Premier League to switch to Puma ball for 25/26 | OneFootball

The Premier League has confirmed it will end its 25-year partnership with Nike, replacing its match ball supplier with Puma starting next season.

The decision brings England’s top flight in line with La Liga and Serie A.

The switch will officially debut during the Premier League Summer Series in the United States this July, before being introduced for the 2025-26 campaign.

The change is aimed at improving consistency across competitions, but the move has already reignited debate over the characteristics of Puma’s ball, with Mikel Arteta being framed as ‘hating’ it.

The Times 18 March 2025

Following Arsenal’s Carabao Cup semi-final defeat to Newcastle United earlier this year, Arteta was asked directly about his players’ missed chances and noted how the ball felt significantly different from the one used in Premier League fixtures. “I think we kicked a lot of the balls over the bar and it’s tricky that this ball flies a lot. It’s just very different to the Premier League ball and it flies differently,” Arteta explained.

However, reports suggesting that he ‘blamed’ the ball for Arsenal’s loss were widely exaggerated, overlooking his broader assessment of his team’s failure to take their chances.

Arteta blames ball for Arsenal horror show The Daily Telegraph 8 Jan 2025 by Sam Dean

The Daily Telegraph, in particular, came under fire for misrepresenting Arteta’s remarks, reducing his nuanced response to a headline implying he had scapegoated the ball. They created such a fuss that the EFL released a statement about the ball, embarrassing themselves into the bargain.

In reality, the Arsenal manager was clear that his side simply had to adapt. “It’s just different. Very different to a Premier League ball, and you have to adapt to that because it flies differently. When you touch it, the grip is very different as well, so you adapt to that.”

You’ll note that part of the quote was also missing from today’s article in the Times above.

With the transition now confirmed, Premier League clubs will have time to adjust during pre-season, but as Arteta indicated, players will need to quickly adapt to the new ball’s characteristics.