Sports
10 Best World Cup Balls Ever (Ranked)
Summary
- The World Cup ball is always ingrained within tournaments every four years.
- Technological advancements have evolved over the years, from the heavy Slazenger Challenge 4-star to the technologically advanced Adidas Trionda in 2026.
- The Adidas Tricolore in 1998 was the first multi-coloured ball ever used at a World Cup.
The World Cup is one of the greatest competitions in the world, with players dreaming of walking onto the pitch as mere athletes but walking off it as legends. Every four years, the best players around the globe put all their energy into trying to claim glory with their country, determined to cement their place in history in the process. However, all of that would not be possible without the main competition ball, which becomes a key element of every single tournament.
Adidas have made every World Cup ball since 1970, and they will continue to do so until the 2030 tournament at the earliest. The German company has enjoyed a powerful monopoly over every other designer in one of the hardest competitions in the world, eliminating any rivalry to inspire improvement. However, they still produced some stunning World Cup balls.
It’s important to remember that technology has drastically changed since the first tournament in 1930. Balls are lighter, quicker and easier to use now compared to the middle of the 1900s, so technology should be considered in relation to the era it was in. Here are the greatest balls ever to grace the world stage.
Ranking Factors
- Appearance – It’s arguably the most important thing. If the football looks stunning, it’s going to rank near the top.
- Features – How light it is, whether it curves and how it strikes are all important to a football.
- Nostalgia – Naturally, if there are iconic memories of the ball in use, it’s always remembered more fondly.
|
Best World Cup Balls of All Time |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Rank |
Ball |
World Cup |
|
1. |
Adidas Teamgeist |
2006 |
|
2. |
Adidas Tricolore |
1998 |
|
3. |
Adidas Fevernova |
2002 |
|
4. |
Adidas Brazuca |
2014 |
|
5. |
Slazenger Challenge 4-star |
1966 |
|
6. |
Adidas Trionda |
2026 |
|
7. |
Adidas Al Rihla |
2022 |
|
8. |
Adidas Azteca |
1986 |
|
9. |
Adidas Jabulani |
2010 |
|
10. |
Adidas Telstar |
1970 |
History of the World Cup: Jules Rimet, Previous Winners and More
The World Cup is the most significant competition in the world and has a famous history.
10
Adidas Telstar
1970 World Cup
Brazil claimed international glory with one of the greatest international teams of all time in 1970. As Pele and some of the greatest players of all time plied their trade with elegance across the pitch, the ball stood out from previous tournaments.
The stunning design was the first black and white one to be used at a World Cup, featuring 32 panels stitched into one another. The ball was made of leather, whilst its polyurethane coating provided waterproofing as well as protection from damage such as scuffs and tears. With a simplicity that is not particularly common in the modern day, the Adidas Telstar had to feature on this list.
9
Adidas Jabulani
2010 World Cup
The Adidas Jabulani is the most famous ball of all time — but for all the wrong reasons. It looked stunning and epitomised the importance of African representation on the world stage, but within the ball, the technology caused plenty of issues. With eight panels stitched together, it was slated by players who couldn’t get used to how the ball would fly.
The surface of the ball was textured with grooves, a technology developed by Adidas called “Grip ‘n’ Groove”, that was intended to improve the ball’s aerodynamics, but that just was not the case. Despite the negatives, it is still talked about more than any other World Cup ball. No one will ever forget it – which is more than can be said for most footballs.
8
Adidas Azteca
1986 World Cup
The Adidas Azteca ball for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico had a beautiful design. The elaborately decorated pattern was inspired by the host nation’s native Aztec architecture and murals. With its unique design, it’s always held a place in history; Mexico is a nation full of history — and the ball showcased that.
In the tournament, Diego Maradona, one of the greatest players in Argentina’s history, scored two of the most iconic goals in World Cup history with this ball. Four minutes after delivering what he would brilliantly describe as the ‘Hand of God’, Maradona weaved past half of England’s outfielders and prodded his second goal of the afternoon beyond Peter Shilton. The ball that was under the spell of the small magician scored attracted bids of £2m during an auction in 2022, showcasing the history it holds.
7
Adidas Al Rihla
2022 World Cup
The World Cup in 2022 was a competition of firsts. Taking place in the Northern Hemisphere’s winter and in the Middle East, it will forever be remembered, whilst on the pitch, the Adidas Al Rihla did the talking. Not only did it look vibrant with flashes of red, yellow and blue across the ball, it had technology throughout which made it the most advanced ball ever.
