With the FIFA World Cup 2022 just around the corner, social media is buzzing with news in anticipation of the event which will be hosted by Qatar this year. Although the Pakistani team is not a part of the World Cup, it is one of the manufacturers responsible for supplying footballs for this year’s World Cup matches.
‘Al Rihla’ which is the official match ball for the FIFA World Cup 2022 is made by Forward Sports which is located in Sialkot and has been crowned the largest manufacturer of hand-stitched footballs in the world. Owned by Khawaja Masood Akhtar, Forward Sports is making 3000 official footballs this year. Forward Sports has also made footballs for UEFA Champions Trophy held in Spain in 2009 London Olympics in 2012.
According to Business Recorder, Forward Sports, a Sialkot-based company, is one of two manufacturers — the other one is from China – that have provided FIFA with at least 300,000 units of the match ball for this event.
According to Forward Sports, they have produced roughly one-third of the overall quantity of the ball named Al Rihla, which means ‘the journey’ in Arabic, revealed in March by German sportswear firm Adidas as the official one for the World Cup.
In addition, as per reports, Egypt is also one of the producers of the footballs used for the FIFA World cup 2022:
Egypt produced the FIFA World Cup balls that will be used in Qatar. pic.twitter.com/yXIRl0ltfN
— Africa Facts Zone (@AfricaFactsZone) November 20, 2022
According to FIFA’s official website, “Al Rihla’s bold, vibrant colour is inspired by Qatar’s culture, architecture, iconic boats and flag. adidas is bringing its sporting expertise to the game’s premier event yet again by providing a match ball with sleek aesthetics that also delivers accuracy and flight stability. It is designed to support peak game speeds and, furthermore, is manufactured with strictly water-based inks and glues for additional sustainability.”
FIFA World Cup’s team shared the official picture of the football ‘Al Rihla’ and the trophy’s picture on their social media accounts:
32 teams. 1 ball to make their dreams a reality ⚽
Introducing Al Rihla, the #OfficialMatchBall of the 2022 #WorldCup
The countdown to Qatar starts now#Qatar2022 | @adidasfootball pic.twitter.com/LauuuVSO8h
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) March 30, 2022
Previously, Pakistan has also manufactured footballs for FIFA World Cup in the year 2014 and 2018.
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The 2022 FIFA World Cup will be played from November 20 to December 18 at eight venues of Qatar, with 32 teams playing a total of 65 matches.
