Brazuca ball for World Cup final launched

New Delhi: The specially-designed, widely travelled brazuca ball that has had the good fortune of visiting Pope Francis in the Vatican City and which will be used in the final of the Fifa World Cup, has been launched.

The adidas ball will be used for the summit showdown on July 13 when the top two sides battle it out for a place in history. The limited edition Brazuca Final Rio, priced at INR 7,599, is now available across leading adidas sports stores in the country. Prior to the official launch, brazuca and brazuca Final Rio went through a thorough testing process over a two-and-a-half-year period involving more than 600 of the world`s top players and 30 teams in 10 countries across three continents, making it the most tested ball ever. Clubs involved in testing included AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Palmeiras and Fluminense. Players involved in the process included global football stars Leo Messi, Iker Casillas, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Zinedine Zidane. The technology incorporated into the bladder and carcass of brazuca and brazuca Final Rio is identical to the Tango 12 (UEFA EURO 2012), Cafusa (FIFA Confederations Cup 2013) and the popular UEFA Champions League Official Match Ball. A new structural innovation with aunique symmetry of six identical panels alongside a different surface structure will provide improved grip, touch, stability and aerodynamics on the pitch. Brazuca has been thoroughly tested to meet and exceed all FIFA metrics for an official match ball, ensuring top performance for every condition.