The Times of India

Explained: Why the official 2026 FIFA World Cup ball needs to be charged before games

The 2026 FIFA World Cups official ball, the Adidas TRIONDA, marks a major leap in football technology. Equipped with an embedded motion sensor, it tracks touches, speed and movement in real time, assisting VAR and offside decisions with unprecedented accuracy. While FIFA sees it as the future of officiating, the innovation also raises concerns about football becoming increasingly dependent on automation and data-driven control.