APPLIANCE OF SCIENCE CREATES A WHOLE NEW BALL GAME

As with every FIFA World Cup, the 2022 edition in Qatar utilizes a new ball.

The last thing competitors want is for the most important piece of equipment in the most important tournament in the world's most popular sport to behave in unexpected ways, so a lot of work goes into making sure that every new World Cup ball feels familiar at the feet of players.

I am a physics professor at the University of Lynchburg in Virginia who studies the physics of sports. As part of my research, every four years I do an analysis of the new World Cup ball to see what went into creating the centerpiece of the 'Beautiful Game'.