been the LFP’s ball supplier since the start of the 2017-18 season, when it took over from Adidas.
As part of the renewed deal, Decathlon will also benefit from increased visibility, particularly during Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 matches and on the competitions' digital platforms.
Jérémie Siino, Kipsta brand director, said: “This confidence from the LFP is a source of immense pride for Decathlon. The renewal of this partnership until 2032 confirms the credibility of Kipsta products at the highest level.”
The LFP’s decision to stick with its match ball supplier marks a change from several of Europe’s other top leagues.
This season, the English Premier League ended its 25-year relationship with US sportswear heavyweight Nike to sign a new deal with German brand Puma.
From the 2026-27 season, the German Bundesliga will switch ball suppliers from sportswear and equipment manufacturer Derbystar to Adidas.
The league initially signed a four-year deal with Adidas until 2029-30, but the contract was extended this week through 2033-34 as part of a wider strategic tie-up between the two parties.
Puma has become the dominant match ball supplier across Europe’s major leagues in recent years. The brand also replaced Nike in Italy’s Serie A at the start of the 2022-23 campaign and has also been LaLiga’s official ball supplier since 2019-20.
Notably, the match ball supplier contract will also change hands for UEFA’s European club competitions.
Earlier this month, Nike entered exclusive negotiations to take over from German rival Adidas from the 2027-28 season for the elite men’s Champions League.
Once the four-year contract is finalized, Nike will also supply the second-tier Europa League and third-tier Conference League through 2030-2031.
