The official 2010 FIFA World Cup matchball

Jabulani, a Zulu word meaning “rejoice”, is the name of the official match ball for the South Africa 2010 Football World Cup.

Developed and produced by Adidas, like the official match balls of all the FIFA World Cups since 1970, the Jabulani is 90% made of TPU (stands for thermoplastic polyurethane, a plastic material with many useful properties, including elasticity, transparency, and resistance to oil, grease and abrasion) and 10% ordinary polyurethane.

 

If you thought top level footballs were made of leather, then you’re about 18 years out of date. The last Adidas official World Cup match ball entirely leather-made was the Tango 1982, used in the Spain World Cup.