FIFA World Cup 2026 is currently being played across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. 48 nations are competing. Billions of people are watching. And Pakistan — a country that has never once qualified for the tournament — is present on that field in every single match.
Not as a player. As the ball itself.
Sialkot — The Football Factory of the World
There is a city in Punjab, Pakistan called Sialkot. Population around 1 million. Most people outside Pakistan have never heard of it. But every serious footballer in the world has unknowingly held something made there.
Sialkot produces nearly 70% of all footballs used globally — from training balls at local clubs to the official match balls of the biggest tournaments on earth. Pakistan exports around 40 million footballs annually, with roughly 300,000 leaving Sialkot's factories every single day.
Let that number sink in. 300,000 footballs. Every. Single. Day.
Four World Cups in a Row — Same Pakistani Factory
The company behind this incredible run is Forward Sports Private Limited — a Sialkot based manufacturer that has supplied the official FIFA World Cup match ball for four consecutive tournaments.
The Adidas Trionda, the official match ball of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, was made in Sialkot — the latest in a line of World Cup balls to roll off the production floor of a single Pakistani company.
Before the Trionda came the Al Rihla for Qatar 2022, the Telstar 18 for Russia 2018, and the Brazuca for Brazil 2014. All made in Sialkot. All made by Pakistani hands.
How Much Money Does Pakistan Actually Make From This?
This is the question everyone wants answered.
The industry generates several hundred million dollars annually in sports goods exports, with footballs accounting for a significant share.
To put it in more specific terms — more than 43 million balls valued at $191 million were made in Sialkot in the 2021/22 financial year alone.
And that is a regular year. World Cup years are a different story entirely — during peak World Cup years, production exceeds 60 million footballs, produced by a workforce of around 60,000.
Sialkot is actually Pakistan's second largest source of foreign exchange earnings after Karachi — with more than 99% of goods manufactured there being exported, worth $1.6 billion annually across all industries.
The Man Behind the 2026 World Cup Ball
The story of how a Pakistani civil engineer ended up making the most famous football on the planet is worth knowing.
After graduating as a civil engineer he took a job with Pakistan Railways. His uncle ran a sports goods business in Sialkot and encouraged him to give the industry a try. He was not immediately convinced. "I never imagined I would end up manufacturing footballs," he said. "I had no experience in the industry, but I had a technical mindset and a close relationship with my uncle, so I accepted the challenge."
He started as a production manager. Today his company makes the ball that Messi, Ronaldo, and Mbappe kick in front of billions of people.
The Painful Irony
Here is the part that hits different.
About 8% of Sialkot's population of around 1 million people work in the football industry. These are ordinary Pakistani men and women stitching footballs all day so that the world can enjoy the beautiful game — yet Pakistan's own national football team has never once played in a World Cup.
Quality control inspector Amna said it perfectly when asked if she watches football. "We work all day. At night, when we go home, we need to rest."
The people making the World Cup ball do not even have time to watch the World Cup.
My Take
Pakistan does not get enough credit for what Sialkot has built. This is not luck. This is decades of craftsmanship, hard work, and expertise passed down through generations. While politicians argue and cricket dominates every headline — a quiet city in Punjab has been showing the world what Pakistanis are truly capable of.
Every goal scored in this World Cup. Every save. Every moment of magic — it all happens with a ball made in Pakistan.
That deserves to be said louder.
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