A star named ITRI shines for Morocco 2025
On 10 November, Cairo saw CAF and Puma jointly reveal ITRI, the official match ball for TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025. The name comes from the Amazigh word for star, signalling both regional identity and continental ambition.
The public launch positions the ball as the first tangible symbol of the tournament’s countdown to the 21 December 2025 kick-off. For organisers, the object threads together culture, innovation and merchandising revenues in a single, highly visible product.
Design rooted in zellige heritage
ITRI’s surface patterns reproduce the geometric tiles of traditional Moroccan zellige. Red and green hues echo the host country’s flag, while repeated polygons hint at stadium crowds and the wider unity that the competition seeks to foster between 24 qualifying nations.
CAF creative development lead Mohamed Ghonemi explained that the design purposely merges ancient craft with modern performance expectations. That duality, he argued, “celebrates the energy of African football” without sacrificing local authenticity.
The visual code offers marketers ready-made storytelling assets: each pass or shot turns a piece of Moroccan art into live motion, amplifying host-nation exposure on global broadcast feeds.
Orbita 6 platform under the panels
Beneath the mosaic print, the ball inherits Puma’s Orbita 6 architecture. The platform is cited by CAF for its flight stability, touch consistency and match-day durability, features that referees and elite players increasingly treat as non-negotiable.
Development teams from CAF and Puma ran joint wind-tunnel benchmarks to verify trajectory accuracy, according to the launch statement. While figures were not disclosed, organisers highlight “precision” as a core promise to athletes and fans.
The same construction will accompany every fixture from the opening whistle, ensuring that group and knockout stages share identical handling characteristics. Standardisation removes a long-standing variable in coaching preparations.
Commercial rollout and pricing
Puma distribution head for Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa Peter Dangl confirmed retail availability “across African and international markets” at an indicative 130-euro price point. The ticket positions ITRI in the premium equipment bracket yet below many European league balls.
Timing aligns with holiday seasons and qualification campaigns, widening addressable demand among collectors, diaspora supporters and amateur leagues. Units sold ahead of the tournament can reinforce brand visibility long before final advertising deals are booked.
Given the cross-border logistics implied by the roll-out, regional distributors are expected to synchronise launches to avoid grey-market leakages that would dilute Puma’s margin and CAF royalties. No geographic quotas were revealed at the Cairo event.
Stakeholder narratives of unity
Dangl framed the product as a “symbol of continental unity and host-nation pride,” echoing CAF’s broader positioning of the competition as a pan-African rendezvous.
That narrative dovetails with the visual star concept: the ball, like the game, orbits between diverse cultures yet remains a single focal point. Organisers hope the metaphor resonates with sponsors seeking purpose-driven messaging.
For tournament partners such as television rights holders, a culturally loaded, visually distinctive ball extends on-screen dwell time, an indirect but measurable boost to brand assets placed near the action.
Countdown to 21 December 2025
ITRI will make its competitive debut during the opening match scheduled for 21 December 2025. From that moment every goal, tackle and replay will double as product demonstration, heightening stakes for both sport and commerce.
The launch gives teams, federations and suppliers more than a year to familiarise themselves with the ball’s behaviour, narrowing performance gaps that appear when new hardware arrives mid-tournament.
CAF officials underline that the unveiling keeps the overall event roadmap on schedule. With venues, ticketing and sponsorship negotiations advancing in parallel, the new ball acts as a public-facing milestone confirming organisational momentum.
For investors tracking the sports‐economy interface, the Cairo reveal signals that key merchandising streams are already activated, offering early indicators of commercial traction ahead of broadcasting rights auctions and hospitality packages.
