CORNERFLICK
The official match ball for the 2026 World Cup will use a 500Hz motion sensor and has to be charged before every game, Adidas has said.
The Trionda ball is part of FIFA’s push for more accurate officiating at a tournament staged across Mexico, Canada and the United States. Adidas said the sensor inside the ball cannot operate without a battery, so each ball is placed on a dedicated charging base on matchday.
According to the company, the battery is built to last several times longer than a professional match. Adidas also said the sensor can record every touch and send the data to the VAR system to help with decisions on offside, handball and similar incidents.
Kinexon, which worked with Adidas on the connected-ball technology for the 2022 World Cup, said the balls are charged wirelessly and take about 90 minutes to reach full capacity. It said active use lasts around six hours, and the ball goes into hibernate mode when it leaves the pitch to conserve battery life.
Adidas said the sensor has sat inside the ball’s side panel rather than its centre for 2026. The design also uses red, green and blue to reflect the three host nations, with maple leaves, an eagle and stars included in the pattern.