adidas introduced their first soccer ball, the Santiago, in 1963.  The leather soccer ball featured a 16-panel design and was only the first step in producing first rate soccer balls. 

The three-stripe brand has gone on to become one of the best known soccer ball manufacturers and have been the official soccer ball provider for the FIFA World Cup since 1970.  And in tribute to the 40 years of high quality FIFA World Cup soccer balls, adidas is making available The Heritage Collection featuring all the great balls from the past FIFA World Cups.

adidas took the opportunity of providing the official FIFA World Cup soccer balls to create a unique look drawn from the culture of the host nation to the soccer ball for each edition of the World Cup while adding to the technology which made each soccer ball revolutionary at the time they were introduced.

adidas Heritage Soccer Ball Size 5 Collection - $849.99
Adidas Heritage Soccer Mini Ball Collection - $99.99

1970 – Telstar Duralast - Mexico World Cup - The adidas Telstar was introduced for the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico and was the first time that adidas was the official ball provider for the FIFA World Cup.

The Telstar soccer ball has a 32-panel, black-and-white design.  The black-and-white panels were used to make the ball more visible on television which was being shown live on television for the first time.  The hand-stitched Telstar soccer ball featured a butyl bladder to extend air retention and improve rebound characteristics and was surrounded by a polyurethane leather outer layer for a smooth kicking surface.

The Telstar soccer ball was more durable than previous balls and provided the soccer players greater touch and control over the ball.

The 1970 FIFA World Cup ball included gold lettering for ‘Official World Cup Mexico 1970’ as well as the “Telstar,’ ‘Duralast,’ and ‘adidas’ branding.

CLICK HERE to check out a photo gallery with the images of the adidas World Cup Match Balls.

1974 – Telstar Duralast - West Germany World Cup – The Telstar soccer ball made a repeat appearance at the 1974 FIFA World Cup in West Germany.  The only change for the white and black paneled soccer ball was to use black lettering for the text replacing the previously gold lettering. 

The materials and techniques used in the Telstar was identical to those used four years earlier.

1978 – Tango Duralast River Plate – Argentina World Cup – The Tango soccer ball design was introduced for the 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina and quickly became a soccer ball classic.  The basic design for the Tango soccer ball was utilized as the official soccer ball for the next 5 FIFA World Cups.

The Tango soccer ball features a twenty all white panel design and incorporated 20 triad design on the panels to create an optical impression of 12 identical circles on the soccer ball.  The design on the triad was different in all but two of the balls with differing designs being used as a tribute to each of the host nations.

The Tango soccer ball was an all leather ball but featured improved weather resistance qualities.

1982 – Tango Espana – Spain World Cup – The Tango Espana utilized the same basic 20-panel all white design but featured revolutionary changes in how the ball was made.  The soccer ball was still all leather but featured waterproof sealed seams to limit water absorption of the ball.

The Triad design for the Espana soccer ball were the same as on the River Plate from four years earlier.

1986 – Azteca – Mexico World Cup – The days of a leather soccer ball were over when the Azteca soccer ball was introduced as the first synthetic FIFA World Cup soccer ball.  The new synthetic material improved durability and continue to minimize water absorption.  The combination of the new features allowed the Azteca soccer ball to perform well in the high altitude of Mexico City, on hard ground from some of the fields due to the hot Mexican summer sun and in wet conditions.

The triads were re-designed to feature a native Aztec mural pattern and is how the Azteca soccer ball got its name.

1990 - Etrusca Unico – Italy World Cup – The Etrusca took water resistant to the next step with the introduction of an internal layer of black polyurethane foam.  This internal layer kept the ball from absorbing water so the soccer ball held its weight and integrity rain or shine.  With the elements playing less in how the ball performed, the Etrusca soccer ball was livelier and faster playing than any previous ball.

adidas continued the tradition of re-designing the triads with the Etrusca soccer ball with the triads paying tribute to the cultural history of the Italians with 3 Etruscan lions heads in the center each of the triads as well as traditional mural patterns on the edges.

1994 – Questra – United States World Cup – The Questra soccer ball took the inner layer to a higher level by utilizing a high-tech, ultra-high-energy-return layer of white polyethylene foam under the outer layer.  This made the Questra soccer ball softer and easier to control but at the same time allowed it to come off the foot faster and with a truer rebound.

The Questra soccer ball took its name from America’s ‘quest for the stars’ and featured stars and a cosmos design on the triad.  As the saying goes, ‘when in Rome…’ so it only was proper for the official soccer ball of the U.S. World Cup to have a cheesy name and design.

1998 – Tricolore – France World Cup – The Tango design was once again utilized with the Tricolore soccer ball but for the first time the triads were multi-colored, blue and red of the French flag.

The Tricolore featured a new and improved inner foam layer with the inner layer being made up of matrix of individual gas filled balloons held together in a regular matrix.

2002 – Fevernova – Korea/Japan World Cup – For the first FIFA World Cup outside of Europe or the Americas, adidas moved away from the Tango style ball, used since 1978, with the introduction of the Fevernova soccer ball.

The ball combined the latest ball technology to create a soccer ball that was durable and kept its spherical shape to insure a consistent flight. The multi-layer Fevernova soccer ball had an inside layer made up of individual balloons similar to the Tricolore and another layer of a synthetic Raschel fabric.

The out layer was more than just a cover for the soccer ball as it was a combination of natural rubber and synthetic polystrenes.

The Fevernova soccer ball was designed to meet the lower end of FIFA regulations on circumference and the higher limits on weight which would result in more accurate flight.

The off white ball included an Asian design in shape of a Ninja’s star with red flames in the tradition of the shuriken.

The ball was met with mixed reviews from soccer players.  Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon said it was "a ridiculous kiddy's bouncing ball" while adidas sponsored David Beckham called the ball’s accuracy ‘exceptional.’

2006 – Teamgeist – Germany World Cup – The Teamgeist, team spirit, ball beautifully combined the team approach of German soccer and the history of the FIFA World Cup with the latest in soccer ball technology.

The soccer balls propeller shaped icons with the gold accents were designed to call to mind the FIFA World Cup and what every player in the World Cup was focused on winning.

The soccer ball featured 14-panels to decrease the number of seams and in the process improve its accuracy and increase the sweet spot on kicks.  The ball also was near water tight with a less than 0.1% weight increase in wet conditions (‘FIFA Approved’ standards allow for a 10% increase).

The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the first to have special balls with the teams and date made for every match.  The FIFA World Cup final had a special ball with a gold hue background and gold propeller icon rather than the white that was used for the other matches.

“The FIFA World Cup final is the most important match in the history of sport. There really is no greater thing than to play in a World Cup final. That is why I think it is a fantastic idea to have a very special ball especially for this match,” said Franz Beckenbauer President of the FIFA World Cup™ Organizing Committee: “Sure, the ball will still be round, no change there. But it will be a very special game and it is going to be played with a golden match ball that was especially designed for it. I think that's absolutely fantastic!”

The World Soccer Shop has the adidas Heritage set that includes all the official FIFA World Cup soccer balls described above.  Unfortunately this is only available in full sets but does come in regulation size 5 soccer balls for $849.99 and in mini soccer ball size $99.99 for the collector.