Meet Sialkot: The Pakistani City Behind Most of the World’s Footballs

Sialkot, a city in Pakistan’s Punjab province, has become one of the most important centres of football manufacturing, producing an estimated 70 per cent of the footballs used around the world, including official FIFA World Cup match balls.

The city’s journey began more than 100 years ago with residents repairing footballs by hand. That modest trade has since grown into a global industry that exports millions of footballs annually and supports thousands of jobs.

According to the New York Post, Pakistan exports roughly 40 million footballs every year, with Sialkot contributing the overwhelming majority of that output.

The city has produced official FIFA World Cup footballs since 1982 and is once again supplying the tournament ahead of the 2026 edition, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Forward Sports, one of Sialkot’s best-known manufacturers, is responsible for producing Adidas’ official 2026 World Cup ball, the Trionda. The company says it is undertaking the largest production run in its history for the tournament.

Photographer Stefan Bohrer, who visited the factories, said the sheer scale of production left a lasting impression.

“Knowing that around 300,000 balls leave these factories every day makes you pause and wonder where they all end up,” he said.

According to Bohrer, every football produced in Sialkot has the potential to become part of a different story, whether in local community matches or on football’s biggest international stage.

Although modern technology plays an important role, many stages of production still rely on skilled craftsmanship. Workers stitch panels together by hand, paint logos individually and carry out detailed inspections before each football is approved.

Creating a World Cup ball involves years of research and testing. Forward Sports has invested heavily in research and development since producing its first World Cup ball for Brazil 2014.

Each official tournament ball typically takes between three and four years to perfect, undergoing extensive laboratory and field testing to ensure it meets FIFA’s strict standards for weight, dimensions, durability, shape and performance.

World Cup footballs, however, make up only a small portion of Sialkot’s overall output. Most of the city’s production consists of training balls for schools, football clubs, academies and recreational players worldwide.

Manufacturers also produce branded footballs for commercial clients, including companies such as McDonald’s.

With around 300,000 footballs leaving its factories every day and approximately 40 million exported from Pakistan each year, Sialkot has cemented its place as one of the world’s leading football manufacturing centres.

Despite growing competition from Chinese manufacturers, the Pakistani city continues to play a central role in supplying footballs for the sport’s biggest tournament, maintaining a tradition that has lasted for more than 40 years.

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