Foosball Balls 101 ⚽ Choose Your Perfect Foosball Ball

Are you a big fan of Foosball? Have you ever wondered how many different balls there are for this game and which one is perfect for you? Do you want to become the best at your game and progress further in it?

Can Foosball be played with different balls and how many different balls are there?
Worry not! We are here to provide you with all the needed information about the Foosball balls and their characteristics! This article is here to help you choose your perfect ball and to learn everything there is about the different types of them.

4 Types of Foosball balls

In the world of Foosball, there are many different types of balls. This particular part of the game set is the easiest one when it comes to replacement, but you must choose carefully since the different types of balls can be real game changers!

It is not the same playing Foosball with the ball made of one material and then changing it for a different type. This can not only influence the style of your play, but also the speed, techniques that you can use and the actual difficulty of the game.

There are actually 4 main types of balls for Foosball, all of them are different in each of the following categories: material, weight, size, speed, and performance. It is really important to understand what you actually want from your game. Some of the balls are used only for the players that want to become professionals when it comes to Foosball, while other balls are in some words useless and can be used for the players who are not hard-core fans of the actual game. There are some balls that are little more expensive than the others, but as the price grows, the quality of the game rises! 

1. Traditional Foosball ball

They are the replicas of the actual football balls with a black and white pattern on them. By the opinion of many people, when it comes to aesthetics, these balls are the prettiest and the worst for gaming. If you were an amateur in Foosball gaming, these balls would most certainly grab your attention. These balls can usually be found on the unprofessional, so-called, teen foosball tables which are not meant for the real game experience. 

The material of the balls is just hard plastic which can be bouncy and really hard to control once you start playing with it! So, not everything is in the looks. Still, even if you are pro at Foosball, you can also have a lot of fun with this one, since the game that you would play with it will be decided on who has more luck than actual skills. So if you are looking for a way to make it fun and not that much competition, we would suggest the Traditional Foosball Ball just for fun! Yet, you should consider neighbor complaints before trying out this one in particular. Since it is made mostly from hard plastic, it would make a lot of noise and you would spend more time chasing the ball around the house than actually playing with it. 

• Speed: Pretty fast, but hard to control
• Material: Hard Plastic and coating
• Type of play: Amateur
• Type of table: Unprofessional simple plastic table

Before buying this one, think about what you want from your game and for whom are you buying it. If it is someone who just lost his ball and does not plan on practicing to become the pro, then go ahead, in any other case, we would not recommend you buying this particular type.

When it comes to cleaning, these balls do not require cleaning, since there would not be any difference in game performance. At least, you would not be able to see any difference.

Warning! NEVER put traditional foosball balls in the hot water since they can change their shape and then they would be useless for Foosball.

2. Smooth Balls for Foosball

These balls have the complete outer coating that gives an impression of shinning, it does not have decorative colors or coatings which can make balls even more unstable, as in the case of Traditional Balls. The main material is just as you may have expected none other than hard plastic, thus this ball is also noisy and hard to handle. If you choose this ball for playing, you will most certainly have struggles with the grip and pin.

They are more rounded than Traditional so you may consider buying them instead. So, who would need or use this particular type of ball? Well, you can buy this ball for someone who has just started playing Foosball and wants to learn. Not everyone is ready to start learning, some people need to have fun with some game in order to really like it and this ball can do exactly that, since the outcome of the game would also be decided on sheer luck, a new player or the so-called newbie may get the impression that he or she is actually good at this game and by that get more interested in playing Foosball more professionally. 

• Speed: Faster than Traditional because they do not have the engravings and curves that Traditional one has.
• Material: Hard Plastic and coating
• Type of play: Amateur
• Type of table: Can be played on any type of table, but still it is more for the basic and simple ones
• Price: They are somewhat more expensive than the Traditional.

As for taking care of these balls, just as Traditional ones, they do not require cleaning, since they are not suited for the professional game-play. Even if you clean them, you would not see any difference in their performance.

Warning! NEVER put smooth texture foosball balls in the hot water since they can change their shape and then they would be useless for Foosball.

3. Texture Foosball Ball

These balls are meant for the players that actually get this game serious enough and want to become professionals at it. So this ball is probably not for someone who does not have a lot of interest in the game and the competition.

