Forward Sports
 | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sporting goods |
| Founded | 1991 |
| Founder | Khawaja Masood Akhtar |
| Headquarters | , Pakistan |
Key people | Khawaja Masood Akhtar (CEO) |
| Products | Footballs, handballs, futsal balls, sports bags, shin guards, goalkeeper gloves |
| Revenue | US$51 million (2021–22)[1] |
| Website | forward |
Forward Sports is a Pakistani sporting goods manufacturer based in Sialkot, Punjab, that produces footballs for Adidas and other international sports brands. The company was founded in 1991 by Khawaja Masood Akhtar and became part of Sialkot's export-oriented football manufacturing cluster. It has supplied Adidas balls for competitions including the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League, Bundesliga and Ligue 1.[2][3]
Forward Sports produced the Adidas Brazuca for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the Adidas Telstar 18 for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.[4][2] For the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the company manufactured Adidas Al Rihla training balls and replicas.[5] In 2026, Forward Sports was reported to be the manufacturer of the Adidas Trionda, the official match ball of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[6]
History
[edit]Forward Sports was founded in Sialkot in 1991 by Khawaja Masood Akhtar, a civil engineer who had previously worked in the football manufacturing industry.[2][7] The company developed within Sialkot's sporting goods manufacturing cluster, a regional industrial base associated with footballs, gloves, surgical instruments and other export products. Although association football has historically been less popular in Pakistan than cricket, Sialkot became a centre for football production.[5]
The company began working with Adidas in the mid-1990s and later supplied balls for football competitions.[3] Before its first FIFA World Cup contract, Forward Sports had manufactured balls for the UEFA Champions League, the German Bundesliga and Ligue 1.[4][2] By 2014, the company was one of Adidas's official manufacturers in Pakistan and was asked to help produce the Adidas Brazuca after Adidas's Chinese supplier was unable to meet demand.[4]
The Brazuca project required changes to the company's production system. Akhtar said Forward Sports had less than two months to move from having no Brazuca production line to producing the World Cup ball. The company redesigned its production line and had local engineers build production and testing equipment in seven weeks.[4] The Brazuca was co-produced in Sialkot, where about 1,400 staff worked on the project.[8]
Adidas partnership and FIFA World Cup production
[edit]
Forward Sports has manufactured footballs for Adidas and for FIFA World Cup-related supply chains. Its Adidas work has included balls for national leagues, continental competitions and FIFA tournaments.[4][2] In 2018, the company was reported to produce around 700,000 footballs a month for league competitions and international brands.[2]
For the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Forward Sports produced the Adidas Brazuca. The ball was the first FIFA World Cup match ball produced by the company and followed changes to its production system to meet Adidas's requirements.[4] The company also manufactured the Adidas Telstar 18 for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The Telstar 18 used thermo-bonding and incorporated a near-field communication chip for consumer interactivity.[2]
For the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Forward Sports manufactured Al Rihla balls for the tournament supply chain. Forward Sports director Hassan Masood Khawaja said that the company made 5.5 million Al Rihla balls, including 60,000 replicas that did not include the real-time sensor technology used in match balls. The same report stated that those balls were used on training fields and sold to consumers, while the match balls used in Qatar were made in China, with Adidas declining to identify the Chinese manufacturer.[5] Forward Egypt, an affiliate of the Pakistani Forward sports equipment group, was also commissioned by Adidas to manufacture part of the Al Rihla supply.[9][10]
In 2026, Forward Sports was reported to be the manufacturer of the Adidas Trionda, the official match ball of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The ball was reported to feature a four-panel construction, host-country colours and connected-ball technology with a 500Hz motion sensor intended to support semi-automated offside decisions and video assistant referee systems.[6]
| Year | Image | Ball | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | _(cropped).jpg)
|
Brazuca | Produced the ball after redesigning its production line and building production and testing equipment locally.[4] |
| 2018 | 
|
Telstar 18 | Produced the ball, which incorporated a near-field communication chip for consumer interactivity.[2] |
| 2022 | .jpg)
|
Al Rihla | Made 5.5 million Al Rihla balls for training and retail supply, while the match balls used in Qatar were reported to have been made in China.[5] |
| 2026 | .jpg)
|
Adidas Trionda | Manufacturer of the ball, which included connected-ball technology and a 500Hz motion sensor.[6] |
Production and technology
[edit]Forward Sports' growth has been linked to changes in football manufacturing in Sialkot. Traditional football production in the city relied heavily on hand-stitching, but tournament-ball manufacturing increasingly shifted toward thermo-bonded designs, in which panels are joined by heat rather than by stitching. Adidas transferred thermo-bonded ball technology to Forward Sports in 2013.[11]
Forward Sports adopted thermo-bonding around 2013 and supplied thermo-bonded footballs for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.[12] The wider shift from hand-stitched to machine-based and thermo-bonded footballs created pressure on traditional stitchers in Sialkot, particularly women who had previously worked from home.[12]
For the Brazuca project, Forward Sports had to build a production system to meet Adidas's requirements. The company redesigned its production line and had local hardware and software engineers build production and testing equipment in seven weeks.[4] Later Adidas balls also used additional testing and technology. The Telstar 18 used thermo-bonding and incorporated NFC technology, while the Trionda was reported to include connected-ball technology for officiating support.[2][6]
