Industry
2026 World Cup official ball Trionda aerodynamics analysed; harder kicks shorten flight distance
A joint South Korea-U.S.-Japan research team tested the 2026 FIFA World Cup official ball, Adidas\'s Trionda, in a wind tunnel and published results in Applied Sciences. The ball recorded a critical speed of 11.9 metres per second in two orientations, the lowest among five World Cup balls studied. Drag stayed stable at corner-kick and free-kick speeds, but simulations showed slightly shorter flight distance, with long kicks dropping a few metres earlier.
