WhatsApp turns football emoji into Trionda, FIFA World Cup 2026 match ball

Dubai: Adidas and WhatsApp have teamed up for a surprisingly simple but very modern idea: turning the world’s most-used football emoji into the official match ball of the FIFA World Cup 2026, called Trionda.

Instead of just being a static icon in chats, the football emoji on WhatsApp now transforms into the Trionda design, bringing the tournament directly into everyday conversations. It’s a small change on the surface, but one that’s clearly aimed at how fans actually experience football today, through group chats, reactions, and constant match-day messaging.

Trionda is the official match ball for the FIFA World Cup 2026, which will be hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the first time the tournament is being staged across three countries.

According to FIFA The name itself is a nod to that setup: 'Tri' for the three host nations and 'Onda' meaning wave in Spanish and Portuguese

The design follows that idea too, with flowing, wave-like graphics that represent movement between the three countries.

WhatsApp’s role here taps into where modern football actually lives: group chats.

According to Alice Newton-Rex, Head of Product at WhatsApp “Football fans turn to their WhatsApp group chats for the biggest moments. Four years ago, WhatsApp reached over 25 million messages per second during the final. We’re expecting even bigger moments this summer”

With the update, sending the football emoji on WhatsApp can now trigger the Trionda design. It also animates when sent, adding a small motion effect that makes it feel more alive in chats. It’s a small change, but it effectively brings the World Cup spirit into everyday conversations.