Akhtar linked the company's World Cup work to automation, research and development, and production efficiency.[3] Dawn reported that Forward Sports had adopted several manufacturing technologies, including thermo-bonding, rubber moulding, latexing and computerised testing for durability, heat, humidity and impact resistance.[3]
Products and operations
[edit]Forward Sports manufactures footballs and other sporting goods for export markets. The company is part of Sialkot's export-oriented sporting goods sector, which supplies brands, clubs and tournament organisers internationally.[5] In 2018, it was reported to produce around 700,000 footballs a month and to supply competitions including the UEFA Champions League, the Bundesliga and Ligue 1.[2]
In 2026, Akhtar said that the company produced 15 million footballs annually and had become Adidas's largest football supplier after replacing a Chinese competitor.[13]
Pakistan was reported to be one of the world's largest football manufacturing countries, along with China and India, while Sialkot produced more than 43 million balls valued at US$191 million in the 2021–22 financial year.[5] About eight percent of Sialkot's population of around one million people worked in the football manufacturing industry at the time of the report.[5]
In 2021–22, Forward Sports had revenue of about US$51 million.[1]
Affiliates and expansion
[edit]Forward Egypt, based in Badr City near Cairo, has been described as an affiliate of the Pakistani Forward sports equipment group and was commissioned by Adidas to manufacture part of the Al Rihla supply for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[9] GS Group describes Forward Egypt as a partnership between GS Group and Forward Group that began in June 2022.[14]
In January 2026, Arab News reported that Forward Sports planned to launch operations in Saudi Arabia as the kingdom increased investment in sports ahead of the 2034 FIFA World Cup.[13] A separate Arab News report stated that Saudi and Pakistani representatives had discussed the proposed opening of a Forward Sports headquarters in Saudi Arabia.[15]
Labour practices and criticism
[edit]Forward Sports operates in an industry that has historically faced international scrutiny over child labour and labour conditions in Sialkot. During the 1990s, football stitching in Sialkot came under pressure from labour-rights campaigns, leading to international monitoring arrangements and reforms in the wider industry.[8] Signs at the entrance to Forward Sports and inside the factory stated that underage workers were not accepted, and Akhtar described a policy requiring workers to have identity cards before employment.[8]
The industry's shift toward thermo-bonded and machine-assisted balls also affected labour patterns in Sialkot. The adoption of thermo-bonded ball technology reduced demand for hand-stitching and contributed to job losses among traditional stitchers, especially women who had previously worked from home.[12] Organisations including UN Women, the International Labour Organization and local partners worked on retraining women affected by the decline in hand-stitching work.[12]
In 2014, Akhtar said that workers at Forward Sports were paid the minimum wage. The workers at the company confirmed the minimum-wage claim, while labour activists argued that skilled football workers should receive higher pay and raised wider concerns about social security, unionisation and piece-rate wages in Sialkot's football industry.[16]
Recognition
[edit]The company CEO Khawaja Masood Akhtar has received Pakistani civil awards for his work in sports exports. He was awarded the Sitara-i-Imtiaz in 2019.[17] In 2023, he was among the recipients of the Hilal-i-Imtiaz for sports exports.[18]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Hussain, Bilal (20 November 2022). "Pakistan-made footballs at FIFA World Cup 2022: the 'crown jewel' for Sialkot's Forward Sports". Business Recorder. Retrieved 14 June 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Kaifee, Sib (14 June 2018). "Pakistan's Telstar 18 football stars in World Cup opener". Arab News. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
- ^ a b c d Jawaid, Mohammad Kamran (19 October 2022). "Moving 'Forward' — the story of Pakistan's entry to Qatar 2022". Dawn. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Khan, Hamza (15 June 2014). "From zero to Brazuca". Dawn. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g "'Made-in-Sialkot' Adidas ball puts Pakistan in the World Cup". Reuters. 9 December 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
- ^ a b c d Paul, Ajanta (10 June 2026). "Made in Pakistan, AI-powered: Sialkot's Trionda ball to be the star of Fifa World Cup". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
- ^ "Engagement with Pakistani company: Visit to Forward Sports, Sialkot". High Commission of Malaysia, Islamabad. 9 July 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
- ^ a b c "The football". Al Jazeera. 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
- ^ a b "PM hails 'Made In Egypt' footballs for World Cup as investment boost". Al-Ahram. 22 November 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
- ^ Shamaa, Mohammed (4 December 2022). "Prime minister hails 'made in Egypt' footballs for World Cup". Arab News. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
- ^ "Pakistani-made footballs to shine at Doha World Cup". Dawn. 1 July 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
- ^ a b c d Ahmed, Shahzada Irfan (27 August 2019). "A different ball game". The News International. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
- ^ a b Abbasi, Waseem (26 January 2026). "Pakistan's Forward Sports, key Adidas supplier, plans to launch Saudi operations this year — CEO". Arab News. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
- ^ "Forward Egypt". GS Group. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
- ^ Abbasi, Waseem (8 January 2026). "Pakistani top sports goods maker Forward Sports plans Saudi expansion". Arab News. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
- ^ Ahmed, Shahzada Irfan (29 June 2014). "Rights for the ball-makers". The News International. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
- ^ "Governor Punjab awards "Sitaara-e-Imtiaz" to Khawaja Masood Akhtar". Customs Today. 26 March 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
- ^ "President confers Pakistan civil awards on 135 individuals". The Express Tribune. 23 March 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2026.