Four years in the making. The adidas Al Rihla ball for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is here and it’s awesome!

Al Rihla translates to “the Journey”. The World Cup is soccer’s biggest stage, and Adidas wants to highlight the journey or players past, and ignite your own journey. Who knows? You could end up at the WC one day!

Adidas al rihla World Cup match ball

Four Years of Hype

The qualifying rounds for the the big tournament have nearly come to a close which can only mean one thing: A NEW WORLD CUP MATCH BALL! Every four years, the soccer tech nerds come out of the woodwork to admire adidas’ new ball. From the panel design, to brand new tech. We are going to cover every tri-angle of this ball.

New Tech to Check Out

Some of the biggest soccer stars (Messi and Son pictured) in the Galaxy will be descending on Qatar in late November. With adidas being the main sponsor of the tournament, the crown jewel (or pearl in this case…) is the adidas soccer ball. So let’s talk about the technology that will give these supreme ballers an even greater edge on the biggest stage.

Elegance in Motion Design: The triangular paneling on the new match ball is meant to represent the futuristic stadia that will host games in this year’s tournament. It also takes inspiration from the sails of ships coming into harbor. We are all about functional design here and it has come together in an awesome way with the new ball.

Speedshell texture: If you look closely at the bigger panels on the Al Rihla, they have groves that are also in a triangular pattern. Air flows around these small divots for more accurate flight, which will be a relief to Goal Keepers in light of past match balls (we are talking about you, Teamgeist).

Pearlized Skin: Taking inspiration from Qatar’s long famed pearl industry, adidas has applied a really nice treatment that is pearlized and reflects light. This might be one of the coolest treatments to a ball in a very long time. Look good play good right?

All in all, the new ball for the upcoming World Cup checks all the boxes you want in a match ball. What is your favorite feature? Let us know!

The Al Rihla will be available to get on April 13th.