World Cup 2026: China plays beyond the pitch

The 2026 Fifa World Cup kicks off June 11 in North America. Despite China’s national team not making the cut to play, it will still exert an outsized presence, from brand partnerships to viewership. Fifa and China Media Group have signed a broadcasting deal covering the 2026 and 2030 Men’s World Cups and the 2027 and 2031 Women’s World Cups, ending weeks of uncertainty that had threatened to leave an estimated 200 million Chinese football fans without access to this summer’s tournament. Under the agreement, China Media Group will carry the 2026 and 2030 Men’s World Cups alongside the 2027 and 2031 Women’s editions. Fifa Secretary General Mattias Grafström called the deal a source of pride, noting China’s status as one of soccer’s most important markets, and pointed to the 2026 iteration as a historic moment the partnership will help deliver to new audiences via digital platforms. Xiaohongshu scores Often referred to as China’s answer to Instagram, Xiaohongshu (also known as RedNote) has secured streaming rights for the 2026 World Cup, making all 104 matches available free on its platform. Perhaps the most telling signal of Chinese soccer culture’s maturity is who secured those domestic streaming rights: a lifestyle-sharing app. The move reflects both ambition and genuine traction. Xiaohongshu says its soccer-interested user base surpassed 100 million in the past year, with football-related interactions more than doubling year-on-year. The platform is promising new interactive formats and immersive content experiences — a bet that the World Cup is a long-cycle content opportunity, not just 90-minute broadcasts. The Chinese men’s national team was eliminated during Asian qualifiers, extending a streak that has seen the squad reach the tournament just once — in 2002. But that absence has done little to dampen enthusiasm for the sport, or to slow the ambitions of Chinese brands on the world stage. China’s outbound direct investment rose 8.9 percent year-on-year to $44.5 billion in the first quarter of 2026 alone, according to Ernst & Young — a sign of the broader commercial ambition that is sending Chinese brands onto the world stage, including its biggest sporting events. Brands in the infrastructure Three Chinese companies — Hisense, Lenovo, and Mengniu — sit among Fifa’s top-tier commercial partners for the 2026 tournament. Their roles go well beyond logo placement. Founded in Qingdao in 1969 as a radio factory, Hisense now operates in over 160 countries and is supplying RGB Mini LED displays for Fifa’s Video Assistant Referee centers across all 16 venues. Lenovo is deploying more than 10,000 devices and 200 engineers across all 16 venues, introducing two distinct AI systems: digital twins of each stadium to monitor crowd flow and venue operations in real time, and AI-generated 3D avatars of individual players to support VAR offside decisions and in-stadium broadcasts. Dairy giant Mengniu extended its Fifa partnership to cover the 2026 and 2030 Men’s World Cups and the 2027 Women’s World Cup — its fifth consecutive Fifa tournament sponsorship. As Dharpan Randhawa told Jing Daily in March 2026, “Sports and entertainment IP already carry emotional equity, cultural legitimacy, and global scale. When aligned properly, they allow brands to borrow credibility instantly rather than spending decades building it.” “The CMOs who succeed treat these partnerships as business decisions, not marketing stunts,” Randhawa added. “They invest time upfront, challenge assumptions, and work with partners who understand both global sport and Chinese brands. When that foundation is in place, everything that follows becomes more effective.” A nation of viewers The numbers tell the story: during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, China accounted for 49.8% of all hours of viewing on digital and social platforms globally, and 17.7% of the tournament’s total linear TV reach worldwide — more than any other single market. That audience is built entirely around international teams — China’s own squad wasn’t there to watch. On Chinese social media, Brazil and Germany command the most devoted fanbases, alongside Argentina — whose following swelled dramatically on the back of Lionel Messi’s global appeal. Cristiano Ronaldo, making a record sixth World Cup appearance with Portugal, brings his own legion of Chinese fans to the tournament — on Xiaohongshu, his Chinese name #C罗 has 3.2 billion impressions. Those fanbases fuel merchandise demand well beyond China’s borders. In Yiwu — often dubbed the “World Cup factory” — manufacturers produce vast quantities of jerseys, flags and Fifa-themed souvenirs consumed by fans worldwide. Back home, soccer shirts have evolved beyond sportswear into Gen Z fashion staples — reflecting how China’s relationship with the World Cup is now driven by manufacturing power, consumer culture and global fandom rather than results on the pitch. The bigger picture For Chinese brands, the World Cup’s appeal is both strategic and emotional. Global sporting events offer a politically neutral stage with genuine global reach. As tariff pressures and geopolitical friction complicate Chinese companies’ international expansion, soccer provides cover and credibility that conventional advertising cannot. Where Chinese sponsors once sought basic name recognition, they now target premium positioning and want to be seen as technological leaders on a global stage. China may not be playing in the 2026 World Cup. But in terms of who is funding it, streaming it and watching it, few countries will be more present when the tournament kicks off June 11.

World Cup 2026: China plays beyond the pitch

How Bottega Veneta weaved China’s forever it bag

Upgrade to Pro

Sectors

Insights

Company

World Cup 2026: China plays beyond the pitch

How Bottega Veneta weaved China’s forever it bag