Pakistan becomes the official supplier of footballs for Fifa World Cup 2018

Sialkot: Pakistan may not be among the teams playing the Fifa World Cup 2018 in Russia but the Telstar 18, the official ball for Fifa World Cup 2018 made in Sialkot, Pakistan shall definitely make Pakistan’s presence in the World Cup 2018 felt worldwide.

Congratulations to Pakistan for keeping alive its tradition of making the FIFA World Cup footballs. The latest, Telstar 18, is beautiful and is made in Sialkot https://t.co/50eMWMg7Yu

— UKinPakistan🇬🇧🇵🇰 (@ukinpakistan) June 7, 2018

“The ball used to play the Football World Cup is being made in Sialkot.”

“We are indulged in the making of footballs day and night and our workers are very happy.”

“This football event being played in Moscow; Sialkot has received a lot of orders in that regard. We are making approximately 7-10,000 footballs per day. This has also helped increase employment in the city.”

Pakistan had supplied hand stitched football for almost all the World Cups from the 1990s to 2010. Pakistan was first chosen to make footballs for the World Cup in 1982. A company named Forward Sports located in Sialkot was the official football provider of 2014 World Cup in Brazil and has also made footballs for the German Bundesliga, France Ligue 1, and the Champions League.

The Telstar 2018 features an embedded NFC chip making it the most technologically advance World Cup ball till date. Traditionally, Pakistani footballs were hand-stitched, but the process changed in 2013 when a switch was made to thermo bonded balls, whose panels are joined together through heat rather than stitches.

Sialkot provides 70% of the global demand of football, exporting 40%. Sialkot also happens to be the world’s 2nd best surgical equipment industry.