adidas Football has today revealed the Telstar Mechta - the Official Match Ball for the knockout stage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Mechta translates as ‘dream’ or ‘ambition’ in Russian and is constructed with the same design elements as the Telstar 18 but given a new lick of red paint where the previous design had a more understated black.

This reflects both Russia's national team colours and the increase in intensity of the knockout phase - where the likes of Russia, Uruguay, Portugal, Spain, France, Croatia, Mexico, Belgium and England have all already qualified for.

Like the Telstar 18, the ball arrives with a brand new carcass and brand-new panel design for increased durability for both pitch and street, as well as  being made from re-cycled backing material and packaging.

The Telstar 18 and Telstar Mechta also come complete with an embedded NFC chip which enables consumers to interact with the ball using a smartphone - making it the most innovative World Cup ball to date.

Take a look at some more images of the new Telstar Mechta ball below.

You can cop the Telstar Mechta adidas global retail stores, the adidas online shop and from FIFA’s e-shop.