World Cup: The Trionda ball controversy

The high costs of the 2026 World Cup — a whopping USD 3.8 billion, the highest yet — have so far drawn a muted media response.

Away from the glitz and pageantry of football’s global tournament, less glamorous details have emerged regarding the World Cup. These expose exploitative labour practices that sports retailers are profiting from.

The Trionda ball controversy

Factory workers in Sialkot, Pakistan, producing the iconic Adidas-designed Trionda match ball — to be used on every pitch, in every match — barely earn GBP 26 a week. Yet the ball they’re stitching and assembling is retailing at approximately GBP 130. Trionda which is Spanish for “three waves” represents the World Cup co-costs Canada, Mexico, and the US.

Sialkot city — otherwise known as the football capital — hosts about 1,000 factories. They collectively produce 70 to 75 percent of the world’s footballs — let that sink in. In fact, these factories play a crucial part in supplying equipment for each World Cup event.

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Adidas maintains a long-standing partnership with the city. However, the city has faced previous allegations of sweatshop and child labour practices, especially in the context of production for major tournaments such as the World Cup.

Poverty wages

These labourers, the backbone of football’s most critical labour-intensive supply chains, live in poverty. Meanwhile, sports retailers and FIFA alike reap lucrative financial profits. Workers reportedly earn Pakistan’s minimum wage, approximately GBP 106 monthly — that is less than GBP 5 a day. Others believe that some workers may receive even less. This is because factories were pressured to cease the employment of child labourers, unauthorised subcontracting, and adopt fair trade practices. At each World Cup, poverty wages remain a significant concern for those producing football goods.

Commenting on these practices, Anna Bryher, policy lead for the pressure group ‘Labour Behind the Label’ told the Sun:

“the fact that these footballs retail for over £100 while the kids of the people making them can’t afford to buy one signals a clear failure of accountability.

She added that:

Adidas and FIFA must take responsibility for their full supply chains and ensure all workers who make footballs receive pay that allows them to live with dignity […] What does fair play mean if the game’s most iconic symbol is built on exploitation?

Adidas responds

The Sun also quoted an Adidas spokesperson as saying that factory conditions where the Trionda World Cup ball is being made are “fair and safe” and included “safe wages.

The same source added that Adidas ensures:

that all our products are manufactured under fair and safe working conditions, including fair wages, through regular on-site inspections, carrying out over 1,000 inspections in the last 12 months.

Trade unionist Asif Khan of the Pakistan Workers Federation told the Sun that while poor business practices had decreased, his union would continue to fight for fairer, better wages. Such commitment also aligns with the ongoing scrutiny connected to each World Cup.

FIFA, which was contacted by the Sun, is yet to comment on the unresolved controversy of the Trona ball — a fixture in this year’s World Cup.

Featured image via the Canary