Why Is France vs. Spain Played With a Different Ball? Inside FIFA's Change for the Semi-Final
One of the biggest games of the 2026 World Cup is the semifinal: France vs. Spain at Dallas Stadium today, July 14, 2026.
The winner will play in the 2026 World Cup Final on Sunday, July 19, 2026, at New York-New Jersey Stadium. For the match today, France vs. Spain will have a different ball being used throughout the whole game.
FIFA presented a new version of the 'Trionda' ball, which originally had a green, red, and blue color scheme. The 'Trionda' ball used today is black, white, and gold.
The 'Trionda Final' match ball will be used for the final four games of the competition, including today's France vs. Spain semifinal, the England vs. Argentina semifinal match tomorrow, the 3rd-place playoff match, and the 2026 World Cup Final.
Why did FIFA Change the Ball?
The new match ball for the final four matches of the 2026 World Cup is nothing something new, as in previous World Cup tournaments, the ball would be changed for the World Cup final or for the final four matches of the competition.
Since the 2006 World Cup, the ball would change it's color scheme for the World Cup finals.
Like the 2022 World Cup, the match ball has changed for the two semifinal matches, the 3rd-place playoff match, and the World Cup final.
For this new match ball, the ball features the four host cities that will host the final four matches of the 2026 World Cup: Dallas, Atlanta, Miami, and New York/New Jersey.
Dallas is hosting the France vs. Spain semifinal, and Atlanta is hosting the England vs. Argentina semifinal tomorrow. Miami will host the 3rd-place playoff match on Saturday, and New York/New Jersey is the host city for the 2026 World Cup Final.
There are also reports that the ball change was made after several goalkeepers reportedly struggled to judge the flight of the original Trionda ball during the tournament.
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This story was originally published July 14, 2026 at 11:47 AM.