- Blending sport, culture and technology – a unique collaboration between adidas and WhatsApp ahead of a summer of sport
- Fans can now bring the FIFA World Cup 2026™ closer to every conversation as the football emoji becomes Trionda when using WhatsApp
- The new emoji is a digital replica of Trionda – the Official Match Ball designed to honour the three host nations with innovative four-panel technology
Available from today and throughout the tournament, whenever fans use the football emoji on WhatsApp, they will see Trionda – the Official Match Ball – appear in its place, bringing the excitement of the world’s biggest sporting event directly into billions of conversations around the globe.
This special update places adidas at the centre of football conversation, connecting fans with the Official Match Ball every time they share predictions, celebrate goals, debate team selections, or react to unforgettable moments in their Whatsapp chats during the tournament.
Sam Handy, General Manager Football at adidas said: “We have the long-standing privilege of creating the one product that will be at the centre of every game, goal and moment during the tournament – the Trionda. With football conversations expected to reach unprecedented levels during FIFA World Cup 2026™, we are thrilled to partner with Whatsapp to bring Trionda into every conversation, celebration, prediction and debate on the platform. The FIFA World Cup™ is the biggest stage in sport, and this partnership allows millions of fans to interact with the Official Match Ball in a fun, authentic and completely new way.”
Alice Newton-Rex, Head of Product at WhatsApp said: “Football fans turn to their WhatsApp group chats for the biggest moments. Four years ago, WhatsApp reached over 25 million messages per second during the final. We’re expecting even bigger moments this summer, and our partnership with adidas means fans will see Trionda – the Official Match Ball right in their conversations.”
Trionda, meaning three (Tri) and waves (Onda), is a celebration of the tournament’s inaugural host nations: Canada, Mexico, and the USA. Crafted using a brand new four-panel ball construction for high performance, the fluid design geometry replicates the waves represented in the ball’s official name. Each panel features the country colours of red, blue, and green which connect in the form of a triangle in the centre of the panel, symbolising the three nations coming together.
As well as the Official Match Ball, adidas has launched home and away jerseys for 14 national teams who will be competing across the United States, Mexico and Canada. These are complemented by a special range of boots made for adidas athletes at the tournament with the reveal of the ‘Road to Glory’ pack – which includes the F50 Hyperfast Evo, the brand’s lightest football boot. Off the pitch adidas has introduced its broadest ever offering of products for fans around the world including Bring Back jerseys, adidas Originals apparel and footwear, special collaborations with the likes of Thrasher Magazine and KITH, and an official pet collection. Alongside products, adidas launched ‘Backyard Legends’ – a campaign which brought together some of the world’s biggest names in culture, music and sport to celebrate the joy of free play.
The Trionda emoji can be used in the WhatsApp app and users can also join 230 million other followers on the official WhatsApp channel, where the new emoji will be spotlighted, among other dedicated editorial content for football fans throughout the tournament.
The Trionda Official Match Ball is is available to purchase in adidas retail and selected retailers, and online adidas.co.za
About adidas
adidas is a global leader in the sporting goods industry. Headquartered in Herzogenaurach/Germany, the company employs around 65,000 people across the globe and generated sales of € 24.8 billion in 2025.
For more information, please visit www.adidas-Group.com.
About adidas in Football
adidas is the global leader in football. It is the official supplier of the most important football tournaments in the world, such as the FIFA World Cup™, the FIFA Women’s World Cup™, the FIFA Club World Cup™, the UEFA European Football Championship™, the UEFA Champions League™ & the UEFA Women’s Champions League™. adidas also sponsors some of the world’s top clubs including Real Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, FC Bayern Munich & Juventus. adidas is also partner to some of the best athletes in the game including Aitana Bonmati, Trinity Rodman, Vivianne Miedema, Alessia Russo, Chloe Kelly, Lena Oberdorf, Vicky Lopez. Leo Messi, Jude Bellingham, Mohamed Salah, Pedri, Lamine Yamal, Florian Wirtz, Paulo Dybala, Gabriel Jesus, Ousmane Dembélé, Serge Gnabry and Manuel Neuer.
SUPPLIED.
