Adidas and WhatsApp turn football emoji into World Cup match ball

Adidas has partnered with WhatsApp to transform the platform’s football emoji into Trionda, the official match ball of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.The collaboration means WhatsApp users will see the Trionda ball appear when they use the football emoji in chats from June 4, 2026 and throughout the tournament.Adidas said the activation is designed to connect the official match ball with fan conversations around predictions, goals, team selections and major tournament moments.The move gives Adidas a prominent digital presence on one of the world’s biggest messaging platforms as it seeks to maximise visibility before and during the first 48-team World Cup, which will be staged across Canada, Mexico and the United States.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 use group chats around the sport’s biggest moments and that message volumes are expected to rise again during the tournament.She said: “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 and waves, has been designed to honour the three host nations. The ball features a new four-panel construction and uses red, blue and green detailing to represent Canada, the United States and Mexico.The emoji partnership forms part of a broader Adidas World Cup product push that includes home and away jerseys for 14 national teams, a special ‘Road to Glory’ boot pack and fan apparel collections.Adidas said the official Trionda match ball is priced at €160 and is available through Adidas retail, selected retailers and online.