15 things you don’t know about FIFA World Cup match balls

1. There are two types for the FIFA World Cup 2022- Al Rihla (Arabic) meaning “the journey” and Al Hilm (Arabic) meaning “the dream”.

2. Al Rihla was used from the beginning of the FIFA 2022 World Cup till the quarter finals.

3. Al Hilm was unveiled as the official match ball for the semi-finals and finals of the FIFA 2022 World Cup.

4. Al Rihla has a white background colour with orange, lemon and blue stripes designs along the lines each triangle drawn on the ball.

5. Al Hilm, however, has a gold background colour with wine-purple and black colour designs.

6. Both balls have aerodynamics properties.

7. The balls have 500Hz inertial measurement unit (IMU) motion sensor each in the center of the ball hosted and stabilized by a Suspension System, which provides unprecedented insight into every element of the movement of the ball.

8. The sensor (under the Suspension System)  feeds the VAR (Video Assistant Referees) and other match officials with precise ball data in real time to support fast and accurate offside calls

9.  The sensor is powered by a rechargeable battery, which can be charged by induction.

10.  The new technology (Connected Ball Technology) was developed in close collaboration with FIFA and KINEXON.

11. About 70 per cent of the World Cup match balls a manufactured in Sialkot, a city in northeast Pakistan.

12. Over 80 per cent of the soccer balls made in Sialkot use hand stitching, a laborious process that makes the ball more durable and gives it more aerodynamic stability.

13. Each traditional ball is made up of 20 hexagons and 12 pentagons joined by 690 stitches.

14. The major materials for the production of the ball is synthetic leather, which is made from cotton, polyester and polyurethane sourced from China, South Korea and Japan.

15. Each year, an estimated 40 million match balls are bought by people around the world each year.