There's a new addition sat on the centre circle of the knockout stages as the adidas Telstar Mechta design replaces the Telstar 18 for the elimination rounds. Heating it up with a splash of Russian red, the ball comes into play on June 30.
"Mechta" fittingly translates to "dreams" or "ambitions" in Russian and it will be used for the first time when the Last 16 matches commence on Saturday. It'll then remain on pitch right up to the 2018 World Cup Final in Moscow on July 15.
The adidas Telstar Mechta ball features a new vivid red design inspired by the colours of the host nation, as well as the rising heat of knockout stage football. The release of the ball also coincides with the launch of a matching adidas Predator 18+ football boot, which uses the same pattern and colours.
Two weeks of intense, glorious, and down right desperate football will commence on June 30 as our emotions will be twisted into a mess by a bunch of chaps trying to kick this pretty little bag of air into a net.
