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The Euro 2024 Ball: The Fussballliebe

20 May, 2024
The Euro 2024 Ball: The Fussballliebe

The worldwide commercialisation of soccer in the modern day means that every time a major international tournament rolls around, it's a chance for brands and sponsors to advertise their products. Adidas, Budweiser, Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Hyundai, and Visa were just some of the sponsors of the last World Cup, staged in Qatar in November and December 2022. But when it comes to commercial products being advertised at prestigious tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championship, there is one hugely important object that takes precedence over all others. It's an object that viewers across the globe will hardly ever take their eyes off: the ball.

In modern football, each major tournament will feature a specially-designed ball that is used in every single match from group stage to final. Whether it's the notoriously light and flighty 'Jabulani' ball used at South Africa 2010, or the well-regarded 2006 Germany World Cup ball 'Teamgeist', tournament match balls tend to receive plenty of attention (some positive, some negative). At this year's Euros (also set to be hosted in Germany), all eyes will be on the official ball of the competition, the adidas Fussballliebe.

In this article, we'll be offering a detailed guide to the Fussbailliebe, the official Euro 2024 ball. We'll explain some of the key features and pieces of technology at the heart of the ball's design, and we'll let you know what adidas have said about their brand new product. But before we get into that, we're going to explain a few basic details about the tournament and when it's taking place.

When Is Euro 2024?

Euro 2024 will commence on Friday 14th June, when hosts Germany welcome Scotland at Munich's Allianz Arena. Germany will be the favourites to win that clash, although Scotland come into the tournament after an impressive qualifying campaign and will be hoping to land a significant early blow on their European rivals.

In the first 12 days of the tournament, there are 36 group-stage fixtures. The competition then progresses to the knockout stages, starting with the Round of 16. Then it's the quarter-finals and semi-finals, leading to the final on Sunday 14th July, where the tournament victor will be crowned. Will Euro 2020 champions Italy be able to retain their title, or will it be snatched from them by another European rival?

Who Are The Favourites To Win The Tournament?

That final on 14th July is likely to stage two of the biggest, most powerful footballing nations on earth — although who knows, maybe someone will spring a surprise? There are plenty of underdogs with talent in their squads and a few dark horses that might fancy their chances of going far at Euro 2024.

Currently, the favourites to win the tournament for bookmakers in the UK are England. It's worth noting that British bookies usually favour England at tournaments because of confident bet placers backing their home team.

However, regardless of which country you go to, there is a general consensus across Europe that England are one of two clear favourites to win the competition, the other being France. Both sides are filled to the brim with attacking talent and have recent history of going far in continental competitions. At the time of writing, bet365 have England at 4/1 to win the tournament while France are down at 5/1.

However, there are plenty of other nations who could cause a few problems for the favourites. Hosts Germany have the home advantage, as well as some great players and a coach who is extremely well-regarded across Europe, while Portugal have talented Premier League stars like Bernardo Silva and Ruben Dias in their ranks and recent Euros success in their minds. If you want to find out more about the best teams competing this year's edition of the Euros, check out our article on the favourites for Euro 2024. 

What Is The Official Ball Of Euro 2024? 

Earlier this year, tournament sponsors adidas — the global sports manufacturer that has been an ever-present at FIFA and UEFA competitions for years — unveiled their brand new official match ball for Euro 2024, the 17th edition of the European Championship. Adidas have been designing world-class tournament match balls since the 1960s, so it's fair to say they know what they're doing, and representatives of the sports company seem very excited about their latest invention.

The name of the Euro 2024 ball is the 'Fussballliebe', which is German for 'Love of Football'. The concept for the ball was created in collaboration with global marketing agency VMLY&R. It's the latest in a long line of balls built by adidas for European Championship tournaments (the popular sports brand have been the sole manufacturer of official European Championship match balls ever since 1968).

