Adidas unveils new match ball for 2023 Women's World Cup

Designed by Australian local painter Chern’ee Sutton and Kiwi artist Fiona Collis, the match ball’s design features a decoration of blues and greens, inspired by the unique Australasian and New Zealand landscapes.
 

OCEAUNZ is also decorated with patterns that illustrate various parts of the game, such as goals and footballs.

Since the Women's Euros tournament set records for watching last year, the upcoming World Cup is expected to be a huge moment, said Franziska Loeffelmann, Design Director of Football Graphics at Adidas. 

“We are 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,”  he added.

OCEAUNZ features connected ball technology, offering accurate ball data that will be made available to Video Match Officials in real-time, just like the official match ball of the 2022 World Cup.

The innovative connected ball technology results in FIFA’s semi-automated offside technology and offers Video Assistant Referees real-time information to help optimise decision-making.

The ball will cost €150 - or US$163-  and be available starting on January 25 in Adidas shops, selected retailers, and online at adidas.com.

To enhance female participation, representation, and leadership, FIFA Women's World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 contributed to Common Goal's "Global Goal 5 Accelerator" project.

The project focuses on increasing women’s participation in a football game.

The tournament will begin on July 20 with the host nation, New Zealand, taking on Norway in the first match, and end with the final on August 20. 

If Thailand's women's national football team can defeat Cameroon and Portugal in the play-off games, they will be eligible to make their third appearance at the Women's World Cup.