The FIFA World Cup 2026 reaches a climax on Monday night, India time, as Spain takes on Argentina. But through the tournament, many have discussed a paradox. Though China did not have a team on the field, the country was very visible – through corporate sponsorship.
Three Chinese companies are on board in this edition of the World Cup.
Mengniu Diary is one of FIFA’s official sponsors, with an association dating back to 2018.
Lenovo is providing equipment, devices and personnel for all 16 venues to support technological needs including Artificial Intelligence-powered mechanisms to simulate match situations and players in 3D format.
The electronics company, Hisense, is supplying mini LED display devices for the tournament’s digital Video Assistant Referee system.
Chinese companies have been present at the men’s football World Cups since 2010. In addition to the three at this edition, Yingli Green Energy, Dalian Wanda Group and VIVO have also been World Cup sponsors.
Ironically, though China’s commercial expansion has gathered pace, football as a sport has regressed in the country. The men’s national team has not made any strides since its only appearance at the World Cup in 2002.
The sport was accorded priority by the ruling Communist Party of China only with the elevation of Xi Jinping as the party’s general secretary in 2012. In 2015, the country issued the Comprehensive Plan for the Reform and Development of Chinese Football, under which corporate investment, football academies, international partnerships, and overseas club acquisitions were to be encouraged.
There was stronger central control in the game’s governance, which was aligned to the plan of transforming China into a powerful sports nation.
However, translating these ambitions into sustained success turned out to be difficult to implement on the ground. Local governments had different levels of financial capacity and commitment, so some regions fared better than others.
Although the reforms separated the official Chinese Football Association from the country’s General Administration of Sport and made it legally independent, its autonomy was not substantive. Key decisions continued to be shaped by the priorities of the Chinese Communist Party and the government.
Personnel appointments as well as strategic direction remained linked to state institutions.
Domestic corporate support became unsustainable with the downturn in the Chinese economy and weakening of the real estate sector in 2020-’21. Especially significant was the collapse in 2021 of Evergrande, a company that was one of the biggest investors in the country’s domestic league and feeder development programmes.
As a result, there were less funds for youth development and a reduced ability to attract foreign players and coaches. The game’s development was further stymied by a match-fixing scandalsinvolving officials, referees, coaches and players that was revealed in an investigation starting in 2009.
China is presently placed at 91st in the FIFA men’s Team rankings and 14th in the Asian Football Confederation rankings (India is 138th and 24th respectively). In the last six Asian championships, with the exception of being runners-up in 2004, the team has exited either at the quarterfinals or in the group stages.
But though the sport failed to make an impact on the football field at the global level, Chinese non-state companies continued to pour money into sponsorships, aiming to demonstrate support for the country’s objectives and strengthening relationships with Chinese Party-state officials.
The growing preference of Chinese companies to invest large sums in football World Cups arises due to expectations of better financial returns, exposure to global audiences and support for overseas expansion. Chinese companies have become vital entities in enhancing Beijing’s outreach across the world, known by the popular term Global China.
At this edition of the World Cup, the combined investment of the three Chinese companies is estimated to be over $500 million.
In addition to their presence at the World Cup, Chinese companies were also visible at the men’s European championship in 2024 – of the total 13 sponsors, five were Chinese, from the sectors of electronics, online retail and financial technology.
At the Paris Olympics the same year, two Chinese companies, Alibaba Group and Mengniu Dairy Products, were among the worldwide official partners of the International Olympic Committee.
Broadcast signals at the Olympic Games were disseminated through Alibaba’s cloud broadcasting services, showcasing China’s technological prowess. Chinese manufacturers also dominated the supply of sports equipment for several events at the Games.
In fact, Chinese companies have also entered the domain of cricket, a sport that is financially led by India, in an attempt to generate goodwill and political influence with the smaller cricket nations such as Antigua, Jamaica and Dominica in the Caribbean.
As evidenced by their experience in India even though bilateral relations between both countries have remained turbulent, the sponsorships of Chinese companies have helped them in becoming easy references for consumers. For instance, smartphone brands such as OPPO and VIVO have sponsored Indian cricket teams or the Indian Premier League.
Further, regardless of the geopolitical competition between China and the US, the presence of Chinese companies in this World Cup on North American soil underscores the commercial integration of both countries. It reflects the selective nature of US’ scrutiny of Chinese firms.
Neither Lenovo nor Hisense are part of the US Defence Department’s updated Section 1260H list released last month that identifies companies linked to the Chinese military and Party-state.
As China begins to assert its superiority in the new frontiers of technology like AI, cloud computing and robotics, its companies are also moving beyond plain brand awareness to showcase their niche capabilities.
This is best illustrated by their involvement in technologies powering tournament operations.
Anand P Krishnan is a Fellow, at the Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies, Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence, Delhi NCR, and Assistant Editor of the journal,China Report.
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