Fifa introduce new ball for knockouts

A new match ball will be used for the knockout stage of the World Cup.

The Telstar Mechta will replace the Telstar 18, the Adidas ball which has been used in the group stage.

Mechta translates as “dream” in Russian and the ball comes with a new vivid red design, said to be inspired by the colours of the host nation as well as “the rising heat of knockout stage football”.

“The Telstar 18 was a huge step forward technically,” Dean Lokes, VP product from Adidas, said on www. fifa.com.

“With the Telstar Mechta we have taken that same innovative design and reimagined it, creating a ball that perfectly suits the pressures and opportunities of the Fifa World Cup knockout stage.”

The Mechta’s brandnew panel design features a metallic print execution and texture graphic effect and, like the Telstar 18, has an embedded near-field communication (NFC) chip which enables users to interact with the ball using a smartphone.

Jean-francois Pathy, Fifa’s director of marketing services, said: “This year, Adidas delivers yet another beautifully designed ball, the Telstar Mechta, putting innovation and performance at the core of the game.”