Chinese Brands Shift Sponsorship Focus from FIFA World Cup to National Teams

There has been a significant change in how Chinese companies approach sponsorship at the 2026 FIFA World Cup compared to past tournaments, with more firms choosing to form direct partnerships with national teams rather than sponsoring the event itself.

According to Li Jiang, the executive director of a sports marketing intelligence platform, the main sponsorship approach this year has shifted toward more sophisticated, in-depth collaborations with national teams.

The number of Chinese companies sponsoring the World Cup has decreased to three this time from six in the previous edition. Meanwhile, the number of Chinese partners supporting Argentina, the defending champion, almost doubled from eight to 15. Support for this year’s winner, Spain, grew from two to four.

Tech giant TCL Technology sponsored three national teams—Argentina, Germany, and Spain—making this year’s final a showdown between multiple TCL-supported nations. By backing several prominent teams, TCL aimed to mitigate marketing risks linked to the unpredictable performance of individual teams, ensuring continuous brand visibility throughout the tournament, Li explained.

A company spokesperson shared that soccer has long been a core channel of their marketing efforts across Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa. Data from a global market research firm showed the company’s share in the Argentine television market rose to 19.6% in June, up from 16.4% a year earlier.

Kitchen appliance brand Vatti has sponsored two of the last three World Cup winning teams—this year with Spain and previously with France in 2018. In 2022, they partnered with Portugal, which was knocked out in the quarter-finals.

An employee from Vatti explained that after evaluating several top teams, the company chose Spain in this tournament because of the number of talented young players and the team’s strong potential.

Li believes this shift reflects a broader change in marketing strategies. In earlier World Cups, most Chinese brands focused on broad brand exposure. Now, they’re collaborating more deeply—launching limited-edition co-branded products, establishing offline displays and promotional activities overseas, working with broadcasters and short-video platforms, and hosting offline fan events with match-watching activities.

These efforts aim to turn tournament engagement into actual product sales, prioritizing tangible business results and measurable returns on marketing investments, Li noted.

“Supporting Argentina and Spain shows a move from broad, unfocused advertising to more targeted, strategic sports marketing,” Li said. “It shows that leading Chinese brands have developed comprehensive sports marketing frameworks that include rights management, content creation, scenario-based conversions, and risk control.”