"It’s that time again"- Mikaela Shiffrin teases excitement for FIFA World Cup 2026 as she poses with official match ball

American alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin took to social media to share a message as she posed with the official match ball for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The tournament is set to start on June 11th next year and will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Adidas manufactured the official match ball for the tournament, now known as the Adidas Trionda.

Mikaela Shiffrin is an Adidas athlete and signed a multi-year deal with the brand in 2020. In fact, when Shiffrin won her record 87th World Cup race in 2023, she received a bonus from the brand after doing so. The American now has 101 World Cup wins to her name, and will be looking to add to that ahead of the start of the alpine ski season later this month.

In a post on Instagram, Shiffrin endorsed the Adidas Trionda ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup:

"It’s that time again…LET’S GO TRIONDA!⚽️ #FIFAWORLDCUP @adidasfootball"

Mikaela Shiffrin has been gearing up for the start of the alpine ski season in Chile, training alongside other members of the US ski team as well as her husband, Aleksander Kilde. Her first race is the giant slalom in Austria on October 25th.

---

Mikaela Shiffrin on her oblique injury last season: "I was actually very lucky"

Shiffrin at a press conference ahead of the Killington World Cup Race - Source: Getty

After her 101st World Cup win in Sun Valley, Idaho, Mikaela Shiffrin discussed how serious her oblique injury was last season. Shiffrin picked up an oblique injury due to a crash during a World Cup race in Killington last November. The injury ruled her out for two months and required surgery.

In an interview on CBS Mornings, Shiffrin discussed how she recovered: (2:07 onwards)

"I kind of stabbed into my oblique - external and internal and it was about a millimeter away from puncturing my colon, which would have been a very different kind of injury. I guess in a way, I was actually probably very lucky, but still you know, stab wounds, puncture wounds are not really common in ski racing. So it has been very physically strenuous to get back to racing this season, in many cases this would have been probably a season-ending injury."

Shiffrin also stated that she underwent physical therapy and rehab for eight hours a day, specifically for her core muscles. She made her comeback in January 2025.