Official World Cup 2014 ball more stable, better for goalkeepers - NASA

The official ball for the 2014 World Cup, also known as the Brazuca, is said to be more stable compared to the official ball of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

The Washington Post reported that NASA conducted a test on the ball and concluded that it will not have a knuckleball effect compared to 2010’s ‘Jabulani’.

Many goalkeepers groused because of the erratic course toward the goal, in which they are required to work much harder compared to strikers.

According to NASA, the speed of the greatest knuckling for a traditional ball is around 48.2 km/h. The Jabulani has a speed of 80.5 km/h which required Adidas to immediately produce a new ball for this year’s World Cup.

The stability of the Brazuca comes from its deeper seams and is covered with tiny bumps.

It has only six panels, two less than the Jabulani. A traditional soccer ball has 32 panels.

The Brazuca was tested by 600 players from 10 countries. It is manufactured in Pakistan as China could not meet the demands.

It was also given for free to all babies born in Brazil on December 3, 2013, the same day as its launch.

Below is a video uploaded by NASA on the test they did on the ball: