The World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico boosts sports goods exports -- Economy & Technology -- People's Daily Online

People's Daily Online, Beijing, May 16 (Reporter Li Qiaochu) - As the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico enters the countdown, the economy surrounding the event is warming up in advance.

On May 10th, under the supervision of Quanzhou Customs, which is part of Xiamen Customs, 2,056 pieces of sportswear, including jerseys, shorts, protective gear, and backpacks, as well as other exclusive sports equipment for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, were shipped from Quanzhou and exported through Xiamen Port. These items will be exclusively used by participating national teams such as Jordan.

As an important production and export base for sports products in China, Quanzhou has continuously enhanced its comprehensive strength and international competitiveness in the sports industry through brand building, globalization, and the transformation towards intelligence and green development in recent years. According to statistics from Quanzhou Customs, the export value of sports products in Quanzhou has exceeded 49 billion yuan for six consecutive years from 2020 to 2025, with the export value reaching 14.71 billion yuan in the first four months of this year.

It is understood that in order to escort sports products in seizing the economic opportunities presented by the event, Quanzhou Customs has continuously carried out special actions to facilitate cross-border trade, optimized the customs clearance process, opened a special window for the World Cup, and achieved "zero delay" and "zero waiting" in customs clearance; optimized the approval process for tax reduction and exemption of imported equipment, guided enterprises to make full use of the tax reduction and exemption policy for imported equipment, and assisted enterprises in technological innovation.

If Quanzhou focuses on "exclusive customization" of team equipment, then Yiwu, as a global distribution center for small commodities, has seized the World Cup dividend in the broader consumer goods sector.

Recently, at the customs supervision site of Yiwu Port in Zhejiang, a container truck loaded with sporting goods for export slowly drove away, heading for Ningbo Zhoushan Port. The goods it carried will be loaded onto a ship and shipped to the United States.

The person in charge of Yiwu Aokai Sports Goods Co., Ltd. introduced that driven by the World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the company's football sales have seen an increase, with daily production capacity reaching 4,000 units.  

Wen Congjian, chairman of Yiwu Dannasi Import and Export Co., Ltd., stated that Yiwu's ability to launch "blockbuster products" during a brief opportunity period is inseparable from the flexible support provided by Chinese manufacturing. The company's main business is clothing, and it applies for patents simultaneously when designing team uniforms. With patents, not only can plagiarism be avoided, but the price can also be increased by about 20%.

"Driven by the World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the export of sporting goods has increased significantly this year," said a relevant person in charge of the First Supervision Section of Yiwu Customs. To ensure the acceleration of orders related to sporting goods going overseas, the customs has launched a second-level clearance smart checkpoint and automatic sealing system to achieve automation and instantaneousness in customs transfer operations. At the same time, the inspection process for LCL goods has been optimized, reducing the clearance time for such goods by more than 50%. Statistics from Yiwu Customs, which is under Hangzhou Customs, show that in the first quarter of this year, Yiwu exported sporting goods and equipment worth 2.83 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 12%.  

When turning our attention to the inland, toy enterprises in Xiangtan, Hunan Province, are sprinting on another track of the World Cup economy, relying on officially licensed merchandise.

Recently, under the supervision of Shaoshan Customs, a subordinate of Changsha Customs, 252,000 officially authorized plastic toys related to the FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico were shipped from the Xiangtan Free Trade Zone, for export to the United States and Mexico respectively.

The person in charge of the export enterprise Sunisen Di (Hunan) Group Co., Ltd. introduced that this batch of exported plastic toys are themed around the mascots of this World Cup - the Canadian moose "Maple", the Mexican jaguar "Sayul", and the American bald eagle "Krach", including rotating ornaments, doll hangings, mascot figurines, and other products. Since this year, the company's officially licensed World Cup products have been exported to many countries and regions around the world, with some products also being sold in the domestic market. According to statistics, from January to April this year, Xiangtan City exported toys worth 223 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 455.5%.

From the exclusive World Cup gear in Quanzhou to footballs and jerseys in Yiwu, and mascot toys in Xiangtan, "Made in China" is deeply embedded in the supply chain of global top-tier events with faster response speed, stronger flexible production capacity, and more standardized authorized cooperation. As the World Cup approaches, the "China attraction" of the event economy will continue to be unleashed.