Throughout the history of the tournament, the UEFA EURO has unveiled official match balls each edition which have special designs and names.
The first two editions of the EUROS – 1960 and 1964 – have no record of the release of an official match ball. It was in 1968 that the first championship ball was used.
1968- Telstar Elast
Named after the Telstar communications satellite, it was roughly spherical and dotted with solar panels which looked similar in appearance to the football. (no picture)
1972, 1976- Telstar Durlast
The Telstar Durlast, similar to its predecessor, featured a new coating and upgraded technology which increased its resistance to water. The 1976 edition also used the same ball with changes to make it more water resistant.
1980- Tango Italia/Tango River Plate
It was the first of the new Tango designs used for a EURO. The Tango balls have had different names based on construction and the competitions. (no picture)
1982- Tango Mundial
The Tango Mundial was the first non-leather ball featuring a new material and an enhanced layering system. This was the first official match ball to incorporate a bespoke EURO design.
1988- Tango Europa
The official match ball of the 1988 edition had an enhanced coating and seam sealing which was added to protect the ball against water penetration. (no picture)
1992- Etrusco Unico
Used at the 1990 World Cup and 1992 Summer Olympics, this ball took its name and design from Italy’s ancient history. It had three Etruscan lion heads in each of the 20 Tango triads.
1996- Questra Europa
This was the first official EURO match ball that had colour, a variant of the Questra used at the 1994 World Cup. The design came with lions and red roses to represent host England.
2000- Terrestra Silverstream
The match ball was related to the waterways of hosts Belgium and the Netherlands. It had a new outer layer, making the ball softer to the touch, easier to control and more accurate.
2004- Roteiro
The ball’s name came from the Portuguese word ‘roteiro’, meaning ‘road map’, referring to the discoveries of Portuguese explorers. It was the first time in a major tournament that every match ball had the names of the teams, date, stadium and coordinates of the centre circle.
2008- Europass
The Europass was made of 14 panels, rather than the usual 32, and had a special texture designed to provide more grip. A silver Europass Gloria ball was deployed for the final.
2012- Tango 12
The design included a coloured outline inspired by the flags of hosts Poland and Ukraine, marking the return of the Tango series. There were three bespoke graphics representing the traditional art of paper cutting.
2016- Beau Jeu
The Beau Jeu, which translates as ‘beautiful game’, was blue, white and red in honour of host France’s flag. It also integrated silver highlights for the European Championship trophy.
2020- Uniforia
The 2020 edition took place across 11 European countries. To signify the tournament’s diversity, its design showed bold, black brush-stroke style lines with flashes of bright light colours.
2024- Fussballliebe
Meaning ‘love of football’ in German, Fussballliebe features adidas Connected Ball Technology for the first time at a EURO. The bold colours and designs are paired with illustrations of each of the tournament’s stadiums and the name of each host city.
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