Doha: Al Rihla the official Match Ball for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will be the fastest in flight than any ball in the tournament’s history.
The ball was designed with sustainability as a priority; indeed, Al Rihla is the first FIFA World Cup ball to be made exclusively with water-based inks and glues.
Adidas said that the 14th successive ball that it has created for the FIFA World Cup is designed to support peak game speeds, as it travels faster in flight than any ball in the tournament’s history.
Designed from the inside out using data and rigorous testing at adidas labs, in wind tunnels and on the pitch by football players themselves, Al Rihla provides the highest levels of accuracy and reliability on the field of play, partly due to its new panel shape and surface textures.
“The game is getting faster and, as it speeds up, accuracy and flight stability become critically important,” said Franziska Löffelmann, the Design Director – Football Graphics & Hardwear at adidas.
“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 features:
CRT-CORE – the heart of the ball, providing speed, accuracy and consistency for fast-paced action and precision, with maximal shape and air retention, as well as rebound accuracy; and
SPEEDSHELL – a textured PU skin with a new 20-piece panel shape, improving the accuracy, flight stability and swerve thanks to macro- and microtextures, plus surface debossing.