FIFA has unveiled the ball of the tournament ahead of this year’s FIFA World Cup. In the presence of Lionel Messi and Son Hyung Min on Wednesday, the Adidas-made ball, Al Rihla, was announced by FIFA, the highest governing body of football.
With this, Adidas prepared the ball of FIFA World Cup in 14 consecutive editions. FIFA says in the history of the tournament, there has never been such a fast ball in the previous editions. They are hopeful that the ball will contribute not only to the speed but also to the quality of the match.
The Arabic word al-rihla means journey. The national flag of Qatar, symbolic boats, architecture and their culture have been the inspiration behind this name. The fast ball has been created to keep pace with the current fast football.
One of the features of this ball is CRT-CORE and Speedshell. The CRT core is basically the heart of the ball. This is where speed, accuracy and continuity will come from. Due to this CRT core the air circulation will also be proper.
Al Rihlai is also the first ball of the FIFA World Cup, which has been prepared entirely with a combination of water-based ink and eighteen. Iker Casillas, Kaka, Farah Jeffrey and Nouf Al Anjira will open it to the public.