What is, more importantly, this particular type of ball can really show how much of the experienced player you actually are since you would need to have a lot of skills instead of luck. This ball gives you the ability to strike it really hard with your player and because of this you should expect to hear a lot of noise, so think about before playing, there are some balls of this particular type that make less sound, but we suggest that you buy the classic Texture Foosball Ball for the best experience.

This particular type of balls is a perfect middle between the Cork Ball and a Smooth Ball. They have a high speed and because of their structure, you can easily grip and pin the ball really fast. If your play is American style it is important to know that this ball is highly recommended for every American Table, so you should not change it unless you are playing on European Table or Bonzini Table. One of the best brands of this type of Foosball Ball is probably a Tornado! 

• Speed: Really fast, recommended for professional gaming
• Material: Cork and Coating
• Type of play: Professional
• Type of table: Best for American Tables
• Price: For Tornado Texture Foosball Ball, price is around $8.35

When it comes to Textured balls, you may consider cleaning them if there is a need for that. You can try cleaning them just with the dry piece of cloth and if that is not enough to remove the stains then add a 70% alcohol on any piece of cloth and clean them thoroughly. Remember, this particular ball is made from far better material than the previous ones, thus you should always have them properly cleaned because you would be able to see the results of it in the actual gaming. 

Warning! NEVER put textured balls in the hot water since they can change their shape and then they would be useless for Foosball.

4. Cork Foosball Ball

This type of balls offer a somewhat slower game, which means that the ball is easier to trap, it is harder to pin and it offers a lot more control over the strength of the hit and the direction where the ball will end.

This ball is mainly used by professional players and it is usually played on the European Style of tables. So if you ever wanted to try out your skills and to see how exactly good you are at this game, then the Cork Ball would be the best choice. These balls are not for amateurs because they would have a lot of struggles scoring a point with them.

You should consider how skilled the person to whom you want to be really is at this particular game. What is also different about this ball is its speed, it is really slow which means that a lot of precise strength is needed when striking it. What is also interesting, this ball is not in the category of the noisy ones. It is far more silent than other balls and because of that, it may be a perfect fit if you are living in an apartment or if you are having neighbors who like to complain a lot. 

• Speed: Slow, but accurate
• Material: Cork
• Type of play: Professional
• Type of table: European Style Tables

These balls are high quality and you would rarely need to clean them, in the case that you should, just use the dry piece of cloth and try to remove the stains with a circular movement of the cloth.

Do not put a lot of pressure on them since they can change their actual shape. If this proves to be useless than try to add a small amount of soap without water on the cloth then try again with circular movements and after that just try using another dry cloth in order to take off all of the dirt and soap from it. After this, let it dry completely from the soap for some time and you will have a perfectly clean and usable Cork Ball. Remember, these balls are quite expensive, thus keeping them in a good condition may result in a longer term of usage which can save you a lot of money.

Does Size Really Matter?

When it comes to sizes of the Foosball Balls, all of the types come in different sizes. Why is that you may ask? Well, there are different sizes of Foosball Tables and even though you would be able to play any size of the ball on any type of the Foosball Table, you would have a rather different experience. Thus, depending on the size of your Foosball table, you should decide upon which size soothes you best when it comes to playing Foosball. This can be a crucial thing in this game, you might be accustomed to one side of the ball and then when trying to play with different sizes, you may feel like an amateur even if you have skills at this game. We know that almost exclusively all of the tables use 1.25″ balls or in other words 35mm. This is a standard size ball for the Foosball.

Why is it so Important to Decide on the Size of the Ball, You Might Ask?

Well, the smaller balls are really hard to handle in comparison with the bigger ones. Thus, it would be a lot harder to play with them. So depending on your skills and style of the game that you like, you should decide which size is for you. Just remember! Some smaller sized balls can be too little for your players to hit, while the other may be too easier to capture, thus resulting in a dull game without too many points.

Sound of the Foosball Balls!

Which Type of Foosball Ball Makes the Least Noise?

