If you’ve been following the U20 FIFA World Cup, you will surely have already heard of Adidas’ new FIFA World Cup Balls.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe TRIONDA pays homage to the three countries that will be hosting the upcoming 2026 World Cup tournament.
Canada, Mexico, and the USA are all immortalized in the ball’s design. The colors green, blue, and red swirl around the ball, each one ending in a symbol that represents one of the three host nations.
A red maple leaf for Canada.
A blue star for the USA.
And a green eagle for Mexico.
Geometry, My Dear Watson
The name TRIONDA means “three waves,” and the fluidity of the geometric design aims to replicate the waves in the balls’ official name. The ball uses a new four-panel ball construction based on the Tetrahedron.
If that sounds familiar, it’s because the tetrahedron shape is that of a pyramid, and if you’ve seen a pyramid, you’ll know the shape is made up of four triangles, three of which meet at every point.
Due to the overall shape of the tetrahedron, it probably wouldn’t be your first choice for a match ball.
However, the trick for Adidas TRIONDA design lies in the shape of the panels that make up the ball. You see, while the overall shape is still a tetrahedron, the panels are designed with curved edges that fit together, giving the ball a more rounded exterior.
Wait, Which Ball Now?!
Many of you may remember another ball that was similarly based on a tetrahedron design, the Jabulani.
Embed from Getty ImagesThough with the Jabulani, the corners of the tetrahedron were cut, creating a truncated tetrahedron, and making 4 planes into 8. The planes were curved to give the ball a more spherical shape, effectively creating one of the roundest and most controversial balls in footballing history.
So why would Adidas go down a similar route with the TRIONDA?
Well, it seems Adidas has made strides in both ball technology and design, as the TRIONDA’s four-panel construction has intentionally deep seams and debossed lines that were strategically placed alongside embossed country icons.
Embed from Getty ImagesThis decision in design produces optimal in-flight stability on the ball’s surface and ensures there is enough evenly distributed drag on the ball as it travels in the air.
Poetry In Motion
The balls used in each World Cup match will also come equipped with the latest evolution in Adidas’ arsenal of Connected Ball Technology, the 500Hz inertial measurement unit (IMU) motion sensor chip.
This motion sensor chip will sit inside a specially crafted layer mounted onto one of the ball’s four panels. There are, of course, counterbalances added to the other three panels to ensure even weight distribution and flight stability.
Pairing the motion sensor chip with the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) provides an unprecedented insight into every element of the match and the movement of the ball.
Because Adidas’ Connected Ball Technology was developed in close collaboration with Kinexon, it can help match officials identify each touch of the ball, allowing for better identification of who touched it and with what.
Embed from Getty ImagesAdd VAR on top of that, and it creates what should be a much more accurate reading of, say, handballs inside the box, who touched the ball before it ended up in the back of the net, or if a defender touched the ball and not the player that dove inside the box at the fourth minute of injury time in a round of 16 elimination match in the World Cup!
Hopeful Future
We will hope that the technology inside the TRIONDA, married with the technology that is VAR, will make for more accurate calls from referees and a game that is decided by the grit and skill of a team and not by a single controversial call.
Here’s to hoping.
