Where is your football made?

Right now, millions of people around the world are watching the FIFA World Cup 2026. Players from 48 countries are running, passing and scoring amazing goals. But have you ever wondered where the football they are kicking was made? The answer might surprise you!

A Small City with a Big Job

The official FIFA World Cup 2026 match ball is made in a city called Sialkot in Pakistan. Even though cricket is Pakistan's most popular sport, Sialkot is famous around the world for making footballs. About 70 out of every 100 footballs used around the world are made there. Several factories in the city are also approved to make footballs that meet FIFA's strict quality standards.

How Did It All Begin?

More than 100 years ago, British soldiers living in Sialkot loved playing football. When their footballs got damaged, they asked local cobblers to repair them. The cobblers were already experts at working with leather. They repaired the footballs so well that people soon began asking them to make brand-new ones too.

Over the years, parents taught their children, and the children taught the next generation. Today, Sialkot has hundreds of factories and thousands of skilled workers who make footballs for famous sports brands across the world.

From Skilled Hands to Smart Machines

Many footballs are still carefully hand-stitched and can take three to four hours to make. But the official FIFA World Cup 2026 match ball is made using a modern heat-bonding method instead of stitching. This helps make the ball smoother, stronger and more waterproof.

A Ball That Travels the World

From factories in Sialkot, footballs travel to many countries, including India, the United States and across Europe. Some are kicked in school playgrounds, while others are used in the biggest football matches on Earth.

So, the next time you watch a World Cup goal, remember that the football's amazing journey may have begun in the busy workshops of Sialkot, where skilled hands have been making footballs for more than a century.

This story was published in the June 2026 edition of Yaksha Prashna, a monthly magazine. If you wish your child to read more such stories and gain knowledge of the things around them, then gift them Yaksha Prashna. It costs Rs 365/year + delivery charges. You can subscribe at https://www.yakshaprashna.co.in/subscription