A total of 10 identical samples are sent to the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology for a series of customised tests before the model is accorded the Fifa quality mark. And yes, the Telstar 18 has successfully passed the tests. Here is a look at what is involved.

Every four years, a new of�cial ball is designed for use during World Cup matches. Does the proverbial perfect soccer ball – in the world of evolvingtournament balls – exist? The Straits Times delves into history and uncovers, as you would have guessed, some oddballs as well as some �rm favourites.

TELSTAR 18

Its six panels’longer edges improve

�ight stability.

embedded in the ball allows fans to access, on smartphones, information about the product and challenges during the run-up to the World Cup.

600 players

Near-�eld communication chip

in 12 countries tested the ball.

Pixelated motifon panels alludes to the digital age.

QUESTRA

TRICOLORE

AZTECA

ETRUSCOUNICO

1998 (France)

2018 (Russia)

1986 (Mexico)

1990 (Italy)

1994 (USA)

TEAMGEIST2006 (Germany)

JABULANI2010 (South Africa)

• Chastised as a “beach ball” by Spain’s then goalkeeper Iker Casillas.• Deemed too light, hard to control and unpredictable in the air.

BRAZUCA2014 (Brazil)

• Made of six identical panels.• Improved grip, stability and aerodynamics.• First thermo-bonded ball made by attaching the panels through heat,rather than hand-stitched.

FEVERNOVA2002 (South Korea-Japan)

• This ball with a champange tinge is the �rst to break away from the traditional Tango

design �rst used in 1978.• Ball can travel at

speeds of up to 130kmh.

• Advancedprint technology enhances visibility.• First multi-colour ball.

• Ball’s space- themed motifs mark Apollo 11 mission’s 25th anniversary.• Ball’s quicker �ight speed leads to a �urry of goals.

The �rst ball with an inner layer of black polyurethane foam.

• Good on hardand wet surfaces. • First World Cup ball that is fully synthetic and coated in polyurethane.

• 12 black pentagonal panels and 20 white hexagonal panels make the ball more visible in blackand white television broadcasts.

• Durlast refers to the protective coating on the ball to ensure the leather holds up in wet weather.

1938(France)

ALLEN

1950 (Brazil)

SUPERBALLDUPLO T

1962 (Chile)CRACK

1966 (England)

CHALLENGE4-STARS

1954 (Switzerland)

SWISSWORLD CHAMPION

1958 (Sweden)TOP STAR

This 24-panel ballis chosen, out of 102 models submitted, for the tournament.

T-MODELA BRIEF HISTORY

1930 (Uruguay)

The Telstar match ball gets its namefrom Telstar 1 (left), the world’s �rst active communications satellite launched in 1962. It ushered in the era of global satellite television and interestingly, bears a resemblance to the football.

protective coating on the ball to ensure the leather holds up in wet weather.

The Telstar match ball gets its namefrom Telstar 1 (left), the world’s �rst active communications satellite launched in 1962. It ushered in the era of global satellite television and interestingly, bears a resemblance to the football.

Rubber interior bladder

11 T-shaped leather panels

Detachable inner tube

Access slit to interior air bladder

Start the ball rolling!

to the World Cup. to the World Cup. to the World Cup. to the World Cup. to the World Cup. to the World Cup.

TELSTAR 18

embedded in the ball allows fans to access, on smartphones, information about the product and challenges during the run-up to the World Cup.

Near-�eld communication chip

Pixelated motifon panels alludes to the digital age.

2018 (Russia)

to the World Cup. to the World Cup. to the World Cup. to the World Cup. to the World Cup.

• First World Cup ball to have14 panels instead of the standard 32.• Its roundness and fewer seams reduce air resistance and thusaltering �ight patterns.

• Two different balls, made from hand-stitched leather, are used in the World Cup �nal.• Argentina supply the �rst-half ball – the Tiento – and lead 2–1 at the break.

• Hosts Uruguay supply the bigger and heavier T-model ball (below)in the second half and win 4–2.• Heading the ball is a risky prospect as it gets heavierin the rain.

SOURCES AND PHOTOS: REUTERS, AFP, FIFA, BBC, ADIDAS, GOAL.COM, NEW YORK TIMES, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM STRAITS TIMES GRAPHICS: LIM YONG

1934 (Italy)FEDERALE 102

Leather laces replaced with softer, cotton ones.

First World Cup ball without laces debuts afterthe tournament’s 12-year hiatus due to World War II.

CircumferenceEnsures that the ball is of the correct size.

Weight

• Electronic scales with an accuracy of 0.01g are used for this test.• Five measurements are taken per sample.

Loss of pressure• Ball is in�ated to the prescribed pressure.• Ball pressure is measured 72 hours apartto ensure that it does not de�ate too quickly.

Sphericity

Bounce

Material analysis

• Determines if the ball bouncesin a predictable manner.• Each ball is dropped 10 times, from a height of 2m, onto a steel plate and its

velocities at impact and rebound heights are recorded.

• Averaged values of each of the three samples must fall within the de�ned limits.

• The ball is placed in a water-�lled receptacle and a pneumatic piston compresses it,leaving it to soak in the water.

• After 250 compression cycles,it is weighed and the �gure is compared to its original weight to check if it becomes too heavy when wet.

Water absorption

FOOTBALLS FIT FOR PLAY

Shape and size retention

• A cannon repeatedly shoots the ball against a steel plate

2,000 times at 50kmh.• The ball must retain its shape even with repeated use.

It’s really strange. It could have been made a lot better.

Spain and Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea’s verdict on the new Telstar 18 ball. He was beaten by Thomas Muller’s 25-metre drive in a 1-1 draw with Germany in an international friendly in March.

• A customised machine analyses the roundness of the ball by taking the average of several measurements of the ball’s radius.

• 4,500 points measured all over the ball for thisas well as the earlier test.

SAMPLES1 to 3

SAMPLES4 to 6

SAMPLES7 to 9

SAMPLE10

The analysed results are compared against a product declaration provided by the manufacturer.

TELSTAR1970 (Mexico)

TELSTAR DURLAST1974 (Germany)

TANGO1978 (Argentina)

TANGOESPANA1982 (Spain)

• Tango introduces a new design which would be used for the next �ve tournaments.• Tango Espana is the last World Cup ball to be made of leather.Seams are welded as well as sewed together.

The ball is rotated in various directions between the compressions such that its entire surface comes in contact with the water during the test

Shooting angle: 30°

Deflected ball is returned automatically into the cannon

A truncated icosahedron

TEST 1

TEST 2

TEST 3

TEST 4 TEST 1

TEST 2

TEST

TEST

• Similar to the 1958 design. • Adidas takes over the job of designing World Cup balls from 1970.

Design is a

modern take on the 1970 and 1974 World Cup balls.