FIFA's major change ahead of 2026 World Cup semis catches Kylian Mbappe's attention; watch France star's viral video

After 33 days of thrilling football, the FIFA World Cup 2026 is in its business end as France, Spain, Argentina and England gear up for the semifinal and final games in the final week of the tournament. Unlike the group stages and the round 32, 16 and the quarterfinals, the FIFA has officially unveiled a special edition of Trionda - the official match ball - that will be used exclusively in the final four games - two semifinals, third-place and final.

While the match ball until now had three colours connected with three host countries - the United States, Canada and Mexico, the special edition of Trionda will have special stripes. The new colour scheme immediately caught the attention of Kylian Mbappe, ahead of France's semifinal against Spain.

In a viral video shot by Spanish media outlet Marca, Mbappe grabbed one of the new Trionda balls and examined it for a long time. He carefully inspected it back and forth, with France head coach Didier Deschamps joining in. While others were busy adapting with the new ball, Mbappe and Deschamps minutely checked on the exclusive Trionda, before dropping it onto the field.

Mbappe then had several shots with the new ball.

What's special in Trionda Final match-ball?

Although the technicalities and the aerodynamic specifications remain the same, FIFA overhauled the makeover of the ball with a golden and black premium finish, reflecting the magnitude of the tournament’s final matches.

According to the FIFA.com, the design of Trionda Final “is inspired by the journey towards football’s ultimate prize. A premium gold finish references the FIFA World Cup trophy, set against a black base to elevate the ball’s look and feel, creating a bold and refined visual identity for the final stages of the competition.”

The FIFA statement also stated that the Trionda Final celebrates the 16 host cities where the matches of FIFA World Cup 2026 were played. As hosts of the semifinals, third-place play-off and final, Dallas, Atlanta, Miami and New York New Jersey are prominent within the main blocking of the design.

Meanwhile, Boston, Guadalajara, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Monterrey, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, Toronto and Vancouver are incorporated within the triangular graphic elements, ensuring their significant contributions to the success of the tournament are recognised right through to the final whistle.

This is not the first time FIFA has introduced a exclusive match balls for the knockouts. In 2022 in Qatar, Al Hilm was introduced for the knockout rounds, while in 2010, 2014 and 2018, the exclusively-designed match balls were only used in the final games.

France vs Spain - All you need to know

This is the first World Cup since 1990 that each of the final four teams are former champions. In their only previous World Cup meeting, France beat Spain 3-1 in a Round of 16 game at the 2006 tournament in Germany.

Both teams have won the World Cup since then. Spain claimed its only title in 2010, and France won its second World Cup in 2018. This is France's seventh semifinal appearance, its fifth in the last eight World Cups. Spain's only other semifinals were in 1950 and then 2010 on the way to the title.

France, who will be playing on its country's Bastille Day national holiday, is trying to join five-time champion Brazil and four-time winner Germany as the only teams to make three consecutive World Cup finals.

Brazil did it in 1994, 1998 and 2002 — winning two titles and losing to host France in the middle of that run. Germany’s championship in 1990 came after being runner-up in the previous two World Cups — all playing as West Germany at the time.

Get all updates from FIFA World Cup 2026 here, along with FIFA World Cup 2026 Complete Schedule and FIFA World Cup 2026 Points Table.