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Xinyi Wu

As Spain and Argentina prepare to go head to head in the World Cup final, China may have already claimed the tournament’s main economic prize without stepping onto the pitch.
This year’s World Cup has generated a substantial windfall for many Chinese businesses that produce and export sports items and merchandise to global markets.
Zheng Ziyi, who runs an apparel export business in China’s central Jiangxi province, said he had seen orders for Argentina jerseys surge after the team defeated England in the semi-final earlier this week.
Over the past few months “jersey sales have increased by 60 per cent”, said Zheng, whose business had also expanded to the European market this year due to increased demand.
Europe had quickly become one of his main export destinations, trailing only Southeast Asia and Latin America. While their strategy for these traditional markets relied on high volumes and thin margins, European buyers would accept higher prices, which had offset the increased shipping costs, Zheng noted.
“[The demand] is mainly for the jerseys of popular players,” Zheng said, referring to Argentina’s Lionel Messi, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, France’s Kylian Mbappe and Norway’s Erling Haaland.
Despite recent data highlighting weakness in the domestic economy, China’s trade has boomed. Exports surged 27 per cent in June and 17.6 per cent in the first half of the year, according to data from Chinese customs.
Customs officials also noted that the World Cup had sparked a global surge in demand for sports items, and China – the world’s largest exporter of sporting goods, accounting for over 40 per cent of global exports in recent years – had benefited.

Chinese outbound shipments of sports goods and equipment totalled 67.53 billion yuan (US$9.97 billion) in the first half of the year, officials said at a press conference on Tuesday.
And despite its men’s team failing to qualify for the World Cup since 2002, the only time it ever reached the tournament, China still maintains a significant presence on and around the pitch.
China manufactures kits worn by several teams in the World Cup, and some of its firms have established a visible footprint in stadiums across host cities, such as electronics manufacturer Hisense and dairy giant Mengniu, both of which secured pitchside advertising.
This exposure has translated into a rise in global interest. Google search data shows that queries for the term “Mengniu” have surged by more than 5,000 per cent over the past month, compared with the same period last year.
“By embedding its brands and systems into shared global experiences – especially one as emotionally charged as football – Chinese firms are positioning themselves within the everyday lives of global audiences,” wrote Jennifer Hsu, an associate professor at Western Sydney University, in a July report for Australia-based think tank Lowy Institute.
As the games near their end, the challenge now turns to sustaining the commercial momentum.
For Zheng, while he expected his sports apparel orders would drop at the end of the World Cup, he was already looking to pivot his production line to the next major consumer holiday.
“I will definitely seek new business opportunities, such as Halloween-themed clothing,” he said.


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While its men’s team has not competed since 2002, this year’s tournament has generated significant profit for many Chinese firms


While its men’s team has not competed since 2002, this year’s tournament has generated significant profit for many Chinese firms.


China did not qualify for the World Cup. It may have won in economic terms

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}While its men’s team has not competed since 2002, this year’s tournament has generated significant profit for many Chinese firms

While its men’s team has not competed since 2002, this year’s tournament has generated significant profit for many Chinese firms