adidas Al-Rihla: The 2022 WC football

The World Cup ball is part of football history. Who can forget the Telstar, the first modern ball created in 1970 for the World Cup in Mexico, the Fevernova for Korea and Japan, which changed the concept of the football forever, or the effects of the Jabulani, which goalkeepers hated so much but which became the most important ball in the history of Spanish football when Andrés Iniesta smashed it into the Dutch goal.

Today marks a new chapter in World Cup history with the unveiling of the ball for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the Al-Rihla. Al-Rhila translates into English as something like “travel journal”, and refers to the journey the ball will take around the world carrying out various social initiatives, ending on the 21st of November in Qatar for the opening ceremony of the 2022 World Cup. This is the 14th consecutive ball created by Adidas for the World Cup, and at first glance, it is one of the most beautiful. The combination of shapes and colours expresses joy and innovation, but this is not just a beautiful ball; it also comes ready to change the game in a significant way.

And how is a football going to change the game? Well, technology is the answer. The German brand has long been looking for a way to create a ball that really influences the game, and with Al-Rihla they believe they have achieved this thanks to two technologies that are primarily responsible for making this happen. The first and most obvious, because we can see it, is ‘SPEEDSHELL’, which combines two elements. The first is the construction of the ball, made up of 20 PU panels and with a shape inspired by the dunes of the Qatari desert that we have never seen before. Each of these panels has a different textured finish, which aims to improve the ball's aerodynamics, making it faster and spin more when in flight, thus adding extra speed to the game.

The second new feature presented by adidas in the new ball for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is ‘CTR CORE’. This consists of an internal core that will allow the ball to be more consistent and stable in flight, as well as maintaining maximum pressure and shape after heavy impacts, which is essential in a high-performance ball. 

Moving on to the design, there is something that caught our eye as soon as we saw it: the adidas logo. This is the first World Cup ball that does not feature the letters of the German brand's name since it acquired the rights in 1970. The three stripes will be responsible for identifying the creators of this ball, and although they are the same as always, they look somewhat different without the adidas name underneath. 

In terms of colours, adidas took inspiration from the host country of this World Cup, Qatar. Its architecture, culture, society and flag are the elements that inspired the brand's designers to decide which colours should be represented on the Al-Rihla. This, together with the graphic finish, will make this ball one of the most eye-catching we have ever seen on the pitch. In addition, adidas remains steadfast in its philosophy of environmental awareness, making this the first World Cup ball in which the dyes and adhesives are water-based, which will have a significantly lower impact on the planet.

That's all there is to know about the ball for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar: history, innovation and technology designed to influence the game. It is now available in stores and on the Fútbol Emotion website.