As World Cup boosts merch demand, China’s small-goods capital Yiwu stays wary

With less than five months to go before the opening match of the 2026 Fifa World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, a wave of World Cup-driven orders is already rippling through China’s manufacturing heartlands.In Yiwu, the eastern Chinese city long known as the world’s largest hub for small commodities, exporters of fan merchandise and sporting accessories are reporting an early surge in overseas orders.World Cup fan merchandise maker and exporter Miji, who declined to give his full name, has been busy since the second half of 2025, producing national flags, scarves, horns and wristbands for markets including Mexico, Ecuador, Italy, the United States and Argentina.“Overall, orders are up by about 20 per cent compared to [the last World Cup in] 2022,” he said.However, despite the temporary boom brought by the quadrennial football tournament, he remained cautious about the overall economic outlook. “The first half of 2025 was weak – there were fewer clients,” he said, adding that “there are no permanent customers” in the current climate.This year’s World Cup, scheduled to run from June 11 to July 19, will be the first tournament jointly hosted by three countries – the United States, Mexico and Canada – and the first to expand to 48 teams, up from 32 in Qatar in 2022.