The ball designed to support fast game speeds, as it travels faster in flight than any ball in the tournament’s history.
The ‘Al Rihla’ was coined from the Arabic word for ‘the journey’ and is inspired by the architecture, boats, and flag of host nation Qatar.
It is the 14th successive ball that adidas has created for the FIFA World Cup according to Dailymail
Jean-Francois Pathy, FIFA director of Marketing praised the innovation
‘This is a stunning, sustainable and high-quality official match ball from adidas that will be enjoyed by stars performing at the top of their game on the world’s biggest stage in Qatar, as well as grassroots players everywhere.
Franziska Loffelmann, the Design Director – Football Graphics & Hardwear at adidas added: ‘The game is getting faster and, as it speeds up, accuracy and flight stability become critically important.
‘The new design allows the ball to maintain a significantly higher speed as it journeys through the air.
‘For the biggest global stage in all of sport, we set out to make the impossible possible with radical innovation by creating the fastest and most accurate FIFA World Cup ball to date.’
The ball is the first FIFA World Cup ball to be made exclusively with water-based inks and glues.
Adapted from Dailymail
