From friendly smiley faces to cheeky aubergines, emojis have become a staple part of many people's daily messages. If your go-to emoji is the football, keep your eyes peeled for a makeover. Ahead of the World Cup, WhatsApp has joined forces with Adidas to transform the popular character.
The standard football emoji features a classic design with black and white hexagons stitched together. But if you send the emoji on WhatsApp from today, you will see an entirely new ball. The football emoji is now Adidas' Trionda, the official match ball being used at the World Cup.
The change has delighted many football fans, who have taken to X to discuss the new emoji. 'WhatsApp quietly swapping the football emoji ahead of the upcoming World Cup is the kind of detail that shows how big football really is,' one user said.
Adidas' Trionda ball is described as 'a celebration of the tournament's inaugural host nations: Canada, Mexico, and the USA.' The ball is made up of four panels, each featuring the country colours of red, blue, and green. Sam Handy, General Manager Football at Adidas, explained: 'We have the long-standing privilege of creating the one product that will be at the centre of every game, goal and moment during the tournament – the Trionda.'
The football emoji will not change everywhere, so do not be surprised to see the old one on Messages or other social media apps. Instead, you will only see it on WhatsApp. Alice Newton-Rex, Head of Product at WhatsApp, said: '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 are expecting even bigger moments this summer, and our partnership with Adidas means fans will see Trionda – the Official Match Ball right in their conversations.'
As well as the new emoji, WhatsApp has introduced new calling effects and stickers. 'We have also introduced new football calling effects so you can bring the fun and fandom to your next group video call,' the Meta-owned app explained. 'And for when you need just the right sticker to express how you feel after that missed penalty kick or questionable red card, we have rolled out a football-themed sticker pack to better express how you are really feeling about a game.'
The change comes as scientists have revealed which teams are most likely to take home the trophy. Experts from the University of Innsbruck have calculated the chances of winning for all 48 participating teams. Their findings will come as good news for Spain fans. According to the researchers' calculations, Spain is the favourite, with a 14.5 per cent chance of winning the tournament. However, England fans will be relieved to hear that England is close behind (12.4 per cent), just ahead of France (12.4 per cent) and Germany (11.2 per cent). 'Compared to previous tournaments, this year's title race is very tight,' said co-lead author Achim Zeileis. In contrast, Jordan is the least likely to win the World Cup, according to the researchers, while Scotland has just a 0.2 per cent chance of winning.
