Sialkot: Home of World Cup footballs

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Telstar 18, the official game ball of the 2018 FIFA World Cup manufactured by a company in Sialkot, Pakistan has brought the country's football production industry to the limelight.

Sialkot, a city located in Punjab province in eastern Pakistan, produces seventy percent of hand-stitched footballs in the world, according to the Guardian.

It is regarded as the world capital of football production and was the official football provider for both 2014 World Cup in Brazil and 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Seventy percent of hand-stitched footballs in the world are made in Pakistan. /VCG Photo

Football production in Sialkot started from the late 19th century. /VCG Photo

Workers tape together football panels in a factory in Sialkot. /VCG Photo

A worker hand stitches football panels in Sialkot. /VCG Photo

A worker puts footballs into a trolley on a production line. /VCG Photo

The history of producing football in Sialkot started from the late 19th century, when the Britons in this region who wanted to play football but were impatient to wait for footballs to come by sea, paid local craftsmen to make them. The British were impressed by their skills, and the city has been producing footballs ever since.

Traditionally the footballs for the World Cups were hand stitched, until "thermos bonding," a new technology was first introduced in the 2014 World Cup. The presence of footballs made in Pakistan in the World Cup created special moments of joy for Pakistanis, said Pakistan Today.

Sialkot is also famous for making other sports goods, including volleyballs, hockey sticks, crickets bats and sportswear.

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(Cover image by Fan Chenxiao)