Three Orlando City Lions entered the 2026 FIFA World Cup arena. They know the pitch and the game. But there’s one thing new.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup matches kicked off with familiar fanfare over the newly designed ball. The Adidas Trionda hit the pitch as the crowds roared. But when it came time for the usual unpleasant chirping about the ball’s performance, there was…nothing.
The negative reviews are absent, including roster members from Orlando City SC. No chirps from goalkeepers, including Maxime Crepeau, keeper for Orlando City SC. The midfielders play without protest, including the Lions’ Braian Ojeda. And the strikers keep moving the ball and creating chances, including Orlando’s Marco Pasalic.
With the Trionda – at least on the World Cup pitches – FIFA finally has a hit on their hands. Adidas identifies the translation of the name from Spanish as Three Waves. That’s the artistic representation of the three host countries, Mexico, the United States, and Canada.
With the art out of the way, it’s time for the vitals for the Trionda ball.
The four-panel technology features deep seams to promote in-flight stability. Embossed icons promote grip.
The internally embedded data chip that stirred everyone up in 2018 is there in a new incarnation. It’s a 500 Hz motion-sensor chip that tracks the ball’s movement in detail. This data is transmitted to the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in real time for precise in-match decision-making.
The data is most valuable in ruling on offside incidents.
The only official chirp with any negativity comes from the scientific community. But it’s a mixed review.
At MIT, a group of researchers has tested the physics of World Cup balls for the past two decades. They tested the Trionda primarily in a wind tunnel.
Their findings emphasize that long balls attempted as in past World Cups will not travel as far in the 2026 World Cup. However, there is a silver lining in the MIT researchers’ cloud.
Players who direct the Trionda ball using a clean technique will enjoy a predictable flight, even in comparison with the best balls developed for past World Cups.
That explains the lack of chirps on the new World Cup ball. So keep following players from Orlando City SC and expect an accurate flight.
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