Every four years, football fans relish the arrival of the World Cup. And while most viewers focus on the actual sport, there are a few of us out here keeping an eye on the various designs. From kits to logos, there are plenty of designs to be excited about, but today it's the ball itself that's caught the internet's eye.
Adidas has designed the football for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The ball has been called 'Al Rihla', which translates to 'the journey' in Arabic, and is supposedly the fastest ball to ever be used in the competition. However, the new design has split the internet in half. If you'd like to have a go at designing your own world cup football, then why not download Photoshop and get creating?
Adidas has designed the Al Rihla football (Image credit: Adidas)
The ball is jam-packed with powerful tech to ensure that it's the best ball for such a high-stakes competition. According to Adidas, Al Rihla balls feature a CTR Core to improve accuracy and consistency, as well as a speed shell to enhance the aerodynamics. But the fun doesn't stop there - the Al Rihla also looks the part with a colourful design printed with water-based inks and glues.
Design director at Adidas Franziska Loeffelmann said, “The game is getting faster, and as it speeds up, accuracy and flight stability become critically important. The new design allows the ball to maintain its speed significantly higher 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 World Cup ball to date".
It looks as though Lionel Messi approves (Image credit: Adidas)
I like the design of the Al Rihla, especially the vibrant colours and pearlescent finish, as it makes the ball look particularly silky. However, anyone who's played 5 minutes of football knows that a white ball won't stay white. I have to admit that while I do like the design, I prefer the 2010 ball used at the South Africa World cup with its bold colours (see below).
It looks as though I'm not the only one that prefers some of the other previous football designs to this one. Over on Twitter, many people have been sharing their thoughts about the design. Some people are seriously unkeen on the ball with one user tweeting, "Utterly devoid of any character, perfect match ball for this soulless World Cup," and another simply said, "nothing will ever come close to the Jabulani" (see below). On the other hand, one user said, "It looks awesome," and another replied "very nice".
Football fans prefer the Jabulani to the the Al Rihla (Image credit: ruiaps via Ebay)
Either way, we're still excited to throw ourselves into the event when it all kicks off in November. If you can't wait for the games and want to ensure you have the best viewing experience, then why not upgrade your setup with one of the best TVs available? Or perhaps you'd rather have a go at designing your own world cup ball, in which case we recommend checking out our roundup of the best Adobe Creative Cloud discounts.
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Amelia is Creative Bloq’s Staff Writer. After completing a degree in Popular Music and a Master’s in Song Writing, Amelia began designing posters, logos, album covers and websites for musicians. She now enjoys covering a range of topics on Creative Bloq, including posters, optical illusions, logos (she's a particular fan of logo Easter eggs), gaming and illustration. In her free time, she relishes in the likes of art (especially the Pre-Raphaelites), photography and literature. Amelia prides herself on her unorthodox creative methods, her Animal Crossing island and her extensive music library.
