The ball ships deflated. Once pumped, creasing especially near stitching remains apparent — not a deal breaker for casual play and training purposes. It’s standard to see the balls deflated for online retailers to protect the ball’s inner bladder. For a true match quality ball, I’d recommend the competition or pro match ball and purchasing from a brick and mortar retailer like Dick’s if you’re looking for a ball that’s pre- inflated. All that being said, I bought this as a gift for my nephew’s 7th birthday along with a matching replica jersey — what I saved on this ball, I used towards customization of his jersey. 10/10 for training and daily kick around.