Meet Telstar 18, the ball for Russia 2018

Yesterday adidas presented Telstar 18, the ball that will be used during the next World Cup in Russia. Like for the kits designed by the German brand for Russia 2018, the ball has a nostalgic vibe in the design and it's made with the most advanced technologies. Recent designs, such as the Brazuca for Brazil 2014 and the infamous Jabulani for South Africa 2010 have drawn inspiration from the host countries, but adidas has chosen to re-imagine a classic design this time, reproducing the first ball made by them for the 1970 World Cup, called Telstar.

The original 'Telstar' was the ball used in the 1970 tournament in Mexico and was dubbed as 'the star of television' as it was designed specifically to stand out on black and white television and is widely seen as a football that changed the design approach that has gone into producing the tournaments match ball for each occasion. The design of the new Telstar celebrates the original black and with colorway, with a textured graphics allow for anall-rounded tactile experience that shines with stern minimalism that mirrors the Argentinian kit for the tournament. Details like adidas and World Cup logos are golden.

Terncholgy-wise, the ball was produced with recycled materials and it has just six panels. They are glued together in a seamless construction and feature a distinct 3-D textured upper for control and grip. Much talk will be around the embedded NFC tech as it's the first time the technology has been used in an official match ball. Taking the prize of one of the most innovative and tech-conscious match balls to date, the chip will enable consumers to engage with the match ball using a smartphone - we can only assume similar to the way the adidas miCoach SMART BALL worked. Upon interaction, each ball generates a unique identifier, unlocking exclusive content and information for the user.