The Fussballliebe follows the Uniforia, the official match ball for Euro 2020, also designed by adidas. The previous ball featured black, brush-stroke-esque lines supposed to denote the crossing of borders, as this most recent edition of the tournament took place across 11 different European nations. Germany 2024 is a more simple competition taking place in just one nation, and adidas have designed a ball that reflects this reality, one which they will hope can provide the foundation for a real spectacle.

To mark the unveiling of the ball last November, UEFA and adidas launched a special five-day event kicked off in Berlin's Olympiastadion, inviting fans down and celebrating their 'Love of Football' with appearances from past European Championship legends. The match ball has already received some glowing endorsements, but what is it that makes it different to the last European Championship football?

What Makes The Euro 2024 Ball Special?

Tournament match ball manufacturers spend a huge amount of time and effort researching, developing and testing their ball, ensuring it can stand up to the rigours of top-level international football and help deliver a successful tournament with high-quality football. The Fussballliebe has a number of key features that are designed to help this process.

According to adidas, their new Fussballliebe "balances abstract simplicity with black wing shapes and solid colours, representing each of UEFA's 55 member associations' flags." There are illustrations of each of the tournament's host stadiums on the ball to help strengthen the connection to Germany's staging of the tournament, and these appear alongside the names of each host city (find out more about the Euro 2024 stadiums here).

In terms of technology, there's a 20-piece panel shape and grooves on the outer shell of the ball, lab-built to help players achieve precise passing and shooting. Adidas 'Connected Ball Technology' is another key invention that will take place at Euro 2024; in real time, unprecedented levels of ball data will be sent to video match officials thanks to this development. This is done thanks to a suspension system in the centre of the ball, which hosts a 500Hz inertial measurement unit motion sensor powered by a rechargable battery. It's engineering jargon for most soccer fans, yes, but it will lead to some of the best ball data analysis at any tournament in history.

The ball is made from recycled polyester and water-based ink, making it more reliant on bio-based materials than any previous adidas tournament match ball. On top of polyester, materials used in the ball's manufacturing include corn fibres, sugar cane, wood pulp, and rubber.

According to adidas Football's VP Product and Design Sam Handy, introducing Connected Ball Technology "is a watershed moment in the history of the tournament, and a result of our commitment to groundbreaking innovation that improves the experience for match officials, players and fans". UEFA's Technical Director and Chief of Football added that "Fussballliebe will mark another stride in our shared dedication to excellence."

Fans can buy the ball online for £130 by visiting the adidas website (if you're unsure what size ball to get, check out our guide to soccer ball sizes by age). 

Which Stadiums Have Been Selected To Host Euro 2024?

Come June, fans across Germany will be able to watch their favourite players move the Fussballliebe around the pitch with skill and precision in Europe's biggest international competition. The Fussballliebe looks set to help lead to some beautiful technical football, especially when you combine that technology with the high performance levels of immensely talented pros like Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, Luka Modric, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Joshua Kimmich. But where exactly will those stars be taking to the field this summer? 

Games at Euro 2024 will take place across ten host cities at Euro 2024, each selected because of their top-quality football stadiums. The majority of Euro 2024 stadiums are used to host Bundesliga fixtures during the regular season, and many of them have also staged high-level European knockout clashes over the years. Here are the ten cities chosen to host Euros matches:

  • Berlin

  • Cologne

  • Dortmund

  • Dusseldorf

  • Frankfurt

  • Gelsenkirchen

  • Hamburg

  • Leipzig

  • Munich

  • Stuttgart

Some of those cities are huge metropolises known all over the world for their history, culture and business infrastructure, while others are smaller urban centres with less experience staging high-profile international football matches. What each location has is strong football heritage and a modern stadium to back that up. The grounds being used include Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena, Hertha Berlin's Olympiastadion, and Borussia Dortmund's Westfalenstadion.

For more information about each individual ground staging games this summer, check out our detailed guide to every Euro 2024 stadium.