FIFA World Cup Soccer Balls

FIFA World Cup Soccer Balls

Adidas "TelStar" in 1970

   The FIFA World Cup football tournament is the main event in World Football, and in every four years it comes to open with lots of fun and excitement. FIFA have proactively developed all parts of the game and arrangement, including innovations in the match ball design and its quality. Over the years, we have seen more and more technology being introduced to the ball design, for giving it better weather resistance and better performance. The world wide sports manufacturing company “Adidas” have been the official ball designer since the 1970s.

Here are short descriptions of some of the innovations of Adidas. The following footballs were used in the FIFA World Cup finals tournaments, which is designed by Adidas.

1. Telstar in 1970 World Cup: This football is used in the Mexico World Cup football in 1970. Adidas started to manufacture soccer balls in 1963, but it made the first official soccer ball for the FIFA World Cup in 1970. Telstar was the first football with 32 black and white panels. This design was introduced for the first time in World Cup finals. Only 20 footballs were supplied by Adidas for that tournament. A brown ball (West Germany-Peru) and a white ball (first half if Italy-West Germany) were also used in that tournament. Mexico FIFA World Cup in 1970 was the first World cup to be broadcast live on television. This soccer ball was more visible on the black and white television. 

2. Telstar Durlast in 1974 World Cup: There are two match balls were used in The FIFA World Cup football in 1974, West Germany.

TelStar Durlast-Chile in 1974

Adidas was the manufacturer of that Adidas Telstar soccer ball. In that World Cup those tow footballs ware named as “Telstar Durlast”.  The previous Telstar was updated with new black branding replacing the gold branding. The other Telstar which was used in West Germany World Cup was a new all-white version of Telstar named “Adidas Chile”. The World Cup match balls could carry names and logos in the 1974 FIFA World Cup were also the first time.

3. Tango Durlast in 1978 World Cup: The famous “Adidas Tango” design was introduced for the 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina.

Tango Durlast in 1978

Adidas invented this Tango design represented elegance, dynamism and passion. From that 1978 FIFA World Cup the “Tango” design was inspired the all match ball design for the following five World Cup football tournaments. The Tango Durlast football was included 20 panels with trinities that created an optical impression of 12 identical circles. 

4. Tango Espana in 1982 World Cup: Adidas developed their Tango

Tango Espana in 1982

football design and technology for the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain and named as “Tango Espana”. This “Tango Espana had rubber inlaid over the seams to prevent water from seeping through. This was the first soccer ball with water-resistant quality.

5. Azteca in 1986 World Cup: Adidas Azteca was the world’s first fully synthetic football with good qualities on hard and wet

Adidas Azteca in 1986

surfaces and it was the first hand-sewed ball in the 1986 FIFA World Cup football in Mexico. The whole world saw the introduction of the first polyurethane coated soccer ball which was specially invented for rain-resistant. This was the first World Cup football to include designs inspired by the host nation. The World Cup ball “Azteca” was elegantly decorated with designs inspired by Mexico’s “Aztec” architecture and murals.


6. Etrusco Unico in 1990 World Cup: The official FIFA World Cup soccer ball was “Adidas Etrusco Unico”

Etrusco Unico in 1990

for the 1990 World Cup inItaly. This ball was fully produced with synthetic materials and it was completely water-resistant. The “Etrusco Unico” was the first football with an internal layer of black polyurethane foam. The name and design was paid respect of Italian history and the fine art of the Etruscans.



7. Questra in 1994 World Cup: In USA World Cup football in 1994, Adidas introduced a new type

Adidas Questra in 1994

of Tango series football named “Questra”, featuring a high-tech ultra high energy-return layer of white polyurethane foam, which giving a greater performance in the field. This ball was not only made more waterproof but allowed the ball greater acceleration when it kicked. Questra felt more softer to touch than before, and it had improved ball control and higher velocity during play. In 1994 FIFA World Cup ball was designed represents space technology, high velocity rockets and America’s “quest for the stars”.

8. Tricolore in 1998 World Cup: In 1998 the FIFA World Cup was held in France, and in this tournament the football was used

Adidas Tricolore in 1998

“Adidas Tricolore”. It was the first ever multi-colored official match ball ever. This was last Tango generation football which used in World Cup football matches. In 1998 FIFA World Cup, the official match ball “Tricolore” was designed to inspired by the French tri-color, red-white-blue. It was a complete fair-well from the old traditional black and white pattern. It used under-glass print technology with a thin syntactic foam layer.