The first thing you should think of before start playing is the amount of noise that your balls can make while you play. Some of the neighbors may not like it too much and they can even file a complaint against you. So, if you want an indoor game with neighbors around, you should probably choose the Cork Ball since it makes the least noise and is the top quality, but if you live in the house or if you have a large backyard than any type of ball would be good for you!
Here is the list of the Foosball balls that show them all from noisiest to the one that makes the least noise.

• Traditional Foosball Ball makes the biggest noise of them all!
• Smooth Foosball Ball makes less noise than Tradition, but it is still too loud!
• Texture Foosball Balls do not make a lot of noise and can be used in apartments!
• Cork Foosball Balls make the least noise and they are highly recommended for the game!

Quality of Foosball Balls

How Often Would you Need a New Foosball Ball?

This question has a lot of different answers since it depends on many different factors. First things first, it depends on the age of a player, for example, if the child is playing Foosball it might not last that long. The children tend to hit balls with full strength all the time without any actual need for it, thus the balls can be easily damaged and they would need to be changed. Also, they may lose a couple of them, especially if you are playing Foosball outdoors.

The second thing to consider would be the length of the actual game-play and how often you actually play the game. The more you play it and the longer the game lasts, the balls would get more damaged and they would require a constant replacement. Still, the most crucial factor is the quality of the ball.

The more expensive ball you get, the more it would last. From our experience, the Traditional Foosball Ball should last at least a couple of months while the Cork Ball may last somewhat shorter than a month. The best thing to do is to buy a set or back of balls. Buying the pack with 2, 4 or 8 balls can cost you less than buying balls one by one and at the same time, you will always have some spare balls.

This can be a good thing since it happens too often that the ball gets lost or damaged during the game and it would be such a drag if you do not have a spare one. 

Balls approved by ITSF

Which balls are approved by ITSF?

ITSF approved equipment for the Foosball is mostly the equipment used by professionals. It is an organization that runs official tournaments in Foosball.

If you are not sure about the brand or type of ball that you want to buy, the best way to be certain that you are buying a good and proper ball would be checking the ITSF official web-page and to see if the brand or type of the ball is on their list. This is the best way to be sure that you will be satisfied with your experience. Still, it is important to understand that almost exclusively all of the American brands of Foosball balls are really good and the only problem you may encounter is if you buy the balls from a foreign country. Sometimes players got some faulty Foosball Balls which did not actually fulfill their expectations.

Buying Foosball Balls

You are ready to buy your Foosball ball, but you would like to try them all?

If you are thinking of buying your first Foosball Ball, but you actually want to try them all before deciding which one is for you, then our recommendation for you would be to buy “11 Assorted Foosballs”.

The 11 Assorted Foosballs offer you 11 different balls, all of them differ in some ways, from size to material, from accuracy to speed. This pack of balls can be bought on Amazon in the link above and the price varies, depending on the seller.

On the other hand, if you have already decided which type of balls you will be using then it’s time to choose the brand. Here we will give you 3 brands that are most commonly used by professionals.

4 professional Foosball Tornado Dynamo Shelti

• Speed: Really fast, easy to control, ITSF approved, recommended for professional gaming
• Type of play: Professional
• Type of table: Best for American Tables
• Price: price varies from seller to seller

TORNADO FOOSBALL BALL

Tornado is one of the best brands there is for foosball balls. They are also known for the production of the best Foosball tables worldwide! TORNADO FOOSBALL balls are really fast and easy to control, they are made with a special material and technique and because of that, they are able to offer you the best experience there is. Above All, they are ITSF approved!

• Speed: Really fast, easy to control, recommended by professionals
• Material: Material is the same as the material used for golf balls, it is called urethane
• Type of play: Professional
• Type of table: Best for American Tables
• Price: For Tornado Foosball Ball, price is around $7.35

Warrior Table Soccer Tournament Quality Red Foosball

This may easily be the most perfect Foosball Balls out there! These balls have the perfect material, perfect weight, and the perfect balance. All of this will result in awesome shots and ball controlling during your Foosball game! When we are talking about this particular brand, all of their balls are pretty good, yet they have different standard balls. Some are the low-cost balls which are for people who like to keep things smooth and have a good quality game of Foosball but do not see themselves as a professional player.

