Sydney, Australia – Adidas has created a new version of its Oceaunz football, the ball used in the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. The ball was designed specifically for the semifinals, third place play-off and final matches, which feature Australia, England, Spain and Sweden.
It features a Speedshell polyurethane skin, with a new 20-piece panel shape designed to enhance the ball’s aerodynamics. Inside, the core is the novel CTR-Core, which was designed to improve accuracy and consistency via maximum shape and air retention.
The company said the ball’s orange and gold details were inspired by sunsets over the Sydney skyline. The design on the balls remains the cultural markings created by local artists Chern’ee Sutton and Fiona Collis for the silver-hued ball used earlier in the tournament.
The balls used in matches include Connected Ball technology, linked to the VAR decisions system and Fifa’s semi-automated offside technology. It also measures key in-play statistics such as speed, spin and distance.
“As the sun comes down on the Fifa Women’s World Cup, it’s important to reflect on how remarkable the tournament has been and honour the moment, using the ball at the heart of that celebration,” said Solène Störmann, global category director for foodball hardware at Adidas.
She added that the ball “looks towards the football of tomorrow”, with 1% of net sales being donated to towards Common Goal’s Equal Play Effect programme, supporting the next generation of female football players.
The replica ball is now on sale, both in store and online. It is priced at €150.