The official Mechta ball for the FIFA World Cup playoffs was presented

On Tuesday, the International Football Federation (FIFA) unveiled the official match ball for the 2018 FIFA World Cup playoffs in Russia, with games starting on June 30. The modified product was named "Telstar 18 Mechta" and represents the importance of winning each of the subsequent matches.

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Compared to the ball for the group stage, the new projectile “turned red,” which, according to the authors, should symbolize the intensity of passions flaring up to the limit. Its name symbolizes the increased ambitions of players and fans of teams that have reached the knockout stage.

In terms of design, the projectile is almost no different from the Telstar 18 ball, which was used in the group stage matches. It also has a characteristic pixel color.

"If you look at the history of official World Cup balls, the Telstar is a big step forward in technical terms. The Telstar Mechta inherits their innovative design, but we have rethought it and created a ball that is ideal for playoff matches where passions run high to the limit,” the FIFA press service quotes Adidas spokesman Dean Locks.

Let us remind you that the Russian national team for the first time in its history made it to the playoff stage of the FIFA World Cup and on July 1 at Luzhniki it will play in the 1/8 finals of the tournament with the Spanish team.