(Yicai) June 12 -- Sales of merchandise related to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in China have surged in the days before the tournament began, with particular interest in special Labubu products and Argentina Adidas jerseys.

The collaboration series between Pop Mart International Group's The Monsters series and the World Cup has centered around the hit Labubu monster dolls, including vinyl plush hangers, long strap blind boxes, mini hangable light blind boxes, glass cup blind boxes, and other products. The "Catch the Win" Labubu plush toy, dressed in a custom jersey and holding the World Cup trophy, has been the best seller so far.

The Adidas flagship store on Huaihai Road in Shanghai has been fully decorated with World Cup merch. The sales of Argentina's home jerseys are soaring primarily due to expectations that this will be Lionel Messi's last World Cup, which has prompted fans and collectors to buy his kit as memorabilia, a worker at the shop told Yicai.

However, World Cup marketing campaigns by Chinese beer companies have been noticeably lacking this year. Apart from Tsingtao Brewery and Yanjing Brewery launching some promotional activities for watching matches, most brands have not made any major push related to the event.

Several beverage companies said to Yicai that the lack of advertisement was due to the time of this year's World Cup matches, most of which are scheduled to be held from midnight through late morning hours Beijing time, limiting the potential boost in beer consumption. Companies have also diverted their marketing efforts toward local football leagues, which have been growing in popularity and resonate more closely with Chinese consumers, they added.

In addition to merchandise, searches and bookings for hotel rooms with big televisions or projections with high-quality audio systems surged 47 percent for the opening day of the World Cup yesterday from a year ago, according to data from online platform Tongcheng Travel. The occupancy rate of such rooms for the first weekend of the tournament has exceeded 90 percent, significantly higher than the previous weekend.

Editor: Martin Kadiev