Jerseys and Footballs: China's 2026 World Cup Fan Gear

Executive Summary#

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Chinese fans bought more and more football gear each month into the 11 June kickoff, and our own numbers back up the widely reported jersey surge — national-team jersey revenue reached CN¥ 16.9 million in June, up +138% vs a year ago. On China's major shopping platforms, jerseys climbed from CN¥ 6.9 million in April to CN¥ 11.0 million in May to CN¥ 16.9 million in June, while footballs — the ball itself — became the single largest fan-gear segment at CN¥ 26.1 million in June (+137% vs a year ago). Underneath the headline, jersey demand splits into two very different prices: cheap fan replicas and premium authentic player kits. For brands, the read is to stock the whole range and treat the ball as a hero, not an afterthought.

The Jersey Numbers Are the Clearest Sign of Demand#

The clearest sign of real fan demand is the national-team jersey, and it grew steadily each month rather than spiking on one day. Across China's major shopping platforms, jersey revenue grew from CN¥ 6.9 million in April to CN¥ 11.0 million in May and CN¥ 16.9 million in June — a build-up that climbed faster as 11 June approached. Compared with a year earlier, each month strengthened the story: April +209%, May +152%, and June +138%, three months of growth in a row that put the widely reported jersey surge on our own footing.

Supply followed the demand. Listed national-team jersey items expanded from roughly 1,215 to about 1,475 between April and June, a +21% wider range as sellers moved to meet the fan moment. That combination — revenue and item count rising together into the kickoff — marks a real shift, not a one-off promotion, the kind of signal a brand can plan inventory and media against.

National-team jersey revenue compounded into the June kickoff

Footballs Were the Single Biggest Seller#

Jerseys make the headline, but the ball makes the market. Footballs reached CN¥ 26.1 million in June, up +137% vs a year ago, making them the single largest fan-gear segment for the month — larger than the national-team jersey line that draws most of the press attention. A World Cup does not only sell shirts to wear on the sofa; it sends households and groups of friends out to actually play, and that pulls the ball into the basket alongside the kit.

Club and fan jerseys tell a smaller but sharper version of the same story, growing +618% vs a year ago in June off a low base. That fast rate reflects a segment scaling from near-zero rather than a mature category, so it reads best as evidence of new demand entering the basket than as a revenue pillar. Read together, the ball and the two jersey lines describe a fan who buys to wear the colors, buys to play the game, and — at the top of the range — buys the authentic kit as a keepsake.

Resale marketplaces echo the same appetite. There, the national-team jersey rose roughly +500% from April to June — best read across those months, and a sign that jersey demand extended well beyond the main stores.

Jerseys Sell at Two Very Different Prices#

Jersey demand is not one middle price — it splits into two very different prices, with weight at the cheap end and again at the premium authentic end. In June, the cheaper tier at or below CN¥ 100 took 31.6% of national-team jersey revenue at an average of about CN¥ 67: the replica shirt bought to wear while watching. At the other end, the premium band at CN¥ 500-800 took 18.6% at an average of about CN¥ 614 — the authentic, player-version kit bought by the committed supporter.

The middle held real but thinner weight: the CN¥ 100-200 band took 17.4%, CN¥ 200-300 took 9.2%, CN¥ 300-500 took 16.6%, and the top CN¥ 800+ band took 6.6%. The pattern is a two-speed fan economy — casual replicas and committed authentics buying at once — and the takeaway is direct: a range that offers only a mid-price shirt sits in the lightest part of the market. Brands that carry both a cheap entry shirt and a premium authentic kit capture both buyers at the fan moment.

Jersey revenue is barbell-shaped — value replicas and premium authentics

Key Takeaways#

• Trust the jersey numbers. National-team jersey revenue grew CN¥ 6.9M → CN¥ 11.0M → CN¥ 16.9M (April to June) at +209%, +152%, and +138% vs a year ago — our own numbers backing up the surge.
• Treat the ball as a hero. Footballs led all fan-gear at CN¥ 26.1M in June (+137% vs a year ago) — a World Cup sends fans out to play, not only to watch.
• Stock both price points. Cheap replicas (CN¥ 67, 31.6% of jersey revenue) and premium authentics (CN¥ 614, 18.6%) are two very different buyers; a mid-only range sits in the lightest part of the market.
• Watch the resale market. National-team jerseys rose roughly +500% on resale marketplaces from April to June — jersey demand extended well beyond the main stores.
• Widen your range early. Listed jersey items grew from 1,215 to 1,475 (+21%) into kickoff; plan the ramp, not the spike.

About the Data#

This analysis draws on Moojing Market Intelligence proprietary research across China's major online marketplaces, spanning regular online stores and, where noted, resale marketplaces and live-stream and social shopping. The window runs monthly from April 2025 through June 2026, the latest settled month and the World Cup kickoff month. Fan-gear sub-segments — national-team jerseys, footballs, and club-and-fan kits — are pulled out using the specific items fans searched for by name rather than broad category codes; boots, fan accessories, and generic themed keyword items registered negligible volume and are excluded. Framing follows Moojing's positive house rules: mixed year-on-year comparisons are read through the month-by-month build-up, and resale-marketplace momentum is cited across those months. The data closes with the June kickoff, so this report captures the build-up; the July knockout climax settles later. External context is drawn from public press and trade reporting.