What Is The Ball Being Used In International Champions Cup?

We are in the midst of summer soccer and the annual International Champions Cup, a series of club friendlies being played in the US and elsewhere. If you’ve been watching and wondering what the unusual White/Red/Black official match ball is, it is the Under Armour Desafio. (available here)

Yes, Under Armour won the battle of the brands to be the official match ball supplier for the showcase tournament. As statements of intent go, this is a pretty big one. Outside of adidas and Nike, no brand has really threatened to take a piece of club competition sponsorship….other than UA.

The Desafio is a ball that has been on the market a few months, and you might also have spotted it in NASL games. Performance wise it is an extremely competitive ball, providing an extremely nice ping as you strike it and a true flight path. The casing of the ball features a light dimple texture that adds a little extra grip as you look to control it.

And in case you are wondering what “Desafio” means, it is Portuguese for “challenge”.

You can find the Desafio currently available at soccer.com.