As the World Cup is playing out in Qatar, made-in-China products are having increasing presence in this biggest football bonanza across the globe, with Chinese brands betting on sponsorship to enhance their international influence, according to Global Data, a consulting company headquartered in London, Beijing Business Today reported.

Wanda Group, Hisense Group, Vivo and dairy company Mengniu are four official Chinese sponsors of FIFA, while Wanda has become one of FIFA’s seven corporate partners, along with Coca-Cola, Adidas, Hyundai-Kia, Qatar Airways, Qatar Energy and VISA.

Data showed Chinese companies provided more sponsorship revenue than companies from any other country at the 2022 World Cup, paying nearly US$1.4 billion. U.S. companies contributed US$1.1 billion.

Not just big companies, manufacturers from Yiwu, China’s small commodity hub, also make their presence at the sports event.

From footballs, national flags and trophy ornaments to horns and whistles, over 60% of souvenirs are being produced in Yiwu for this years’ World Cup.

CCTV news reported that Chinese companies mainly from Guangdong and Zhejiang provinces have also provided more than 10,000 container houses for the World Cup, used as accommodation for tourists and football fans.

“The World Cup sponsorship by a large number of Chinese companies speaks of China’s economic power, and puts Chinese brands in the spotlight,” said Song Xiangqing, vice chair of the Commerce Economy Association of China.

According to Deloitte’s report, football generates an annual output of more than US$500 billion across the world, accounting for over 40% of the sports industry, being called “the world’s 17th largest economy.”

Vivo, for example, entered the markets in 10 European countries through its sponsorship of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

By participating in popular sports events around the world, Chinese brands are able to march into the international market in a more imperceptible way, and resonate emotionally with global users, according to Vivo.

In 2016, Hisense spent US$100 million to become an official sponsor of the World Cup in Russia. Sales volume of Hisense TV surged nearly three times after the game kicked off.

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【赞助】zànzhù sponsorship money that is given, usually by a company, to support a person, organization or activity

【不易觉察的】búyì juéchá de imperceptible not perceptible by a sense or by the mind

据《北京商报》报道，总部位于伦敦的咨询和分析公司环球数据称，随着卡塔尔世界杯的举行，“中国制造”在这场最大规模的足球商业赛事中的影响力越来越大。

本届世界杯中，国际足联官方指定的中国赞助商总共有四家，分别是万达集团、海信集团、Vivo和蒙牛乳业。万达与可口可乐、阿迪达斯、现代起亚、卡塔尔航空、卡塔尔能源、VISA一同被列为国际足联七大官方合作伙伴之一。

数据显示，中国企业在本届卡塔尔世界杯的赞助额达到了14亿美元，居世界第一，美国企业赞助额为11亿美元。

除了大企业，来自中国小商品之都义乌的制造商在这场全球体育盛宴中的影响力也与日俱增。

从足球、国旗、奖杯饰品到喇叭和口哨，本届世界杯60%以上的纪念品来自义乌。

据央视新闻报道，本届世界杯为游客和球迷提供了1万多个集装箱房作为住宿场所，这些集装箱主要来自中国广东和浙江的企业。

中国商业经济协会副会长宋向清表示：“大量中国企业赞助世界杯是中国经济实力的展示，让中国品牌被更多人看见。”

德勤报告显示，全球足球行业的年产值超过5000亿美元，占体育产业的40%以上，被称为“世界第17大经济体”。

智能手机厂商Vivo在赞助2018年俄罗斯世界杯后，顺势进入10个欧洲国家市场。

Vivo表示，通过与世界各地知名体育赛事合作，中国品牌能够以潜移默化的方式进入国际市场，与全球用户建立起情感沟通。

2016年，海信斥资1亿美元成为俄罗斯世界杯官方赞助商，开赛后，海信电视的销量激增近三倍。

(chinadaily.com.cn)