There was a new suspension system in the centre of the ball, which might sound crazy, but it helped provide unprecedented insight. It enabled the video match officials to review live data for the first time by automatically providing very accurate information, 500 times per second, on when a player had touched the ball. The 2022 World Cup is always well remembered for a lack of controversial decisions; there’s no doubt the ball helped with that.
6
Adidas Trionda
2026 World Cup
The 2026 World Cup is set to be the biggest such tournament in history and it has a ball to match, with a highly colourful design and technologically advanced product (this one needs to be charged!) released by Adidas. The Trionda combines colours representing the three host nations: green for Mexico, red for Canada and blue for the United States. On design alone it occupies a relatively high position on this list, but, though it has been used without incident in pre-tournament warm-up games, we will have to see how it plays during the tournament to get a fuller appreciation.
5
Slazenger Challenge 4-star
1966 World Cup
In England, the 1966 World Cup is cemented in history as the year football came home. The host nation completed a memorable tournament by beating West Germany 4-2 in the final — and the ball used for it is naturally iconic.
As the only non-Adidas ball on this list, the orange orb, which was often brown during matches, stood out from the crowd. As a vintage ball, it was heavy and hard to use, but that was always the case in the 1960s. It was the only World Cup football Slazenger ever made, but they could not have chosen a better tournament.
4
Adidas Brazuca
2014 World Cup
In 2014, the world’s eyes were glued to Brazil. As a festival of football took place with action from the white beaches of Rio to the depths of the Amazon rainforest, the Adidas Brazuca encapsulated that excitement in a ball. With flashes of green, blue and orange combining throughout, it stood out on the pitch, with some of the best attackers in the world heavily praising its qualities. Even the US space agency NASA delivered its seal of approval after testing the Brazuca’s aerodynamic qualities.
The ball was made of six polyurethane panels which were thermally bonded; the reduction in the number of panels helped to increase the consistency of the ball, whilst avoiding the aerodynamic problems the Jabulani ball had in the previous tournament. As a lightweight option, it was a beauty to play with.
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3
Adidas Fevernova
2002 World Cup
In 2002, Brazil once again tasted World Cup glory. Taking place in Japan and South Korea, the pressure was on the South American nation to deliver, but they did so with ease. As part of this, the legendary footballing team did their talking with the Adidas Fevernova at their feet.
It was the first World Cup ball with a triangular design, featuring patterns of gold and red across it. The ball was composed of 11 layers and was 3mm thick, including a special foam layer with a gas-filled balloon embedded in a syntactic foam. The outer cover was made from a combination of polyurethane and rubber. Unsurprisingly, this meant it was lightweight, causing problems for goalkeepers throughout the tournament.
2
Adidas Tricolore
1998 World Cup
As France conquered the world on home soil in 1998, the world was fixated on the nation. Zinedine Zidane, one of the greatest midfielders of all time, was plying his trade in the middle of the park, treating the Adidas Tricolore ball as if it was an extension of his long limbs.
It was decorated with cockerel motifs and was adopted to represent the colours of the French flag. Remarkably, it was the first multi-coloured ball used at a World Cup. With its striking design, everyone loved it, whilst the technology of the ball had no major flaws at all.
1
Adidas Teamgeist
2006 World Cup
The 2006 World Cup ball, the Adidas Teamgeist, has been ranked as the greatest World Cup ball of all time. With its simple yet effective design pattern, it did not stand out from the crowd, but technology made a difference. Acting as a breakthrough into the 21st century, the ball differed from the ones of previous tournaments.
It had just 14 curved panels, rather than the 32 that have been standard since 1970. The panels were bonded together, rather than stitched. As a lightweight ball, it caused chaos for goalkeepers, as the likes of Steven Gerrard, Joe Cole and Philipp Lahm all scored long-range screamers with it.
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How much money do England’s footballers have? That’s a question likely to be on the lips of many football fans as they watch the 2026 World Cup at home this summer.
While we know the weekly wages of the players in Thomas Tuchel’s 26-man squad, the exact net worth of these household names is a little harder to find.
