Forward Sports, one of the world’s largest football manufacturers and a key supplier to global brands, plans to begin operations in Saudi Arabia this year through a joint venture, its chief executive officer said.
The Pakistan-based company has worked with Adidas for more than two decades and was one of two manufacturers of the Al Rihla ball used in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Forward Sports produces around 15 million footballs annually for export and has recently replaced a Chinese competitor as Adidas’ largest football supplier.
In an interview with Arab News last week, CEO Khawaja Masood Akhtar said the company is in the early stages of expanding into Saudi Arabia and will start with a limited presence.
The joint venture will be formed with a Saudi partner active in the sports goods sector, though Akhtar did not disclose the partner’s name.
“We want to start within this year,” Akhtar said, adding that the first phase will focus only on marketing.
The expansion follows meetings with Saudi officials during the Future Investment Initiative summit in Riyadh in October last year, as well as discussions this month with Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Pakistan, Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki, in Islamabad.
Akhtar said Forward Sports will first assess the Saudi market before moving into manufacturing and that investment details have not yet been finalized.
In the initial phase, the company will rely on its Saudi partner’s infrastructure and deploy only two or three staff members from Pakistan, while hiring locally in the Kingdom.
Any manufacturing in Saudi Arabia would comply with localization requirements, with most production remaining in Pakistan.
Akhtar said 70 to 80 percent of manufacturing would continue in Pakistan, while 20 to 30 percent would be completed in Saudi Arabia depending on the product, allowing the use of “Made in KSA” labeling.
He stressed that the expansion would not affect Pakistan’s exports or domestic jobs, as core manufacturing, finishing, packaging, and logistics would remain in Pakistan.
While Saudi Arabia’s sports sector is expected to grow ahead of the 2034 FIFA World Cup, Akhtar said no decision has been made on producing World Cup footballs in the Kingdom and that any such move would depend on brand agreements.
Akhtar added that production capacity is not a concern, noting that Forward Sports has previously produced up to 75,000 footballs per day. Current output stands at around 50,000 balls per day following the most recent World Cup cycle.
He reassured workers and stakeholders that the company’s headquarters will remain in Pakistan and that domestic production capacity will continue to expand.
