The official match ball — Al Rihla – for the upcoming 2022 Qatar World Cup has been unveiled by adidas.
Al Rihla is the 14th successive ball that adidas has created for the Fifa World Cup. Designed to support peak game speeds, the ball travels faster in flight than any ball in the tournament’s history, the Mail Online reported.
Al Rihla is the Arabic for ‘the journey’. It is inspired by Qatar’s architecture, boats, and flag.
“The ball is just the beginning. The rest of your football journey is yet to be written,” Al Rihla’s caption on adidas.com says.
Fifa’s director of marketing, Jean-Francois Pathy, said: “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.

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 ball has been designed from the inside out using data and rigorous testing at adidas labs, in wind tunnels and on the pitch by football players themselves, the report added.

Franziska Loffelmann, the design director – Football Graphics & Hardwear at adidas, 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 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.”