Following the 2022 Qatar World Cup, adidas unveils OCEAUNZ — the official match ball of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand for 2023. This is the ninth successive soccer ball that adidas has created for the FIFA Women’s World Cup. The honorary orb has been upgraded with Connected Ball Technology to meet the demands and speed of the modern game.
The OCEAUNZ is anchored in pearlescent white and features accents of blues and greens, inspired by the natural Australian landscape, as well as the vast mountains of New Zealand and Australia’s connection with the Indian Ocean.
Adidas celebrates Australia and New Zealand coming together as they prepare to host the tournament. The Australian patterns were designed by renowned local artist, Chern’ee Sutton, while the New Zealand elements were provided by Kiwi artist, Fiona Collis.
With record viewing figures for the Women’s Euros tournament last year, the upcoming World Cup is set to be a massive moment for the game that we love. We’re turning up with a match ball that we’re incredibly proud of – featuring our innovative technology and with a design that represents the natural beauty of the landscape in which it will be played.
Franziska Loeffelmann, Design Director Football Graphics at adidas
The adidas OCEAUNZ features connected ball technology, providing precise ball data, which will be made available to Video Match Officials in real-time. Combined with player position data and by applying artificial intelligence, the innovative connected ball technology contributes to FIFA’s semi-automated offside technology and offers Video Assistant Referees instantaneous information to help optimize decision-making.
The game is always evolving, and the design of the OCEAUNZ is built to help players cope with the pace and demands of the modern game. We’re hugely excited for the FIFA Women’s World Cup and to see the women’s game lifted to even further heights, in two fantastic host nations.”
Franziska Loeffelmann, Design Director Football Graphics at adidas
As an initiative to increase female coaches and leaders, adidas will be donating 1% of net sales from OCEAUNZ ball towards Common Goal’s “Global Goal 5 Accelerator,” a collective project to increase female participation and representation within the sport.
The FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 starts on July 20, 2023.
The adidas OCEAUNZ ball is available to purchase now on adidas.com, adidas stores, and other select retailers. Prices range from $15 to $170. Take a look at the ball below and follow @NiceKicks on Instagram for more sportswear updates.
