Egypt contributes to World Cup 2022 in Qatar despite disqualification

Even though it failed to qualify for the Mondial this round, Egypt has been present by being one of the major exporters of balls to Qatar used during the World Cup 2022.

The factory in Egypt had been established and started operating four months prior to the tournament, cooperatively with Pakistani expertise and the Egyptian military.

"The balls were delivered to be distributed by Adidas," Ahmed Al-Nabawy, vice-president of Forward company for ball manufacturing, told Egyptian privately-owned satellite TV channel Al-Kahera Wal Nas.

The project is a foundation for a broader business of sports products to be manufactured in Egypt in the near future.

"The global market size for sports products is about US$ 380 billion, and soon sports clothes and shoes by international brands will be manufactured in Egypt," Nabawy said.

It remains unclear how many balls Egypt has contributed to the World Cup.

One of the world's most-watched sporting events ever, Qatar has been hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup which began on Sunday. It is the first time the football tournament to be hosted in the Arab World.

The tournament kicked off with a match between the host and Ecuador which won 2/0 against Qatar.

Sports brands are not manufactured in Egypt. They are mostly made in Asian countries such as China and Vietnam.