Accra: Football's governing body, FIFA, has announced the Official Match Ball for the upcoming 2025 Club World Cup to be held in the United States of America (USA).
According to Ghana News Agency, the match ball, presented by FIFA's long-standing partner adidas, features an iconic design and innovative technology. The connected ball is intended to enable faster and more accurate officiating decisions at this generation-defining tournament.
The official FIFA website states that the ball's design pays homage to the host nation by incorporating bold graphics and emblems that celebrate and reflect the country's heritage. Set against a pearlescent background, the match ball showcases striking jagged-edged block patterns and deconstructed stars and stripes in red, white, and blue, nodding to the nation's flag.
The Official Match Ball (OMB) is engineered to provide greater in-game accuracy thanks to PRECISIONSHELL, a 20-piece panel shape with strategically placed debossed grooves on the ball's outer shell. Another performance benefit is found under the surface in the form of CTR-CORE technology, designed to enhance accuracy and consistency in flight and help retain maximum shape and air retention, supporting fast, precise play.
The integrated connected ball technology sends inertial measurement unit data to the video-assistant-referee system at a rate of five hundred times per second in real-time. When combined with player position data and the application of artificial intelligence, the technology helps video match officials make faster offside decisions and aids them in identifying each individual touch of the ball, resulting in reduced delays in resolving specific incidents, such as possible handball offences.
Adidas is set to provide uniforms for match officials, volunteers, and FIFA staff across the tournament. The garments reflect the sports manufacturer's commitment to quality and sustainability, offering high-performance apparel for those at the heart of the event. Fans can find full details of FIFA's new flagship club tournament, including the qualified teams, groups, competition format, stadiums, and tickets, as well as the match schedule, at FIFA.com.
