FIFA World Cup 2022 | History of the official World Cup match balls
Designed to support the highest game speeds, Al Rihla travels faster in flight than any FIFA World Cup ball created before it in the tournament’s 92-year history.
The official match ball for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the Al Rihla, is the latest in a long line of iconic designs produced specifically for the World Cup. (Image: News18 Creative)
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Designed to support the highest game speeds, Al Rihla travels faster in flight than any FIFA World Cup ball created before it in the tournament’s 92-year history. (Image: News18 Creative)
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Al Rihla is the first World Cup ball made using only water-based inks and glues. One percent of Al Rihla’s net sales to go to the Common Goals movement, helping create lasting impact for grassroots and beyond. (Image: News18 Creative)
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FIFA aims to enhance Video Assistant Refereeing (VAR) – introduced at the 2018 World Cup – with a semi-automated system for detecting the position of both the ball and all 22 players. (Image: News18 Creative)
From animal bladders and leather, to state-of-the-art synthetic technology, the evolution of the official FIFA World Cup match ball has been crucial to the development of the game itself. (Image: News18 Creative)
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By the 1970s, Adidas became the official supplier of tournament balls for the FIFA World Cup. (Image: News18 Creative)
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The structural design of the Etrusco Unico ball in 1990 was made with multiple layers of synthetic materials, making it completely waterproof. (Image: News18 Creative)
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Adidas Fevernova ball of 2002 FIFA World Cup breaks away from tradition and goes for something bolder – only fitting for the first World Cup co-hosted and the first to be hosted in Asia by South Korea and Japan. (Image: News18 Creative)
2018 Adidas Telstar 18 ball pays homage to the 1970-1974 versions. This ball features an NFC chip that sends radio frequency signals to the owner’s smartphone offering interactive experiences. (Image: News18 Creative)
