There’s still over six months to go before the 2022 FIFA World Cup kicks off in Qatar. But fans are already getting excited – about the ball of all things.
FIFA recently shared an image of the ball that will be used at the quadrennial world soccer tournament. They even gave it a name: “Al Rihla,” which translates to “The Journey.”
Designed by Adidas, the ball features multi-colored lines forming gorgeous triangles surrounded by wreaths. The 2022 World Cup logo is featured on the ball at several points, as is the name “Al Rihla”
At the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the Adidas Telstar 18 was used as the official game ball until the knockout stage. The Telstar Mechta (“Dream”/”Ambition” in Russian) was brought in to finish the tournament.
Fans on Twitter – including some national teams – have already fallen in love with the ball.
Al Rihla, the #OfficialMatchBall of the 2022 #FIFAWorldCup, means ‘the journey’
This is the journey to Qatar, starting now#Qatar2022 | @adidasFootball pic.twitter.com/w8Jwg6lFCS
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) March 31, 2022
“We’re ready to roll along with it at the end of the year!” the Mexican national team tweeted.
“That’s one beautiful football,” another fan wrote.
But of course there are some criticisms of the ball. Some aren’t loving the appearance while others believe that the ball will have aerodynamic issues that plagued the Telstar 18.
We’ll be seeing a lot of the Al Rihla ball come November.
The World Cup draw is tomorrow, at which point the hype for the event will be briefly kicked into overdrive.
The post Look: Fans Are Loving The Ball For The 2022 World Cup appeared first on The Spun.