Pakistan Sports Goods Exports: How Sialkot Makes the World’s Footballs ($365M)
Sialkot — one city in Punjab — makes most of the world’s hand-stitched footballs, including FIFA World Cup match balls. Sports goods exports hit $365M in FY26 (+13%). This is the Sialkot story.
Quick answer: Pakistan’s sports goods exports rose 13% to $365M in FY2025–26 ($322M → $365M). Sialkot produces ~70% of the world’s hand-stitched footballs — including World Cup balls — plus gloves, bats and sportswear. July 2026 dipped 20.2% to $31M on football timing.
In this guide
Sialkot: the city that makes footballs
Sialkot’s sporting-goods cluster dates to the 19th century (a British request for cricket gear, local lore says) and industrialised after partition. Today its workshops hand-stitch footballs for Adidas, Nike, Puma and others — the 2022 World Cup’s Al Rihla and subsequent tournament balls came from Sialkot factories. The skill is generational: stitching panels is piece-work done in homes and workshops across the district.
Products beyond footballs
- Footballs: the flagship — hand-stitched and thermo-bonded.
- Gloves: goalkeeper and boxing gloves.
- Cricket gear: bats, balls and protective equipment.
- Hockey sticks, sportswear: smaller but steady lines.
The FY26 numbers
Sports equipment: $322M → $365M (+13%) in FY26 — one of the few manufactured categories with real growth. Monthly data is lumpy (tournament cycles): July 2026 fell 20.2% to $31M with football shipments down 43% to $14.65M — timing, not trend.
The future: machine-stitched & brands
The threat is thermo-bonded, machine-made balls (cheaper, no stitching) and the opportunity is own brands: Sialkot mostly manufactures for foreign labels, capturing the labour margin but not the brand margin. The city’s other export pillar — surgical instruments — faces the same equation. The basket: major exports hub.
Sports goods: FAQs
How much does Pakistan export in sports goods?
$365M in FY2025–26, up 13%.
Does Pakistan make World Cup footballs?
Yes — Sialkot factories have produced FIFA World Cup match balls, including the 2022 Al Rihla.
Where is Sialkot?
An industrial city in Punjab, near the Working Boundary — famous for sports goods and surgical instruments.
What else does Sialkot export?
Surgical instruments, leather gloves and sportswear.
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