As the biggest stage in world football, simply qualifying for the FIFA World Cup is an achievement in itself. Only 32 countries make the cut for each highly-anticipated tournament, which only happens once every four years (men’s and women’s, respectively).
To celebrate this year’s games in Qatar, the Costa Rican design studio Pupila and the world’s only non-profit soccer ball manufacturer Alive and Kicking teamed up for a project called Bola. In this “global design project inspired by-and-for the beautiful game,” 32 creatives from the 32 competing countries designed their very own soccer ball to be handcrafted by Alive and Kicking in Kenya. Now each design is available for purchase through the non-profit, with 100% of the proceeds going toward funding their many projects in Africa.
Not only can you now buy these footballs, but all 32 are also currently on-view in four simultaneous exhibitions in four cities around the world: San José, Costa Rica (Museum of Contemporary Art and Design), Barcelona, Spain (il•lacions Gallery), London, England (Alive and Kicking Gallery), and Seoul, South Korea (Ryse Hotel).
While the competition between countries will surely be cut-throat on the field, it’s heartening to see how design can create harmony between these competitors— at least until the first whistle! You can check out all the designs below and buy them at Bola.
