Sialkot footballs: how a Pakistani city makes World Cup balls
Sialkot, Punjab, is one of the world's biggest makers of footballs. Official FIFA World Cup balls have been made there since 2014.
Sialkot in Punjab is one of the world's most important football-making cities. Hand-stitched and machine-made balls from Sialkot are used in leagues and tournaments around the world.
World Cup balls made in Sialkot
The official FIFA World Cup match ball has been produced in Sialkot for several tournaments in a row, including:
- 2014, Brazil
- 2018, Russia
- 2022, Qatar
- 2026, USA, Canada and Mexico
Why Sialkot?
- Generations of skilled stitchers and craftsmen
- A large cluster of sports goods factories in one city
- Export links built up over more than a century
More than footballs
Sialkot also makes cricket gear, hockey sticks, gloves and surgical instruments. The city's business community even built Sialkot International Airport, which opened in 2007 as Pakistan's first privately funded public airport.
Related
- Pakistan has won the Hockey World Cup 4 times
- Karakoram Highway: facts about the road to China
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