The +Teamgeist ball was the official football for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. The plus sign in its name was introduced for trademark purposes, since the regular German word Teamgeist, meaning "team spirit", could not be trademarked.
The ball was designed by the Adidas Innovation Team and the Molten Corporation and is made by Adidas, which has provided the balls used in all World Cup matches since the 1970 World Cup when the Telstar was introduced. The +Teamgeist ball differs from previous balls in having just 14 curved panels (making the ball topologically equivalent to a truncated octahedron), rather than the 32 that have been standard since 1970. In another first, the panels are bonded together, rather than stitched. It is claimed to be rounder and to perform more uniformly regardless of where it is hit, and being almost waterproof, it does not get heavier in wet weather.
Each of the 32 qualified federations received 40 match balls for training purposes.
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Match balls for the 2006 FIFA World Cup were personalized with the name of the stadium, the teams, the match date, and the kick-off time of each individual game, under a protective coating.
A special match ball was used for the final game — the "+Teamgeist Berlin". The design is the same as the other match balls, but accented in gold, with black and white details. Both qualified federations (France and Italy) received 20 of these versions for training purposes.There is also a gold +Teamgeist ball.
The balls were made in Chonburi, Thailand, using synthetic leather from South Korea, layer of foam from Japan, bladder from India and cotton material from Vietnam.[1] Most of the workers were female.[1]
Although it had been planned to include an electronic tracking system in the ball, this was abandoned after a trial at the 2005 World Under-17 Championship in Peru.
| FIFA Approved standard[2] | Teamgeist measurements[2] | |
|---|---|---|
| Circumference | 68.5 – 69.5 cm | 69.0 – 69.25 cm |
| Diameter | ≤ 1.5% difference | ≤ 1.0% difference |
| Water absorption | ≤ 10% weight increase | ≤ 0.1 % weight increase |
| Weight | 420 - 445 g | 441 - 444 g |
| Shape and size retention | 2000 cycles at 50 km·h−1 | 3500 cycles at 50 km·h−1 |
| Rebound test | ≤ 10 cm | ≤ 2 cm |
| Loss of pressure | ≤ 20% | ≤ 11% |
The Teamgeist was the first ever World Cup ball to not have the traditional 32 panels. Instead, the ball is made up of 14 panels, which means that the number of three-panel touch points is reduced by 60% (60 to 24) and the total length of the panel lines falls by over 15% (400.5 cm to 339.3 cm). Building on the introduction of thermal bonding technology in 2004, the Teamgeist ball is the first time Adidas has used this in a World Cup. Loughborough University conducted extensive comparative testing on the ball, along with the Adidas football laboratory in Scheinfeld, Germany.[3]
A version of +Teamgeist, the "+Teamgeist MLS", was used in the United States and Canada in Major League Soccer from 2006 through 2009, after which it was replaced by a version of the 2010 World Cup match ball. It is similar to +Teamgeist, but the details are in the MLS' official colours of blue and green. Also, the "+Teamgeist Winner MLS" match ball, which was used in the 2006 MLS Cup, and the league's grand champion's home games in the 2007 MLS season is chrome silver metallic, trimmed in white, black, and royal blue.
Another version, the "+Teamgeist RFEF", was used in the 2006 Copa del Rey final; it is red and yellow. The "+Teamgeist League" is red, yellow, and black with white trim and is used in various leagues.
In France's Coupe de France, the "+Teamgeist FFF" match ball is chrome silver with royal blue trim.
In Argentina, the "+Teamgeist Argentine Football Association" match ball for 2007 was navy blue and white with black trim and was used throughout the 2007 Argentine Clausura.
Also, the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup +Teamgeist match ball was blue and red with white trim.
There is also the "Wawa Aba," the official 2008 Africa Cup of Nations match ball that was red, yellow, and green in colour, being derived from the national flag of the African Cup of Nations host nation, Ghana.
Official replicas of the +Teamgeist have its 14-panel pattern superimposed on a lower specification 26-panel ball.
While Swiss international Johann Vogel and David Beckham, both sponsored by Adidas, and others were reported to be happy with the new ball, it was criticized by many top players before the World Cup.
Other players include Brazil's Roberto Carlos[4] and Paul Robinson of England.[5] They claimed the ball was too light and had a vastly different performance when wet. The ball has fewer seams, reducing air resistance.
The "Wawa Aba" ball of the Africa Cup of Nations was criticised by the player of the tournament, Hosny Abd Rabo of Egypt, who said that ball was bad for passing.[6]
| Preceded by Fevernova |
Official World Cup Ball 2006 |
Succeeded by Jabulani |