The World Cup hasn't started yet, but Chinese sellers are already experiencing explosive sales.

Ask AI · How Chinese sellers with flexible supply chains are seizing World Cup business opportunities?

As the schedule is announced, the Qatar, US, and Mexico World Cup is gradually approaching, and the atmosphere of the event is growing stronger.

Chinese sellers may be among the earliest participants in the World Cup. As early as last year’s qualifiers, some sellers experienced a wave of orders, with factories working overtime until 2 or 3 a.m. every day, busy for half a month before completing the influx of orders. Now, merchants expect a second wave of booming sales after the World Cup starts and must prepare months in advance.

Over 60k pieces ordered by US customers

Guangdong-based jersey seller Chen Ning (pseudonym) has been engaged in the production of football-related products for 10 years, covering various football uniforms and customized accessories.

Chen Ning told Yicai that most orders usually come from European and American customers, but during the World Cup cycle, customer demographics change. “In the last Qatar World Cup, there were more orders from Asia. This time, the US, Canada, and Mexico World Cup orders mainly come from the Americas.”

The sales cycle for World Cup-related products lasts up to a year. Chen Ning said he started receiving orders from clients gradually from May last year, reaching the first peak in October. At that time, his factory worked overtime for half a month, sometimes until 2 or 3 a.m. to process that day’s shipments.

Chen Ning expects the second peak to begin at the end of this month, gradually rising with the start of the group stage, peaking in June. To prepare for this, he started early. Since January, Chen Ning has been launching new products and consolidating hot-selling items, now with 15 popular styles. He said most of the new hot items feature national elements, such as colors related to Brazil—mainly yellow with green accents—and iconic symbols like the Christ the Redeemer statue.

The sales of new styles exceeded expectations. Chen Ning said, “When designing products with national elements, I was actually worried because these products are mostly for domestic audiences, which might reduce conversion rates. But the results exceeded expectations, with sales 10% to 20% better than planned.” He plans to continue and will launch products featuring European countries in April.

The schedule for this World Cup has been released, and as the opening approaches, Chen Ning has received many large orders. He said a US customer placed two orders totaling over 60k pieces. Among the additional orders, about 70% are related to Mexico-style products. Chen Ning believes this is partly because the Mexican market is growing rapidly, and many cities in the US prefer Mexican elements, making such orders logical. Additionally, many of the recent additional orders are for new styles.

Chen Ning estimates that, compared to the last World Cup, online sales during this cycle have increased nearly 50%, and offline sales have grown about 30%.

He said that during the last Qatar World Cup, his factory sold over 60k pieces, and the US, Canada, and Mexico orders are expected to hit new highs, with an estimated production of 150k items during this period.

The World Cup is a crucial cycle for merchants like Chen Ning. He said that while the event could bring explosive growth, he hopes for stable long-term growth, which is better for business operations, inventory management, and sustained development. “After the last World Cup, we continued developing in the Middle East market, and we hope that after this one, there will be significant growth in North America and Latin America. Even after the tournament ends, sales can grow year by year.”

Zhang Zhouping, Executive Dean of Bense ZhiKu, told Yicai that as the group and knockout stages progress, additional orders for dark horse and advancing teams will surge. Especially around the finals, orders may reach a peak. In such large events, Chinese sellers’ advantages are their flexible and rapid supply chain response capabilities. Represented by industrial belts like Yiwu, they can achieve quick delivery to meet the fast turnaround demands of events like the World Cup. Second, their digital operation capabilities are strong; Chinese sellers are familiar with major e-commerce platform rules and strategies, efficiently utilizing live streaming, short videos, and social media for cross-border marketing, quickly creating popular products.

AI boosts efficiency

Chen Xianchun, head of the Yiwu Golden Trophy Award and Medal Department, told Yicai that during the World Cup cycle, the delivery times for different product categories vary.

For example, trophies, which are large and expensive to air freight, were ordered gradually last year, with concentrated shipments before the New Year. Recently, orders for trophies have decreased. In contrast, small, easy-to-ship accessories like keychains and badges are still receiving orders, including many repeat customers. Currently, keychains, badges, fridge magnets, and other products, mainly featuring elements like the World Cup trophy, are in high demand. Chen Xianchun expects a new wave of orders for these accessories when the tournament begins. His team is preparing for this, including early design, prototyping, and ongoing communication with clients. After the semifinals, they will be more targeted in their preparations.

Chen Xianchun also noted that orders for US, Canada, and Mexico are significantly increasing. Offline channels grew 30% compared to the last World Cup, and online channels increased about 60%. Many old clients prefer to order directly online, while some new clients fly to Yiwu for face-to-face discussions.

“The advantages of ‘Yiwu manufacturing’ are expanding.” Chen Xianchun said that, in comparison, Chinese sellers have advantages in product packaging and functional design, and competition is driving improvements. She believes that the main reasons merchants choose Chinese sellers are twofold: first, many, including herself, have long-standing industry experience—“When clients place orders, they consider not only price but also quality, craftsmanship, and delivery time.” Chinese sellers have mature operational systems in these areas. Second, many clients need advice during product development, and Chinese sellers can leverage industry experience to make recommendations.

Chinese-made sports and related products are becoming increasingly popular. According to data from the China Sporting Goods Industry Association, by 2025, the sports goods industry, relying on a strong industrial base, significant product competitiveness, and robust supply chains, will withstand various pressures and achieve exports of $60k, exceeding expectations. Yiwu Customs statistics show that in the first seven months of 2025, Yiwu’s sports goods and equipment exports totaled 6.78 billion yuan, up 16.8% year-on-year; exports to the US, Canada, and Mexico—the host countries of this World Cup—reached 1.88 billion yuan, up 10%.

Zhang Zhouping believes that Chinese sellers have a powerful and complete supply chain network, capable of efficient large-scale manufacturing and low-cost production, with agility in product iteration and customization. Additionally, years of foreign trade experience enable sellers to respond flexibly to various order types, continuously strengthening their international competitiveness.

AI is increasingly integrated into merchants’ workflows. Chen Xianchun revealed that AI has improved team efficiency in product design, customer communication, and key point extraction. For example, in the design phase, AI can be used for preliminary market research, saving time; when designers lack inspiration, AI can provide creative ideas.

Chen Ning’s team also uses multiple AI tools to improve work efficiency. “We’ve been using AI tools for a long time, mainly for creating product links, AI image generation, and AI translation. In our industry, most merchants are using these functions; if you don’t, you risk being eliminated.”

(This article is from Yicai)