German sportswear giant Adidas has signed a four-year deal with German soccer’s DFL league organizing body to supply the match balls for its top-flight and second-tier Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 leagues from the 2026-27 season until the conclusion of the 2029-30 campaign.
The agreement marks the return of the sportswear giant to the Bundesliga, having last provided the match balls for both leagues from the 2010-11 season to the end of 2017-18. The deal also covers the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup and the relegation play-off.
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German sportswear and equipment manufacturer Derbystar will continue to supply match balls until the end of the upcoming 2025-26 season, meanwhile. Derbystar has been the supplier since the start of 2018-19, with a renewal signed in 2021.
GlobalData Sport valued the latest Derbystar-Bundesliga deal, unveiled in March of that year, at $16 million in total.
Other commercial partners of German men's soccer's top division include AWS, Milka, EA Sports, and Topps.
DFL chief executive Steffen Merkel has said: “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. 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.”
In terms of its substantial presence in German soccer, Adidas is also the kit supplier for the country's DFB governing body, although that deal – one of the most significant across all sports – will come to an end in 2026, with the DFB having unveiled a new deal with US rival Nike, running through 2034, last March.
Marina Moguš, managing director for Central Europe at 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 terms of recently unveiled Adidas deals, earlier this week a long-term kit supply tie-up with English soccer giants Liverpool was confirmed.
The brand will take over as the Premier League club’s kit supplier when Nike’s five-year contract expires at the end of July.
