Involving newcomers, offline promotions and global strategies, FIFA World Cup sponsorship in China boomed, even though the Chinese men's team consistently fails to reach the qualified group stage. In May, lifestyle social media platform RedNote purchased its first FIFA broadcast and short-video making rights licensed by China Central Television (CCTV), the country's exclusive live broadcaster for the World Cup. In June, adidas extended its immersive concept sites for Backyard Legends, a video shot for the FIFA World Cup 2026, to Shanghai's Xintiandi, for brand and FIFA promotion. Chinese sponsors like tech firm Hisense, dairy maker Mengniu and toy maker Pop Mart had an on-site presence at the World Cup. Experts said as a game that reaches three quarters of the global population, the soccer World Cup presents a good platform for sponsors to gain popularity, particularly among the young.
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