The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be using a new Adidas soccer ball that has an AI chip in it to help referees make better decisions during games.
The new ball is the Trionda — with the "Tri" of its name standing for the three host nations (U.S., Canada, and Mexico) for the World Cup, and the "onda" representing the Spanish word for wave or vibe.
Continuing with the theme of highlighting the World Cup’s three hosts, the Trionda incorporates all three host nations' colors to symbolize countries coming together to host the tournament for the first time.
According to CBS Sports, the Triona will have an AI-powered chip that gives real-time insights and data to help referees make more accurate decisions on the field. It’s the second ball to have an AI-powered chip following the Al Rihla in 2022’s FIFA World Cup, but in the Trinoda’s case, the chip is in the side of the ball instead of its previous central placement.
Speaking to CBS Sports about the ball, Adidas' football innovation lead Hannes Schaefke explained the need for AI in the new ball.
"If you look at certain [key performance indicators] in football — the amount of passes, the amount of high-speed running, the amount of sprints throughout the game, all these things are increasing," said Schaefke.
"From a technological perspective, in performance tracking, the ball was sort of the last frontier because it was super hard to track this from an optical standpoint, almost impossible," he added. "Some things like touch frequency during a dribble, you [could] never track that without a sensor inside so this is where I think, from an understanding of the game, the depth of how well you understand it and anticipate the future of it, is where having all tracking unlocked is a huge, huge promise for the future."
To premiere the Trionada ball, Adidas used a futuristic hologram in New York City that depicted Lionel Messi, along with other huge soccer players, interacting with the ball.
To see the ball in action, tune into the FIFA World Cup when it kicks off on June 11, 2026.
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