In the 1974 World Cup, Zaire defender Mwepu Ilunga bolted from the wall and cleared the ball before Brazil's free kick, getting carded. Not ignorance: dictator Mobutu Sese Seko warned that losing by over 0-4 meant nobody returned alive. He stalled; Zaire held on 0-3.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup ball, Trionda, is made from just four panels — the fewest in men's World Cup history and one-fifth of the 20 used in the previous tournament's ball.
Only twice in World Cup history has a match ended 0-9: Korea lost 0-9 to Hungary at the 1954 Swiss World Cup, and Zaire lost 0-9 to Yugoslavia in 1974. Zaire's players had all but downed tools, protesting a government that siphoned off their wages and bonuses.
Four months before the 1966 FIFA World Cup, the Jules Rimet Trophy was stolen from a London exhibition. A week later, a dog named Pickles found it wrapped in newspaper under a south London hedge, and his owner received the reward.
A smoother ball might seem better, but Trionda was designed with intentionally deep seams. The grooves create sufficient, evenly distributed drag across its surface to keep its flight more stable.