Published on 6/26/2026
Despite the impressive performance of a number of goalkeepers in the current edition of the World Cup, the tournament witnessed a remarkable recurrence of cases in which goalkeepers were unable to handle balls that were within their reach.
While Fosenha, the Cape Verde national team goalkeeper, excelled in his first appearance for his country, and Curaçao goalkeeper Eloy Rom made a record with 15 saves in one match, and Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beranvand made a remarkable performance against Belgium, a worrying phenomenon emerged for a number of the most prominent goalkeepers in the world, such as the Englishman Jordan Pickford and the Senegalese Edouard Mendy, who touched the ball with their hands but failed to clear it.
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The same scenario was also repeated with Algerian goalkeeper Luca Zidane in two matches against Argentina and Jordan, as well as with Iraqi national team goalkeeper Ahmed Bassil against Frenchman Kylian Mbappe.
These scenes prompted Joe Hart, the former English goalkeeper, an analyst for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), to question Trionda’s characteristics, saying: “I see this type of goal repeated often in the World Cup, and there must be something related to this ball.”
“Trionda” and the technical controversy
Hart’s view is shared by former Denmark national team goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who has trained with the Triunda ball since its release in October 2025.
Speaking to BBC Football Daily, Schmeichel confirmed that there is a fundamental difference in the structure of the ball. It consists of four thermally bonded panels without any stitching, which reduces air resistance and limits its rotation, making it a fraction of a second faster, describing this as “a big difference,” adding that the important thing about this ball is “we want to see goals, so they designed it to score goals.”
The numbers support this proposition, as the tournament witnessed 20 goals scored from outside the penalty area, which is double what was scored in the group stage in 2022.
According to Opta, 11 errors led to goals in the United States, Canada and Mexico, a number exceeding what was recorded in the group stage in any of the last seven editions of the World Cup, despite the increase in the number of matches in the current tournament.
Adidas’s response and the difficult equation
For its part, Adidas defended the ball design, which took three and a half years to develop through 300 laboratory tests in different cities.
The company explained that the four-panel design – which is the smallest historically – relies on “deep seams” and sunken lines to ensure the stability of the ball in the air and provide better grip in wet conditions. However, experts insist that the simple differences are what decide the matter, as Schmeichel believes that the speed of the ball is the biggest challenge, stressing that “goalkeeping is a game that depends on margins.”
The evolution of guard statistics throughout history
Looking at historical data for group stage averages, Opta numbers reveal a noticeable fluctuation in the performance of goalkeepers. In the category of shots from outside the penalty area, it reached its peak in the 1970 edition at a rate of 25.3 shots per match, and recorded its lowest level in 2022 at a rate of 8.1 shots, before rising slightly in 2026 to 9.2 (until the statistics were prepared).
As for the rate of saves per match, the 1974 edition recorded a historical high of 8.9 saves, while this rate dropped to its lowest level of 5.1 saves in the 2018 and 2022 editions, and the current tournament recorded a slight improvement, reaching 5.6 saves.
Regarding the average shots on goal, the 1974 version recorded the highest number with 11.9 shots between the three sticks, while the year 2010 witnessed the lowest rate with 8.3 shots, and the 2026 version’s statistics came to 8.5 shots per match.
