RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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HAMBURG, GERMANY - AUGUST 09: a adidas Torfabrik matchball is pictured during the 2. Bundesliga 2026/27 match between FC St. Pauli and SpVgg Greuther Fürth at Millerntor Stadium on August 09, 2026 in Hamburg, Germany. (Photo by Selim Sudheimer/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga are introducing a new old match ball for the 2026/27 season. Adidas’ Torfabrik ball (goal factory in German) was the Bundesliga’s match ball from 2010-2018 and has already made its’ grand return in 2026, given the 2. Bundesliga started over the past weekend.
And the reviews on the ball have been mixed. Goalkeepers hate it, strikers love it. BILD eagerly pounced on the story and (as captured by @iMiaSanMia ) asked some players their thoughts about it:
Adidas Torfabrik, the new match ball for the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga, has been criticized by goalkeepers and praised by strikers. A lot more goals are to be expected this season. 22 goals have already been scored in the first 6 games of the second division [as of Saturday, August 8].
HSV goalkeeper Daniel Heuer Fernandes: “The Adidas ball is faster than the Derbystar. You can strike it well, so it’s more friendly for outfield players. As a goalkeeper, you have slightly less time to react because of its faster trajectory. That’s been my experience so far.”
Nürnberg keeper Jan Reichert: “The Adidas ball is simply harder on the surface, which gives it a completely different trajectory. As a striker, you can hit it much harder, and it picks up a lot more speed. We told the guys: If you have the chance to shoot, go for it. Because it definitely became easier to score from long range.”
Dresden striker Jakob Lemme: “We’ve noticed within the team that the ball is a nightmare for goalkeepers and moves from side to side. And when you hit it from distance, I think it’s difficult for a goalkeeper to deal with.”
Paderborn striker Stefano Marino: “You can apply a bit more power when shooting without the ball flying ten meters over the goal.”
9 more goals were scored over the last 3 games of the 2. Bundesliga matchday, bringing the total up to 31 goals scored in 9 matches. Now, this does not mean that these results will be replicated, that teams will not just adjust to the ball or that the first impressions are simply misleading.
The only definitive conclusion we can take from this is that it is even more embarrassing for VFL Wolfsburg that they could not score in their opening match.
Still, the numbers from the weekend are staggering. They should not be dismissed as outliers yet. Perhaps this ball will facilitate goal scoring in Germany and make the Bundesliga, already (one of) the highest goal scoring leageu in the world, witness to even more goals. That sounds fun, does it not?
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