Adidas set to return to CAF as technical sponsor after 12 years

Adidas are set to return to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a technical sponsor, ending a 12-year absence from the organisation’s flagship competitions.

The German sportswear giant is expected to replace fellow German brand Puma as CAF’s technical partner, with the agreement reportedly set to take effect from the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

The development would mark a significant return for Adidas, which was previously a long-standing technical partner of CAF and last supplied the official Africa Cup of Nations match ball in 2015.

According to a report by Footy Headlines, Adidas will return as the official match-ball supplier for the continental tournament, although CAF had not publicly confirmed the new agreement at the time of publication.

Adidas has a long history with African football and was responsible for producing several memorable AFCON match balls, including the Wawa Aba used at the 2008 tournament in Ghana, the Jabulani Angola for the 2010 edition and the Katlego for the 2013 tournament in South Africa.

The brand’s most recent AFCON ball was the Marhaba, which was used during the 2015 tournament in Equatorial Guinea.

Since Adidas’ departure, CAF has worked with several technical suppliers.

Mitre supplied the official ball for the 2017 AFCON, while Umbro became CAF’s exclusive technical sponsor from January 2022 and supplied the Toghu match ball for the delayed 2021 tournament in Cameroon.

Puma subsequently became CAF’s official technical partner in November 2023. Its agreement covered several CAF events and included supplying official match balls as well as kits for referees and other tournament personnel.

Puma supplied the Pokou ball for the 2023 AFCON in Côte d’Ivoire and the ITRI for the 2025 tournament in Morocco.

The reported return of Adidas would therefore bring an end to Puma’s current spell as CAF’s technical partner and restore one of the most recognisable brands in world football to the continent’s premier national-team competition.

The timing would also coincide with CAF’s continued expansion of the commercial value of the AFCON.

CAF reported that the 2025 tournament in Morocco attracted 23 sponsors, up from nine in 2021 and 17 in 2023, while the organisation said competition revenues had increased by more than 90 percent.

The 2027 AFCON will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, with the tournament scheduled for June and July 2027. The qualifiers for the competition began in September 2026, with 48 nations competing in the group stage.

Adidas’ return would add another major global sports brand to CAF’s commercial portfolio and could see the company once again become closely associated with one of Africa’s biggest sporting events.

For now, the reported agreement remains to be formally confirmed by CAF, but if completed, Adidas’ return would represent a reunion with African football after more than a decade away.