It wasn't until 1855, when Charles Goodyear patented vulcanized rubber, that soccer balls started taking shape. Literally.

Nearly 70 percent of the world’s soccer balls are made in Pakistan, and in this factory they are largely still made by hand. ... and laminate synthetic leather panels—often 24 or 32, ...

Through 2002, each ball was made with the iconic 32-panel construction. The 20 hexagonal and 12 pentagonal panels were traditionally made of leather and stitched together. A new era began with the ...

More than two-thirds of the world’s soccer balls are made in one of the town’s 1,000 factories. That includes the Adidas Al Rihla, the official ball of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, which ...

Nearly 70% of the world's soccer balls are made in Sialkot, Pakistan. Factories there produced balls for the 2022 World Cup and sold replicas to fans.