9. Fevernova in 2002 World Cup: The official soccer ball in 2002 Korea-Japan FIFA World Cup was manufactured by Adidas, and it was

Adidas Fevernova in 2002

named as “Fevernova”. It was the first World Cup soccer ball with an excellent triangular design, and it featured a refined syntactic foam layer to give the ball superior performance qualities. In the Korea-Japan World Cup, the new ball “Fevernova” was made up of thicker inner layers to increase the accuracy of the ball in air. The Asian culture was inspired the revolutionary colorful look in that football.

10. Teamgeist in 2006 World Cup: The official ball in 2006 Germany FIFA World Cup was designed by Adidas, and it was named as “Teamgeist”. This official match ball was incorporates a figure-8 design for each ball segment for

Teamgeist in 2006

results in less joins. It was a 14 panel ball, and in every match I the whole competition had its own individual balls which printed with the date of the match, the stadium and the team names. This “Teamgeist” was replaced by the gold-colored “Teamgeist Berlin” for the final game. This ball was configured to reduce the amount of panel touch points forming a smooth and perfectly round outside, it improved accuracy and control. the surface if this Germany 2006 FIFA World Cup football had noticeable differences depending on where a player would strike the ball due to seams, and players could strike by his foot was more likely to hit a soft point on that ball strongly. The revolutionary propeller design of the “Teamgeist” minimized corners and created a smoother surface to improve the game. This official World Cup soccer ball was designed with traditional colors of the German flag and was accentuated with the golden color of the World Cup Trophy.

11. Jabulani in 2010 World Cup: The official match ball of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa was made by Adidas and it

Jabulani in 2010

named “Jabulani”. “Jabulani” means “joy to everyone” in the isiZulu language (isi Zulu language is the language of Zulu people, with about 10 million people speakers, the vast majority of whom live in South Africa). This was the eleventh World Cup match ball made by “Adidas”, and it featured eleven colors, one for each player on the ground. This ball was made by 8 polyurethane panels for making them very nearly waterproof. The South African World Cup ball “Jabulani” featured a new grip n groove technology that provided players a ball with stable flight and grip under all conditions. Jabulani’s eight thermally bonded 3D panels that were spherically molded for the first time, the Jabulani was more round and accurate than its predecessors. The “Jabulani” for the final match was the gold Jo’bulani. This was named after “Jo’burg”, a standard South African nickname for Johannesburg, site of the final.

12. Brazuca in 2014 World Cup: The official soccer ball of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil is the “Brazuka”. This is the first

Brazuca in 2014

FIFA World Cup ball named by the fans. Adidas made that ball and it boasts several critical design innovations, most noticeably six identical polyurethane panels, which have been thermally bonded. The Brazuca’s swirling seam structure and a raised nub texture, similar to the basketballs, are supposed to improve its touch and aerodynamics.

  
   Official match ball heritage is start to use from 1970 in Mexico World Cup. Before that, different types of soccer ball are used for the game. At that time, the latest soccer balls were used in World Cup football. Here we put an image having those previous balls, which was used in the World Cup football finals.

1. Tiento (for the first-half) and T-Model (for the second- half): In 1930 first World Cup football in Uruguay, different balls were used. In the final match, two soccer balls were used; in the first half Argentina gave the first-half ball (Tiento) and they took led 2-1 after end of the first-half. In the second-half, host Uruguay supplied the second-half ball (T-Model, it was larger and heavier than the first one) and Uruguay won that final in 4-2. This is the only World Cup final match, which was played by two different soccer balls.

2. Federale 102: In the second World Cup football in 1934, “Federale 102” soccer ball was used and it was manufactured by “ECAS (Rome)”.

Different Soccer Balls used in World Cup Football

3. Allen: In 1938 World Cup football, “Allen” soccer ball was used and it was manufactured by “Allen (Paris)”.

4. Duplo T: The “Duplo T“model soccer ball was used in 1950 World Cup in Brazil. This soccer ball was manufactured by “Superball”.

5. Swiss World Champion: In 1954 World Cup football the soccer ball was used for the game, named “Swiss World Champion”. This was the first 18-panel soccer ball in the world. It was manufactured by ”Kost Sport (Basel)”.

6. Top Star: In 1958 World Cup football the “Top Star” soccer ball was used. It was also a 18-panel soccer ball.

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