However, The Sun have published a list of every player’s net worth and the results are fascinating. The richest player has earned an astronomical £110 million over the course of his career, while the player in 26th place has only just cracked the £1 million mark. Let’s take a closer look at the list…
England Squad: 2026 World Cup Rich List
26. Nico O’Reilly | £1 million
As one of the youngest members of the England squad, it’s no surprise that Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly is bottom of the pile. Still, a net worth of £1 million at the age of 21 isn’t bad, eh?
25. Elliot Anderson | £2.5 million
Expect the 23-year-old’s net worth to rise considerably if he seals a move away from Nottingham Forest after the World Cup.
24. Djed Spence | £3 million
The Tottenham full-back is next up with a net worth of £3 million.
23. Kobbie Mainoo | £3.5 million
Manchester United’s gifted midfielder recently put pen-to-paper on a new five-year contract at Old Trafford, bumping him up to £120,000 a week.
22. Jarell Quansah | £4 million
The 23-year-old defender left Liverpool for Bayer Leverkusen last summer and hasn’t looked back.
21. James Trafford | £4.5 million
Not bad at all for a 23-year-old goalkeeper who currently finds himself as back-up to Gianluigi Donnarumma at Man City.
20. Noni Madueke | £5 million
Noni Madueke switched Chelsea for Arsenal last summer and won the Premier League title in his debut season with the Gunners.
19. Tino Livramento | £5.5 million
Newcastle defender Tino Livramento has also crossed the £5 million mark.
18. Dan Burn | £6 million
The oldest members of England’s World Cup squad, not even Dan Burn himself would have expected to be on the plane just a few years ago.
17. Ezri Konsa | £6.5 million
Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa, 28, is next up with a net worth of £6.5 million.
16. Eberechi Eze | £7 million
Eberechi Eze has enhanced his reputation since leaving Crystal Palace for Arsenal. It’s hard to see him taking a penalty this summer, though, after missing in the Champions League shootout against PSG.
15. Anthony Gordon | £7.5 million
Now a Barcelona player after leaving Newcastle United. Has the opportunity to cement his status as one of the world’s best forwards at Camp Nou.
14. Reece James | £8 million
Gifted and influential full-back when fit, Chelsea’s Reece James has struggled badly with injuries throughout his career but that hasn’t prevented him from banking eight million quid.
13. Marc Guehi | £12 million
Left Crystal Palace for Man City in January and should start for Thomas Tuchel’s England this summer.
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12. Dean Henderson | £12 million
Leaving Manchester United for Crystal Palace in 2023 was a decision Dean Henderson knew he had to make and it’s paid off dividends – in more ways than one.
11. Morgan Rogers | £12.5 million
A star player for Aston Villa, Morgan Rogers will be hoping to make a big impact in North America over the coming weeks.
10. Ivan Toney | £15 million
One of the highest-paid players in the Saudi Pro League, Ivan Toney finds himself in the top 10 of England’s rich list.
9. Jordan Henderson | £19.5 million
Endured an ill-fated but lucrative move to Saudi Arabia after leaving Liverpool. Returned to the Premier League with Brentford in 2025 after a season with Dutch giants Ajax.
8. Declan Rice | £20 million
Among the world’s best midfielders and a contender for the 2026 Ballon d’Or award after an excellent season with Arsenal, Declan Rice’s net worth has crossed the £20 million mark.
7. Ollie Watkins | £21 million
A little surprising to see Ollie Watkins so high up this list? The 30-year-old striker remains one of Villa’s key players.
6. John Stones | £22 million
The classy central defender has left Manchester City and is being linked with a move to Bayern Munich.
5. Bukayo Saka | £23.5 million
Arsenal’s star boy is only 24 years old but has already amassed a fortune during his career to date.
4. Jordan Pickford | £36 million
There’s then a big jump to Jordan Pickford, one of England’s greatest ever goalkeepers, who has bagged a whopping £36 million.
3. Jude Bellingham | £40 million
England’s most marketable player, Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham is only 22 years old but is already absolutely minted.
2. Marcus Rashford | £65 million
Has blown hot and cold throughout his career, but that hasn’t stopped Marcus Rashford from banking an eye-watering £65 million.
1. Harry Kane | £110 million
But streets ahead of the rest – and deservedly so, some might say – is England captain Harry Kane. One of the greatest strikers of his generation – and possibly of all time – the prolific Bayern Munich star thoroughly deserves the riches that have come his way.
Following the news that Sean Strickland has been banned from attending the UFC Freedom 250 event, a number of fighters have had their say on the matter.
UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland took to X to confirm he has been instructed not to attend the UFC event, due to take place on the South Lawn of the White House on the 14th of June.
Strickland has claimed that because he has spoken out about President Trump’s associations with Jeffrey Epstein and the Israeli Prime Minister, he has been ordered by Dana White and the rest of the UFC hierarchy to stay away from the Presidential home.
The fall-out has continued, as fellow UFC fighter Bryce Mitchell has had his say on the matter, who is never one to shy away from controversial topics.
What Bryce Mitchell Has Said About Sean Strickland’s Ban
Reacting to the middleweight champion’s ban, Mitchell said: “I’m not surprised at all.”
The 31-year-old went on to explain how he believes that freedom of speech is an important part of being American and should allow a person to criticise if and when they see fit.
“We ought to be able to criticise our own nation, let alone a foreign nation. [Israel] is the only nation you’re not allowed to criticise. Something’s gonna change, because evil empires won’t last forever.”
Despite siding with Strickland, Mitchell did admit that he would jump at the chance to be a part of the card for UFC Freedom 250.
“I do want to be on the card,” he added, before explaining that he isn’t jealous of the likes of Derrick Lewis, Alex Pereira, and Sean O’Malley. “This is what I gotta say, I ain’t jealous of any of those fighters. I am so happy for those fighters.
“If they need me to fill in, if I’m healthy, hey, I’ll do it.”
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The 18-3 fighter has a history of controversial takes, from claiming COVID-19 was created by the US government, to praising Adolf Hitler and denying that the Holocaust happened, so he probably isn’t someone Sean Strickland sees as a worthwhile advocate.
Mitchell does, however, go on to say that he thinks sport and government shouldn’t go hand in hand.
“But what I think, personally, is that our government has desecrated its role in society by entertaining sports. Our government is to protect and serve the people.”
Sean Strickland Reveals Why He’s Been Banned From White House For UFC Freedom 250
Strickland won’t be at the White House for UFC Freedom 250 and he’s not happy about it.
Mitchell is defiant in his opinion that the UFC should not be working with the White House to host an event, but he does refrain from putting the blame on the likes of Dana White, and says it is an opportunity that the UFC could not turn down. He puts the blame solely on the US government, claiming: “We already have a corrupted government.”
Mitchell is in action this Saturday on the UFC Vegas 118 card when he takes on Satiago Luna.
With the UFC White House event just around the corner, one champion has had his say on the whole situation.
The UFC brings the Octagon to the South Lawn of the White House on the 14th of June, with a stacked card including Ilia Topuria returning to face interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje, and Sean O’Malley, Derrick Lewis, and Alex Pereira all in actions as well, including the latter’s heavyweight debut.
One fighter not involved, however, is Sean Strickland, the only current male American UFC champion, who has been told to stay away from the White House event due to his criticism of President Donald Trump.
Sean Strickland Banned From White House For UFC Freedom 250
The middleweight champion has previously been a vocal supporter of Trump. However, he has openly condemned his handling of the Iran war.
On top of this, Strickland has spoken out about President Trump’s association with Jeffrey Epstein as well as his dealings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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Strickland has said that he has been informed by the bosses at UFC to not attend the event, saying: “I made fun of Israel and Epstein. The only male American champ banned at the White House.
“The only male American champ banned at the White House because I said Trump is owned by [Netanyahu]. That’s not public opinion, it’s fact.”
Sean Strickland Breaks Silence on White House Ban
The 35-year-old fighter posted a video on X in which he made these claims. He went on to say he still plans to go to the event: “I already bought my plane ticket. I’m gonna bring the belt, get a big f****** bullhorn, and we’re gonna go right up to the gates.
“We’ll let them know what we really think about Trump and Israel.”
The California native has acknowledged that it may not have been the President himself who banned him from UFC White House. He posted on X after the video: “I highly doubt Trump is sitting there saying, ‘Don’t clear Sean.’ I’m sure he knows nothing about me being blacklisted but regardless, it was done.”
Whether the UFC veteran has actually been banned remains to be seen, but the whole situation feels like a WWE storyline. Especially with his threats to turn up at the gates wearing bullhorns.
It wouldn’t be a huge shock if Dana White and co. did in fact ban Strickland. The middleweight champion is a known loose cannon, and with so many issues to address in order for the UFC Freedom 250 to go off without a hitch, it may well be in their best interests to tell him to stay away.
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