Trionda versus Jabulani

The official ball of the 2026 World Cup, from traditional manufacturer adidas, is called Trionda. A name that represents the country's soil and three colors - red, green and blue.

The components have symbolism: the American star, the Canadian maple leaf and the Mexican eagle. The gold details allude to the color of the trophy - the Great Goddess.

The Trionda is different from previous balls: it has only four panels, deep seams for a more stable flight, and elements that help the ball grip better on wet surfaces.

However, the Trionda is more technologically advanced than all the previous ones: an internal sensor reads the ball's rotations 500 times per second and transmits the data to the VAR. This ball is actually charged before matches. Charging takes about six hours - from warm-up to potential penalty kicks.

The technology first appeared at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. At that time, adidas built a battery and a sensor into the ball, which helped with semi-automatic offside detection. VAR more precisely determined the exact moment a player touched the ball. At Euro 2024, the possibilities were expanded. The ball also helped referees in more sensitive situations, such as potential handball.

Now it's even more advanced - adidas has redesigned the interior of the 2026 World Cup ball. Previously, the sensor was placed closer to the center, but now the chip is built into one of the four units, while the others have counterweights to ensure the ball behaves properly during flight.

The 2026 World Cup ball is the most predictable. It's not like the goalkeeper's nightmare that Dzabulani was.

The new ball was analyzed by scientific laboratories from numerous world universities, leading physicists... Trionda was tested in a wind tunnel and compared with four previous balls from world championships.

The Trionda balances in the air faster and the ball flies smoothly. This transition from swinging in flight to a steady one occurs at a slower speed with the Trionda than with all its predecessors.

The new ball enters a more stable aerodynamic regime at a speed of approximately 43 km/h. The results for the others are: Al Rihla (2022) at 50-57 km/h, Brazuka (2014) at 54-57 km/h, Telestar (2018) at 60-64 km/h, and the infamous Dzabulani (2010) at 79-97 km/h.

Trionda, therefore, stabilizes the fastest – he wobbles less during crosses or free kicks. Dzabulani had a chaotic flight, so there was a lot of criticism from Iker Casillas, Gigi Buffon, etc., because it was difficult for goalkeepers to assess the trajectory of the ball.

However, Trionda also has a drawback, which is slowing down due to higher air resistance during strong shots. At the same strength, Trionda has a flight that is several meters shorter than previous balls. However, these are laboratory conditions, and real shots with a lot of efea have yet to show the true value of Trionda.