World Cup: Qatar 2022 sets off consumption boom in China

December 15, 2022 3:23 PMNANJING - Despite a five-hour time difference and absence of their national team, Chinese football fans are following the World Cup in Qatar keenly, with the global football extravaganza fuelling a consumption drive in the world’s second-largest economy. Wang Xiaolin, one of the avid fans in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu, has set up a home theater that includes a projector he purchased specially for the tournament. He has ordered fresh meat, vegetables and beer online and invited several friends to watch matches while eating hotpot at midnight. “It’s a quadrennial carnival, and there’s plenty of star power. The passion of football fans from China can never be underestimated,” Wang said, adding that he also bought an official match ball and a mascot for the World Cup. China is estimated to have about 200 million football enthusiasts, and with the country’s disposable income level on the rise, more fans were willing to pay to enjoy football matches, according to data firm Statista. From catering to fast-moving consumer goods, several industries in China have seen legions of fans become big-spending consumers, and the situation could soon be even better, as the country has recently optimised its Covid-19 response, making it easier for people to travel and enter public venues.