Almost all of the world calls it football, but New Jersey (plus the rest of the U.S. and Canada) identify the world’s most popular sport as soccer. Semantics aside, this high-tech, newly designed round ball is getting kicked around next year in a tournament way bigger than the Super Bowl (shocking, we know!).
World Cup 26 is the 23rd edition and will be the largest ever, with 48 teams (up from 32) and 104 matches played across 16 host cities in three countries.
The opening match is scheduled June 11, 2026 at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca, and the final will take place on July 19, 2026 at MetLife Stadium Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (We know — everyone thinks it’s in New York City, but trust us, it’s Jersey. People living or working in the Meadowlands see the stadium from their car or desk everyday).
Let’s Talk About The Balls
The Adidas Trionda Pro Football is the official match ball of FIFA World Cup 26™ and available for purchase now. Aside from being super high tech, it’s way different than the World Cup 2022 ball — the Al Rihla — used in Qatar, which had a suspension system in the middle for the chip. That 2022 ball had 20 panels (traditionally it’s been 32 panels). The Trionda has just four panels.
Its design incorporates “math, physics and style in some surprising ways,” Scientific American recently reported. More about the science is here.
The visual design is an iconic “la ola” tri-color wave complemented by details designed specifically to pay homage to the unity of each host country.
“Trionda” (Spanish for “triwave”) is a portmanteau: tri- (for the three host nations: United States, Canada, Mexico) + onda (Spanish for “wave”). The ball is designed by Adidas in Germany, and produced in Pakistan, a major global center for football (soccer ball) manufacturing.
Adidas has been designing and supplying the balls for matches since 1970 and this is company’s 18th year creating the official match ball for World Cup.
Against a backdrop of white, the color scheme features blue for the U.S.; red for Canada; and green for Mexico. Gold accents represent the FIFA World Cup trophy. Graphics include a recognizable national symbol of each host country:
⚽ USA: Blue star
⚽Canada: Red maple leaf
⚽Mexico: Green eagle
Under The Hood And Behind The Scenes
The official ball features a four-panel, seamless design and a new iteration of adidas’s connected ball technology. Using a side-mounted embedded 500Hz motion sensor chip, it was developed in partnership with Kinexon, headquartered in Manhattan and Paris.
“With TRIONDA, every detail has an impact. The embossed textures, layered graphics and bold colours make the ball stand out instantly, creating a design that feels alive in your hands. It’s the most visually playful FIFA World Cup ball we’ve ever created – a piece of craftsmanship built for the biggest stage, that makes you want to hold it, admire it, and above all, play with it,” said Sam Handy, General Manager at adidas Football.
The technology transmits precise data to the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system to aid officials in making quick, accurate decisions, including offsides and handballs.
“The World Cup is the biggest moment for our brand in North America in 2026 as we countdown to football’s biggest international tournament,” said Chris Murphy, adidas North America’s Senior Vice President of Brand Marketing.
Other Trionda ball facts:
⚽Thermal Bonded – Seamless for a more predictable trajectory
⚽Textured Surface – Improved flight stability and precision
⚽FIFA Quality Pro-certified – The highest FIFA Rating, with varied, specific ball testing
⚽FIFA World Cup 26™ printed logo
⚽100% polyurethane
Trophy Tidbits
Designed in 1971 by Italian artist Silvio Gazzaniga (Jan. 23, 1921–Oct. 31, 2016), the trophy depicts two athletes holding up the Earth. Made of 18-carat gold with a malachite base, it stands 1 foot 2 inches tall, and it is still produced by the artisanal family business GDE Bertoni, where Gazzaniga always worked. It is considered one of the most valuable sports trophies in the world.
The trophy used to be kept by the winning team until the final draw of the next tournament, but now the winning nation receives a gold-plated bronze replica of the trophy. For safety reasons, the original trophy is returned to FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.
The original trophy is only removed for specific occasions like the tournament draw, the opening game, and its global tour.
Soccer Vs Football
Aside from the U.S. and Canada calling the sport soccer, of note is that Australia, South Africa, and Ireland also frequently use “soccer” to differentiate it from their local versions of “football,” such as American football or Australian rules football.
The term “soccer” kicked off in England as slang for “association football” to distinguish it from rugby football. The word soccer eventually lost popularity there despite its continuing use in countries where another sport was already dominant and simply called “football.”
