With the FIFA World Cup fast approaching, Adidas have unveiled the official match ball for Qatar 2022. Titled "Al Rihla", which means "the journey" in Arabic, the official language of the host nation, it is the latest addition to an ever-growing line of match balls produced to celebrate world's football's most prestigious international tournament.
Al Rihla, the 14th consecutive ball created by the German manufacturers, has been touted as the fastest ever in flight in the tournament's history, with the standout theme behind it being to "support peak game speeds". Additionally, it is said to offer "the highest level of accuracy and reliability on the field of play" partly due to its new panel shape and surface textures.
"The game is getting faster and, as it speeds up, accuracy and flight stability become critically important," Franziska Löffelmann, the design director of football graphics & hardwear at Adidas said via FIFA's official website.
"The new design allows the ball to maintain a significantly higher speed as it journeys through the air. For the biggest global stage in all of sport, we set out to make the impossible possible with radical innovation by creating the fastest and most accurate FIFA World Cup ball to date."
FIFA's Director of Marketing Jean-François Pathy also spoke highly of Al Rihla, hailing it as a "stunning, sustainable and high-quality" match ball that will promote top-level performance by the players at Qatar 2022 while also offering engagement to fans from every corner.
"This is a stunning, sustainable and high-quality Official Match Ball from Adidas that will be enjoyed by stars performing at the top of their game on the world's biggest stage in Qatar, as well as grassroots players everywhere," the FIFA official said.
"Al Rihla's worldwide journey will represent the incredible reach of the FIFA World Cup and give fans a unique opportunity to engage with the event as excitement builds ahead of the big kick-off."
The design draws inspiration from Qatar's national flag, as well as the host country's culture, unique architecture, and iconic boats. The ball is made out of water-based inks and glues, the first of its kind in the World Cup, as sustainability was earmarked as a key element behind this latest edition.
FIFA stated that the ball will make its first public appearance alongside legends of the game such as Iker Casillas, Kaká, Farah Jefry and Nouf Al Anz. In addition, those icons will be joined by a "diverse mix of talents", including promising female footballers from the hosts Qatar and several other Arab countries, as well as next-generation players from Doha's Aspire Academy.
As of now, 27 out of the 32 slots at Qatar 2022 have been taken, with Portugal, Poland, Ghana, Senegal, Cameroon, Tunisia, and Morocco becoming the latest teams to qualify for this year's tournament. Of the remaining five spots, only two will be determined before the FIFA World Cup group-stage draw on April 1, with two intercontinental playoffs and one UEFA playoff set to take place after that.
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