Adidas has unveiled the official match ball of the 2025 Club World Cup.
The design is distinctly American, with FIFA saying it “pays homage” to the host nation of the first edition of the revamped men’s tournament, which takes place this summer.
The ball is emblazoned with elements of the American flag, with the deconstructed red, white and blue stars and stripes set over a pearlescent background. Engineered using what Adidas dubs “precisionshell”, the 20-panel ball features “debossed grooves” and “CTR-CORE” technology designed to “enhance accuracy and consistency in flight and helps to retain maximum shape and air retention.”
The match ball is also equipped to transmit data to the video-assistant-referee system “at a rate of 500 times per second, in real-time.” Adidas says that when combined with the application of artificial intelligence and player position data, it will help referees make quicker and more accurate decisions and can also aid them in identifying each touch of the ball — resulting in quicker decisions for handball offenses, for example.
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‘Probably the loudest, gaudiest match ball Adidas has revealed in some time’
The technology and panel design of the ball is largely similar to that of the ‘FUSSBALLLIEBE’, the match ball for last year’s European Championship in Germany. That ball was praised by many players for its handling characteristics.
But it was also a bit understated, visually. The colors and graphical treatment of this Club World Cup ball make it probably the loudest, gaudiest match ball Adidas has revealed in some time, not a terrible fit for the host country.
While many match balls fall into the dustbin of history, others leave their mark, sometimes for the wrong reasons.
None was more controversial than Adidas’ “Jabulani” ball, produced for the 2010 World Cup. The ball was faster and its panel design, which sought to increase speed, actually altered the drag of the ball and at times made it unpredictable for outfield players and goalkeepers alike. Brazilian goalkeeper Julio Cesar called it “horrible” and likened it to the type of football “you buy in the supermarket.”
Other designs have become iconic — indeed, the visual most people get of a modern soccer ball is the match ball from the 1970 World Cup. Largely designed by Danish goalkeeper Eigil Nielsen, the iconic, 32-panel design bore a bit of a resemblance to a groundbreaking communications satellite launched in the 1960s, giving it its name: the Adidas Telstar.
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(Harold Cunningham/FIFA)
