Why is there a different ball for World Cup semi-finals?

The World Cup match ball has undergone an evolution to mark the occasion of the closing chapters of the competition.

To switch up the original Trionda’s multi-coloured palette, Adidas has introduced a sleek gold, white, and black colourway instead.

Getty

The gold is designed to signify the iconic World Cup trophy, complemented by the black to ensure the graphics pops under the stadium lights.

It marks the first time in FIFA history that a completely new ball has been introduced specifically for the final stages.

What is on the new ball?

Beyond the colours, there’s graphics and typography to celebrate the final four host cities – Atlanta, Miami, Dallas, and New York.

Additionally, it incorporates the name of every city that hosted a game during the tournament across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, with each location woven into the ball.

Adidas released a statement regarding the creative direction, and said: “The design of TRIONDA FINAL is inspired by the journey towards football’s ultimate prize.

“A premium gold finish references the FIFA World Cup trophy, set against a black base to elevate the ball’s look and feel, creating a bold and refined visual identity for the final stages of the competition.

“This is complemented by dynamic accents of pink and red, injecting energy into the design while creating a visual link to the footwear worn on pitch.

“TRIONDA FINAL celebrates the host cities of the tournament’s decisive matches through a bold typographic approach integrated directly into the panel graphics.

“The four final host cities – Dallas, Atlanta, Miami and New York New Jersey – are prominently featured within the main blocking of the design.

“While the remaining host cities are incorporated within the triangular graphic elements, creating a layered storytelling approach across the surface of the ball.”

Smart ball

Crucially, while the visuals have changed, the aerodynamics remain identical as squads prepare for their tournament-defining matches.

The Trionda still has the same four-panel construction, shape, and texture as the previous model.

Additionally, the ball uses AI to collect real-time data about each match, and the new model will continue to utilise this innovation.

As the ball is kicked about on the pitch, it gathers data from sensors all around the stadium to record every movement.

The internal sensor can track at rate of 500 times per second, allowing referees to be able to make faster, more accurate decisions regarding VAR.

Getty

It also means fans can see advanced statistics, like which goal was kicked the hardest, or travelled the fastest.

The technology has made headlines with its embedded chip, which can detect if the ball has touched an external object.

For example, during England vs Norway, people suggested that the ball hit camera cables during the build-up to Bellingham’s first goal for the Three Lions, which under FIFA rules means the strike should have been disallowed.

However, FIFA reviewed the data and confirmed there was no peak on the graph of the ball’s internal heartbeat sensor, to prove the goal was legitimate.