‘Made in China’ marches to 2022 FIFA World Cup
An array of products made in China, from stadiums and souvenirs to new energy vehicles was unveiled on the global stage, with the 2022 FIFA World Cup kicking off on Sunday in Qatar, marking another year of Chinese brands marching massively in the feast of football competition.
Chinese Ambassador to Qatar Zhou Jian highlighted China’s contribution to the Qatar World Cup. “Chinese elements are extremely prominent,” he said, “The Lusail Stadium has become an iconic landmark in the World Cup. From infrastructure to telecommunications, from 1,500 new energy buses to solar power plants, from match supplies to souvenirs, ‘made in China’ can be found everywhere in Qatar.”
Chinese companies are providing more sponsorship revenue, than enterprises from any other country at the 2022 World Cup, with $1.4 billion compared with $1.1 billion from the United States firms, according to London information services firm GlobalData.
Lusail Stadium, constructed in cooperation by Qatar and the China Railway Construction Corp, is the main venue of this year’s World Cup, where 10 matches will be hosted, including the final on Dec 18.
The host nation spent over $200 billion over 12 years building roads, hotels, stadiums and soccer facilities. Shaped like a date palm bowl and an enamel lantern, the gleaming Lusail Stadium with its 80,000 capacity, is one of eight lavish stadiums.
It is the first time a Chinese company has built a World Cup venue, and the Lusail Stadium is featured on the new 10-riyal ($2.75) banknote of Qatar.
Chinese major phone maker Vivo is the official smartphone of the 2022 World Cup, as well as the only mobile device that is an event sponsor.
Dongguan Wagon Giftware in Guangdong province has obtained authorization for global distribution and manufacturing of official commodities at FIFA World Cups for the past 28 years, including this year’s trophy replicas.
The official mascot of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, La’eeb, an Arabic word meaning super-skilled player, was also made in Dongguan.
Data from online marketplace AliExpress involving global trade showed that sales of Chinese-produced flags and soccer shoes skyrocketed by 300 % and 200 %, respectively, in November, from a month earlier, while the sales of Chinese-made table soccer machines soared by 120 % month-on-month in November.
Ma Xiang, who is in charge of World Cup sales at AliExpress, said the platform has stocked about 10 million items for this year’s World Cup.
Besides, two giant pandas from China arrived in Qatar on Wednesday ahead of the 2022 World Cup. These “Chinese elements have deepened the friendship between the people of China and Qatar, consolidated the cooperation foundation between the two countries, and injected a strong impetus to the development of bilateral relations,” Ambassador Zhou said.
