The ball, named Trionda, features a textured surface with deep grooves and symbols of a maple leaf, a green eagle, and a star, representing the three host nations. Through wind tunnel experiments, a research team at Purdue University (US) and Tsukuba University (Japan) found the ball offers improved stability, but it may not fly as far as previous ball versions.

"Trionda might shorten extremely long kicks, but its flight path is more predictable," said John Eric Goff, a sports physics researcher at Purdue University and a team member. The expert noted that the biggest differences will be observed by goalkeepers, defenders making long passes, and players taking long shots.

Trionda, the ball for the 2026 World Cup. Photo: Fifa

Adidas has designed a new ball for each World Cup since the 1970s. Changes in the first few decades were mostly aesthetic. The 1986 ball featured graphics inspired by Aztec temples for the tournament in Mexico, while the 1994 ball had space motifs to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Moon landing. Minor structural differences existed, such as upgraded foam cores and water resistance, but generally, balls still consisted of 32 pentagonal panels sewn together.

This began to change at the 2006 World Cup in Germany when Adidas introduced the +Teamgeist ball, which had only 14 curved panels, thermally bonded instead of sewn. This design prevented moisture from entering, keeping the ball from becoming heavier during a match, Goff explained.

Since then, Goff and his colleagues have monitored the changes as Adidas introduced balls with different surface textures and varying numbers of curved panels. These adjustments were significant enough to influence gameplay. He works with a team in Japan to analyze the flight behavior of World Cup balls as each new design emerges.

The experiments, conducted at Tsukuba University in Japan, have been maintained over many years to ensure continuity and provide visually comparable data, according to Takeshi Asai, a professor at the university. Researchers attached the ball to a metal rod connected to a force balance device. This device measured aerodynamic forces like drag and lift as the ball was exposed to wind speeds ranging from 7 to 35 meters per second, simulating actual match conditions.

The research team examines the aerodynamics of the Trionda ball. Photo: MIT Technology Review

The team's analysis reveals how recent World Cup balls have improved since the 2010 Jabulani, which had an 8-panel design. According to the Guardian, Jabulani faced criticism from players, especially goalkeepers, for dropping too quickly at the end of its trajectory.

The 2010 ball's key drawback was its excessive smoothness. It had a relatively low drag coefficient when flying at high speeds, but as the ball slowed, this coefficient surged, causing the ball to drop faster. More surface texture, like seams and grooves, would slow this transition, leading to a more predictable trajectory.

"That is also why golf balls have dimples and baseballs have 108 double stitches," Goff explained to MIT Technology Review.

Adidas has learned from past designs. This year's Trionda version has only 4 panels, but features deep connecting grooves, with each panel having three grooves to increase surface texture. However, more surface texture also comes with a trade-off. Trionda has the most stable trajectory since 2010, with the "drop" occurring only at very low speeds, at the end of its flight. Conversely, the ball experiences more drag at high speeds compared to other balls.

Therefore, the trajectory of long kicks may be slightly shortened, Goff noted.

Players at the World Cup have had several months to familiarize themselves with the new ball. Goff observed that Trionda is similar in design to Nike's Flight ball, suggesting players who have spent time with Nike balls might have an advantage.

Adidas also conducts its own undisclosed tests for each new ball version. According to the New York Times, Trionda underwent a 3.5-year testing process involving robots kicking balls at various speeds.

Nam Nguyen