Yiwu (China) (AFP) – Toy charms shaped like a goat and decked out in Lionel Messi's Argentina number 10 shirt pepper a factory tabletop in China, where sellers are betting on the country's lucrative fan market for a big World Cup boost.
Issued on: 10/06/2026 - 07:00
3 min Reading time
The World Cup begins in North America on Thursday but China won't be there after failing to qualify once again, leaving their sole appearance back in 2002.Yet there's still plenty of interest in the country and the showpiece is a boon for Chinese merchants crunching out kits and accessories for fans spending on "emotional value" -- a rare bright spot in a domestic economy plagued by sluggish consumption.The palm-sized soft-toy goats -- homage to Messi's title as the GOAT ("greatest of all time") -- are a bestseller for All Star Partner, a Chinese firm who have a contract with teams including Argentina to make branded products.The company's sales are up five-fold this year compared to the 2022 World Cup, according to its CEO.At the factory in Yiwu, China's wholesale hub in the east of the country, workers affixed chains to the blue and white Messi "goats", which are designed to be attached to bags.They are then packaged and sent out for storefronts across the country.Nearby were soft-toy footballers resembling Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, fluffy roosters in France polos and teddy bears in Spain kits.
