Adidas has revealed the ball that will be used in Champions League group stage games this season, ahead of the group draws on Thursday night. The new Champions League ball will be used for the first time in matches taking place on October 20 and 21, when the 2020/21 tournament kicks off in earnest.
The UCL Finale 20 Pro has thermally bonded panels for seamless construction, a polyurethane cover for better grip in different weather conditions, and a butyl bladder for long-lasting air retention – something which remains an issue even with top-of-the-range footballs.
In a classic Champions League stars design, the ball is coloured white, Royal Blue, Signal Coral and Sky Tint – or white, blue and orange-y, to the rest of us.
It's already on general sale, and while the £119.95 price tag may look steep, it's pretty standard for a match official football. In fact, it's £5 cheaper than the Premier League Nike Flight.
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If you like the look, but are still balking at the price tag, you can get the near-identical UCL Finale 20 Competition version for just £42.95 – a saving of £77, which isn't to be sniffed at.
There are further cheaper options, too, because – let's face it – for a lot of us the standard of football isn't going to be what propels us into our local park's Thiago Alcantara.
In the same colour scheme is the UCL Finale 20 League ball, for £29.95, and the UCL Finale 20 Texture Training ball, which is available for a very reasonable £21.95 and still comes in a full size 5, as well as smaller sizes .
If you're not a fan of 'Sky Tint', the UCL Finale 20 Club football comes in black, gold and white, and can be yours for just £17.95 – a full £102 cheaper than the match ball. Or if you have certain continental allegiances, a new black and pink Real Madrid ball or black and orange Juventus ball can also be bought for £21.95.
