(Yicai) Sept. 4 -- Suppliers of sports products and equipment related to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America reported soaring exports in the first seven months of this year, despite the tournament kicking off in more than nine months.

Sports gear exports jumped 17 percent to CNY6.8 billion (USD952.1 million) in the seven months ended July 31 from a year earlier, according to data from Yiwu merchants. Exports to the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the joint hosts of the World Cup, rose 10 percent to CNY1.9 billion.

Yiwu sellers began sampling products for the World Cup in June, producing an average of 4,000 footballs a day for South America and Europe.

"The peak season usually arrives in October, but exports began to grow several months earlier this year," Chen Shaomei, the owner of a Yiwu-based sports balls maker, told Yicai. July and August are typically the off-season, and along with the overall economic downturn, the World Cup has undoubtedly driven the early start of the peak season, she pointed out.

Among more than 400 ball merchants in Yiwu, Chen's company is one of the few that have their own factory, store, and brand. It sells about 5,000 balls a day worldwide, while its annual output exceeds one million.

This is just the beginning of the peak season, noted Wu Xiaoming, president of the Yiwu Sports and Fitness Products Industry Association. As the traditional football goods procurement season peak approaches, suppliers may see even more orders next quarter, with another wave expected just before the World Cup, Wu pointed out.

However, while many samples have been sent out this year, the number of orders is not as high as anticipated, Wu said, adding that orders surged 70 percent year on year during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, with sales reaching around 300,000 footballs.

Unlike the ball market, "the off-season has been particularly slow for fitness equipment," a relevant merchant told Yiwu. New orders used to come every day, but it has become normal not to get any, she noted, adding that while previously the focus was more on exporting own brands, now relatively low-priced original equipment manufacturer orders are being received.

Branding and thorough localization are some of the ways Chinese manufacturers cope with uncertainty, while ensuring quality is fundamental to avoiding internal competition and price wars.

Unlike some volume-driven firms that have had to move production to Southeast Asia to reduce costs, Chen has chosen to continue investing in her brand and insists on staying in Yiwu to ensure quality.

"Conditions in the Middle East and Africa are not as good as in Europe and the US, with many people playing sports on dirt or soil fields, so the balls must withstand heavy use and have high wear resistance," Chen noted. To achieve higher durability, the leather they use costs more than double that of other commonly used materials, making the final product more expensive, she said.

In addition, Chen creates new products, designs, colors, and diverse price points to meet the various demands of customers from different regions. "This year, we will break down one of our previous price tiers into several levels, including lower-priced options," allowing more deals to be made by matching clients' budgets while guaranteeing quality, she noted.

Jia Yingling, another merchant in Yiwu, said she has been participating in more overseas exhibitions this year and has adjusted products and production lines according to market demand, adding that she used to avoid making or selling some low-end products, but if new clients request them now, she produces such goods in a targeted manner.

The 2026 World Cup will be held from June 11 to July 19 next year across 16 US, Canadian, and Mexican cities, with FIFA announcing yesterday that the first tickets will start selling on Sept. 10.

Editor: Martin Kadiev