Balls in the Air
By John Eric Goff
Call it football, fútbol, calcio, or soccer, there is some striking science behind the Beautiful Game and its sophisticated sphere.
This Article From Issue
May-June 2026
Volume 114, Number 3
Page 146
In 1970, two debuts occurred that would have significant effects on my career: I was born, and Adidas supplied its first match ball for the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup, an honor it has retained ever since. The ball used in the Mexico tournament, where the likes of Pelé and Carlos Alberto Torres carried Brazil to its third World Cup title, was called the Telstar. With its 20 hexagonal panels and 12 pentagonal panels arranged in what mathematicians call a truncated icosahedron, the Telstar became iconic not only for its geometry but also for its black-and-white color scheme, which allowed viewers to follow the ball’s motion more easily on black-and-white television screens.
QUICK TAKE
- The FIFA World Cup occurs every four years, and each tournament uses a newly designed football that has unique flight characteristics.
- Seemingly small changes in seam number, depth, width, and length, along with surface texturing, can significantly alter the flight of a ball, such as the 2026 one called Trionda.
- Studying these interactions and comparing them with past World Cup balls can provide insights into fluid dynamics and can inform future ball design.
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