The fanfare of the FIFA World Cup is in full swing with the 2022 edition of the tournament promising to be one for the ages. There have been some glittering performances from top international superstars and some huge surprises with Saudi Arabia, Japan, and Morocco defeating top international sides.
While football on the field has been the main focus of FIFA World Cups, the official match ball holds equal importance in the mega-events. Let’s have a deeper look into the match balls in every FIFA World Cup:
The first-ever FIFA World Cup used two official match balls in the final. Tiento, made in Argentina, was the match ball used in the first half of the final while T-Model, made in Uruguay, was the ball used in the second half of the match. Uruguay emerged victorious in the first-ever FIFA World Cup.
Federale 102 was the official match ball used in the 1934 FIFA World Cup held in Italy. The World Cup ball was made in Rome, Italy.
Officially named Allen, the 1938 FIFA World Cup match ball was manufactured in Paris.
The 1950 FIFA World Cup in Brazil used Brazil-manufactured match balls. The official match ball was named Duplo T.
Swiss World Champion, manufactured in Basel was the official match ball used in the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland.
Top Star was the official match ball used for the 1958 World Cup in Sweden. It was manufactured in Ängelholm, Sweden.
The locally manufactured ball used in the first match of the 1962 World Cup in Chile was deemed unsatisfactory by the referees, as they requested new match balls manufactured in Europe. However, the official match ball was the one produced in Chile. It was named Crack. Different match balls were used in various matches throughout the tournament.
The 1966 World Cup in England used locally produced balls named, Challenge 4-star. The ball was manufactured by Slazenger in the United Kingdom.
The 1970 World Cup in Mexico was the first time that Adidas manufactured the official match ball of the tournament. Ever since this tournament, every match ball is manufactured by Adidas. Telstar was the first World Cup ball to have used a black and white design, which changed the World Cup ball design forever.
The 1974 World Cup in Germany also used a similar design. The match ball was manufactured by Adidas and it was named Telstar Durlast.
The Tango match ball, manufactured by Adidas, was used in the 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina.
The 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain used Tango Espana as the official match ball of the tournament. This was the last time that a leather football was used in a World Cup.
Azteca, a fully synthetic football, manufactured by Adidas, was used in the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. It was the first time in history that a leather ball was not used in a FIFA World Cup.
The 1990 World Cup in Italy used Estruco Unico was manufactured by Adidas. The match ball was made in France, Spain, and Hungary.
Questra, the official match ball for the 1994 World Cup in the USA, was manufactured in France by Adidas.
Tricolore, the official match ball used for the 1994 World Cup in France, was the first time that a colored ball was used in a World Cup. It was also the first time since the 1970s that the official match ball was not manufactured in Europe. Tricolore was manufactured by Adidas in Morocco.
The first FIFA World Cup to be held in Asia, as South Korea and Japan hosted the event, incorporated a unique match ball design. Although the football was manufactured in Germany, the design was inspired by Asian culture.
Teamgeist, the official match ball for the 2006 World Cup in Germany was once again manufactured by Adidas. The unique design was inspired by the German national team’s colors, Black and White, and the ball was manufactured in Thailand and China.
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the first time that the mega-event was held in Africa as South Africa hosted the tournament. The beautifully designed football, Jabulani, was manufactured in China. Pakistani-made Jabulanis were only used in training sessions.
The 2014 FIFA World Cup match ball, Brazuca, was officially made in Pakistan. The wonderful design of the football is one of the most memorable in World Cup history.
The Adidas Telstar used for the 2018 World Cup in Russia was once again manufactured in Pakistan. The match ball incorporated a unique design that was appreciated around the football fraternity.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup is the first time in history that the tournament is being held in a Muslim country, Qatar. For the third consecutive time, the FIFA World Cup match ball was manufactured in Pakistan.
Images courtesy: worldcupballs.info