FIFA World Cup 2022 | History of the official World Cup match balls

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)

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)

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)

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)

By the 1970s, Adidas became the official supplier of tournament balls for the FIFA World Cup. (Image: News18 Creative)

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)

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)