Adidas to Give All Brazilian Babies Born on Tuesday a World Cup Ball

Not only will Adidas reveal the new official World Cup ball, dubbed Brazuca, this Tuesday in a grand display at 6 p.m. ET in Parque Lage in Rio de Janeiro, but any baby born that day in Brazil will be given one of these new balls.

Adidas says they want to fulfill a famous Brazilian proverb that claims all Brazilian children are born with a soccer ball at their feet by opening a series of “pop-up nursery” distribution points. There, parents, relatives, and family friends can receive a ball for a baby born on Dec. 3, with a proper birth certificate in tow, of course.

With the official match ball not only a major talking point, but also a gigantic money-maker for Adidas, this version’s name was chosen by over 80 percent in a public vote in Brazil. An informal local term meaning anything inherently Brazilian, brazuca can also describe all the Tuesday-born babies.

Tim Newcomb covers stadiums, design and technology for Sports Illustrated. Follow him on Twitter at @tdnewcomb.