With just over ten days until the highly anticipated FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, participating teams are finalizing their squads and intensifying preparations. Off the field, sales of official merchandise for this edition of the tournament are equally fervent, with creatively designed products particularly favored by consumers.
Both online and offline channels are experiencing high demand. At the "World Cup Elite IP Official Licensed Store" by Juxing Power outside the main entrance of Chaoyang Joy City, a wide array of merchandise for teams like Argentina, Portugal, England, and France—including jerseys, fan scarves, and plush toys—fills the shelves. Fan Mr. Li selected a French team supporter T-shirt, while his six-year-old son, who loves cars, chose an Argentina team bus model. Mr. Li remarked, "I've supported France since Zidane's playing days, and I hope they win this time." University student Chen Jiamin, a fan of Cristiano Ronaldo, purchased a bear keychain. "This bear wearing the Portugal No. 7 jersey is adorable; hanging it on my bag shows my allegiance!" Argentina team blind boxes placed atop shelves are especially popular among customers.
A store employee noted that merchandise for Argentina, Portugal, and England teams sells best, with an Argentina figurine blind box being a top seller. This blind box contains eight possible figurines, featuring Lionel Messi in different cartoon styles from the past five World Cups, plus three hidden variants.
World Cup merchandise is also performing well on e-commerce platforms. On the FIFA Official Store on Taobao, recent sales for three mascot plush toys and the "Football Brain" series plush keychains have each exceeded 1,000 units.
"This year's World Cup features 48 teams for the first time, meaning more matches. Additionally, the popularity of city leagues like the CSL has expanded the football-watching audience, creating more business opportunities," said Xiong Xiaofeng, General Manager of Xiong'ao Sports. The company is selling this World Cup's merchandise both online and offline, with replicas of the FIFA World Cup Trophy being the best-sellers. "People want a good omen; they're sold out now," he added.
Since the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Xiong Xiaofeng has been involved as a merchant in major events like the Olympics and World Cup. He anticipates the peak sales period for domestic World Cup merchandise will arrive after the tournament begins. "The World Cup is the liveliest party in sports with the highest commercial value. Even without China's team, our whole society gets involved." He revealed that his company started securing licenses and agencies last year to prepare for this quadrennial commercial battle.
"Competing on creativity" is key to product success. Juxing Power, headquartered in Beijing, holds official licenses for teams including Argentina, Portugal, France, England, Spain, Germany, and the Netherlands—covering nearly all top contenders for this World Cup, according to COO Jin Ye. She explained that the company doesn't simply apply team logos to products but systematically designs and develops items based on sports IP culture, fan sentiment, and lifestyle contexts. A product series typically goes through multiple stages from concept to market: IP research, trend analysis, design proposals, licensing approval, sample prototyping, fabric and accessory testing, packaging design, production follow-up, in-store display, and online content dissemination.
Jin Ye highlighted the "Little Goat Messi" plush bag charm: "It's a plush charm in the shape of a little goat wearing the Argentina No. 10 jersey. The 'little goat' image is cute and approachable, and in sports, the goat symbolizes 'the greatest of all time.' We've translated fan emotion into this small product that can be hung on a bag or held in hand." During the 2022 World Cup, Juxing Power produced and sold officially licensed goods for teams like Argentina and Portugal. Jin Ye disclosed that sales of their World Cup-related products so far have exceeded expectations. "This proves that creative, high-quality products gain fan recognition. We also hope the World Cup helps consumers see that football IP merchandise can be diverse and well-designed, turning their passion for the event into long-term brand loyalty."
At the Yiwu International Trade City in Zhejiang, known as the "world's supermarket," merchant Chen Shaomei, who sells sports balls, introduced a best-selling commemorative football designed with the primary colors of the three host nations—the United States, Canada, and Mexico. "This is a commemorative ball we independently designed, produced, and branded. The blue, red, and green represent the host nations' colors; blending them creates a visually distinctive product," she said.
Chen Shaomei's company, Minsa Sports, has been in the ball industry for years, with 90% of products exported overseas. After nearly two decades of development, the brand enjoys high recognition and a solid reputation in Africa and South America. This is Chen Shaomei's sixth World Cup as a merchant. She recalls the awe of witnessing the event's commercial power two decades ago: "Our warehouse was emptied; the impression was simply—out of stock!" In her view, products made in China and Yiwu have shifted from competing on price to winning through creative design and high quality. "For us, our greatest advantage is our unique designs," she stated.
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