Qatar 2022: what is the name and how much does the official World Cup ball cost?

The Qatar World Cupthe first in the Middle East and the first to take place between November and December, will have “Al Rihla” as their official ball.

Officially presented, at the end of March, the 14th ball of the world Cup made by Adidas will be the fastest-traveling through-the-air in competition history and will have the latest technology.

Al-Rihlawhose meaning in Arabic is “the journey”, it is made with the basics of the culture, the flag and the architecture of Qatar.

During her presentation, the design director for football and sportswear prints at Adidas, Franziska Loeffelmann, explained the CRT-Core technology that will have the ball: “The CRT-Core is the heart of the ball and provides speed, accuracy and homogeneity for the highest speed, with maximum shape and air retention and a predictable rebound “.

On the other hand, he also commented that the development of Speedshell is “a textured polyurethane material with a new 20-panel structure that improves precision, flight stability and effect thanks to the macro and micro textures it incorporates and the engraving. of the surface “.

In turn, it was also reported that 1% of net sales of Al-Rihla it will go to the Common Goal movement.

As for its price, on the official website of Adidas the “Pro” version is listed with a value of 32,999 pesoswhile the “Club”, which can be obtained in different colors (white, red and black, green and blue, white with light blue and orange, white with orange and blue and orange with blue and black) from 6,999 pesos.

History of the World Cup balls

As far as Adidas Beginning with its production in Mexico in 1970, World Cup footballs were changing year after year with striking designs like some orange.

In the 1930 World Cup final in Uruguay between the locals and Argentina, conflict arose over which ball would be used in the match, as each team was responsible for its own transport. Therefore, it was decided to use one at a time.

The clash in the final meant that, in the face of the 1934 World Cup in Italy, it was decided that the choice of the ball was entrusted to the host country.

Despite the fact that the balls have undergone changes in each of the World Cups in search of improving their quality, the big change came with the arrival of the ball. “telstar” from the hand of Adidas.

The ball contained 32 pieces of leather which made it more round than the rest and for the first time a black and white one was used, which allowed it to stand out much better on television.

However, another major advance occurred in the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, as the Tango served as a model for the next five balls, added to the arrival of synthetic balls at the 1982 World Cup in Spain.

In turn, the 1998 Tricolore was the first colored ball since the arrival of Adidas, while the Jabulani (South Africa 2010), was the first to have only eight synthetic plates, which made it the most stable and accurate. until that moment. .

Then came the Brazuca, which had modified the structure of the ball, as it contained a symmetry of six identical segments which allowed for better stability and aerodynamics.

In homage to the first Telstar, Russia 18 had the Telstar 18, which made a big leap in terms of technology and packaging, made for the first time with recycled material.

Uruguay 1930 – T and Tento Ball:

The first in the history of the World Cup. In the final, the Uruguayan team’s ball was used in the first half, while the one presented by Argentina was played.

Italy 1934: Federal 102

For the first time in history, the host country had to take charge of the ball that would be used in the competition. It was the first and only one to use a cotton cord.

France 1938: Allen

Already with several pieces of leather, the novelty was in the valve which served to inflate the ball more easily.

Brazil 1950: Super Ball Duplo T

After 12 years of hiatus due to World War II, the World Cup in Brazil used a ball that was more spherical and lighter than the others.

The bladder was replaced by an inflatable valve through a beak. It had curved edges at the ends so that the seams had less tension.

Switzerland 1954: Swiss world champion

The Swiss world champion had the distinction of being the first in yellow, with the aim of being more visible to the human eye.

Sweden 1958: Top Star

For the first time, FIFA organized a competition to choose the company that produces the ball: it was won by the Sydsvenska Läder company from Stockholm.

Chile 1962: Mr Crack

The World Cup in Chile had the first ball with a latex valve.

England 66: Slingenger Challenge

The Slanzenger Challenge was the first produced by a multinational. In addition, a red ball was used in the final, remembered for the famous “ghost goal”.

Mexico 1970: Telstar

The World Cup in Mexico had the first ball produced by Adidas, which had 32 black and white segments.

Germany 1974: Telstar Durlast

For its part, the Telstar Durlast was an updated version of the one used in Mexico in 1970.

Argentina 1978: Tango Durlast

The first World Cup won by Argentina was played with Tango Durlast, the first based on polygons.

Spain 1982: Tango Spain

Very similar to the one used in Argentina, but with a mixture of leather with polyurethane and rubber, in order to have a more waterproof ball.

Mexico 1986: Aztec

Remembered for being the ball with which Diego Maradona scored his two historic goals against England, Azteca added a polyurethane cover to the ball used in Spain.

Italy 1990: Etrusco Unico

For its part, the Italy 1990 ball added an internal layer of polyurethane foam to add more speed.

United States 1994: Questra

The Questra incorporated stability nets and intertwined fibers that allowed soccer players to have greater control of the ball.

France 1998: Tricolor

The Tricolore was the first color since the arrival of Adidas as the company in charge of the production of the World Cup ball. It included the colors blue, white and red in honor of the French flag.

Korea-Japan 2002: Fevernova

The Korea-Japan balloon had three layers of thicker fabric than that used in France and its design was inspired by Asian culture.

Germany 2006: + Teamgeist

For the first time, segments were eliminated and a completely different technology and design was used. In addition, the colors of the German flag were used combined with the gold of the trophy.

South Africa 2010: Jabulani

One of the balls that caused the most stir in footballers and coaches for the way it folded in the air. 11 colors were used, one for each player on a team.

Brazil 2014: Brazuca

The Brazuca had six identical polyurethane panels and left behind the 32 generally used. In addition, I also add a latex inner bladder.

Russia 2018: Telstar 18

Finally, the Telstar 18 was a tribute to the first ball made by Adidas at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.