FIFA World Cup (Photo by VI Images via Getty Images)
Every FIFA World Cup, the ball gets criticism.
The brain trusts at Adidas and FIFA already have been at work on the new ball for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. For FIFA 2018 in Russia, the Telstar 18, followed by the Mechta used in the knockout rounds, raised goalkeepers’ ire.
Early on, they complained that the ball didn’t travel predictable paths when struck. This may have been because of the air bladder construction, which was perfectly sealed to the outer surface of the ball. So kicking the outer surface is like also striking the bladder.