At the same time, there are high-quality balls that are almost exclusively only for professional players. The main difference is not so much in the quality of the performance as much as in durability. The low-cost ones will wear off much sooner than the high-quality ones. These balls are also ITSF approved which means that you can be certain that you have the right thing in your Foosball Table upon buying this one!

• Speed: Really fast, easy to control, recommended by professionals
• Material: Different material for different balls
• Type of play: Amateurs and Professional
• Type of table: Best for American Tables
• Price: Price depends mostly on the type and quality you want, but it is similar to Tornado Balls prices

Franklin Sports Textured Tournament Foosballs

Now here is something interesting! If you are searching for a good textured type of Foosball Ball than the best choice would be Franklin Sports Textured Tournaments Foosball Ball! In one package you would get 4 white and two orange balls. The balls have a good weight and they are really great for the game, although, one of the two orange balls have imprinted on them, thus a lot of players find this ball to be a sort of jinx since they usually blame the printed texture for missing their shots, which not true.

• Speed: Really fast, easy to control, recommended by professionals
• Material: Cork and smooth plastic
• Type of play: Professional
• Type of table: Best for American Tables
• Price: Around $8 – $10

Foosball Ball Large Pack of Traditional Balls

If you are still not certain that you need all of the professionalism and if you still think that cheap is better! Then we should mention something even for you, there is a large pack of Traditional Balls for Foosball that you can buy on Amazon, their quality is not so good and you may not be satisfied as with other balls, but it is up to you to decide which one soothes you best. We are simply here to give you all the options… This pack has 12 regular, 36mm Traditional Balls in it, the price is really low so you can enjoy a lot of gaming without any worry that your balls will be ruined or that you wouldn’t have a replacement.

• Speed: Fast, but bouncy and unpredictable, recommended for Amateurs
• Material: Hard Plastic mostly
• Type of play: Amateur
• Type of table: Best for American and European Tables
• Price: for the package of 12 balls, the price is $8.35

Game Room Guy set of 12 official Cork Balls

This may be the best solution if you have friends who also have Foosball Table and you often change tables. This pack contains all sorts of different balls and almost exclusively each ball is for a different table, thus if you find yourself in the situation that you may have to a different table than yours, then this would be a perfect solution for you. It’s good for all Dinamo, Shelti or Tornado tables. By having this you will save a lot of time on searching and buying different balls with different specifications, it will cost less and most definitely it will save you a lot of time. What is more, you would be seen as a professional who is always ready for the professional game of Foosball!

• Speed: Really fast, easy to control, recommended by professionals
• Material: Cork
• Type of play: Professional
• Type of table: Best for American and European Tables
• Price: Price for all 12 different balls is approximately $45.30

How and Where to buy Foosball Balls?

Now, this can be a rather unpleasant experience, why you might ask? Well, the Foosball Balls can be found in any larger store in almost any country. Maybe more in the USA than in Europe, but still, you should be able to find the Foosball Balls no matter where you are.

Still, it may not be a good idea to buy them from small markets or some suspicious-looking stores. This is because there are a lot of replicas and you may end up buying the ball with the same logo as the ball you wanted, but soon enough you would realize that the quality does not match. One of the best ways to buy the balls would be by using Amazon. Most of the people in the world get these balls from Amazon, but another way would be calling the official stores and ordering them!

A good idea would be to buy these balls in the package, thus you would spend less money because you will always get better prices for bigger packs. There are many gaming stores that offer a discount when you buy the entire package, so it may not be a bad idea to do a little research and find out where is the nearest gaming store in your neighborhood.

This was our article about different types of Foosball balls, we hope you enjoyed it and that you have found something useful in it.

We truly hope that we were of some help on your path of becoming a better Foosball Player. Whatever your goal is, we hope that you will now be able to choose some of the balls and that you have a better understanding of how important it is to have a proper Foosball Ball for your Foosball table, your type of game and for your style of playing. When it comes to choosing the brand, all of the brands that we have given you here are great, the difference is rather small and the only thing that remains for you is to ask yourself which one soothes you best.

Remember, quality is always better, but quantity and quality are what make the Foosball Balls perfect. We hope you have a good game!