It wasn’t until 1844, when Charles Goodyear patented vulcanized rubber, that soccer balls started taking shape. Literally. In 1855, Goodyear created the first rubber soccer ball. Then ...

hardening the rubber. Workers cut patches for the ball's external shell. Each ball is made up of 20 hexagons and 12 pentagons. These workers are using sewing machines to put together soccer balls.

At Bola Gema Pakistan's factory, workers are responsible for all aspects of a soccer ball's creation, from cutting and molding sheets of hot rubber to patching together the 20 hexagons and 12 ...

Miles from the main roads, in rural Africa, soccer balls bounce ... in fraying sneakers, boots, rubber sandals. Yet children kick and chase handmade, lopsided balls with skill and abandon ...