Interview Excerpt: The Transformation and Upgrading of “Made in Yiwu” for the 2026 World Cup

YiwuSell.com-waiting for you in Yiwu market of Yiwu city China.
YiwuSell.com-waiting for you in Yiwu market of Yiwu city China.
Editor’s note: Ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Yiwu, a global commodity hub in Zhejiang province, East China, has been gearing up for the sporting extravaganza for months. China News Service recently interviewed Wu Xiaoming, head of the Yiwu Sporting Goods Association, to explore the ongoing transformation of “Made in Yiwu” products. The following are edited excerpts of the interview. The opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the stance of China Daily.
To cater to booming global market demand for the upcoming World Cup, Yiwu local enterprises have fine-tuned their product lines and optimized production schedules in a targeted manner. In response to customized requirements from overseas clients this year, numerous local suppliers have rolled out personalized sporting goods featuring exclusive color schemes, custom patterns and personalized jersey numbers.
Local merchants have highlighted that the order cycle for World Cup-themed commodities has started far earlier than in previous tournaments. Many enterprises began stockpiling inventory as early as last summer, with the majority of export shipments fully delivered before the Spring Festival in February this year.
As a pivotal gateway for China’s international commodity trade, Yiwu has accumulated rich experience in cross-border trade and earned its well-known reputation as the “world’s supermarket”. Its global market competitiveness is underpinned by an increasingly sophisticated multimodal logistics system that integrates postal, maritime, road, air and rail transport services. Streamlined trade routes effectively cut delivery lead times and logistics expenses, forming a core competitive edge for Yiwu products in the global marketplace.
Furthermore, the strength of “Made in Yiwu” lies in its sound local industrial supply chain. Raw materials, spare parts and packaging supplies are mostly procured locally, greatly shortening production cycles and reducing overall manufacturing costs.
Different from traditional large-scale standardized manufacturing, Yiwu’s economic ecosystem is dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises featuring refined professional division of labor and a diverse product portfolio. Global buyers can procure a full range of World Cup supplies in one-stop, including footballs, team jerseys, cheering horns, national flags and various decorative accessories, and consolidate shipments to further lower their procurement costs.
By serving major international sporting events year after year, Yiwu merchants have cultivated a mature, sustainable business model centered on the sports event economy. They have built stable, loyal global customer groups and continuously enhanced the international influence and market recognition of Yiwu-made products.
In recent years, Yiwu’s sporting goods industry has undergone a critical strategic shift. It is gradually moving away from price-driven competition toward innovation and intellectual property (IP)-led development — a challenging yet indispensable upgrade for long-term industrial growth.
In the past, Yiwu’s commodity market relied heavily on high-volume, low-margin production. Low industry entry barriers triggered cutthroat homogeneous competition, making the traditional business model unsustainable. Local enterprises are now shifting their focus from short-term transactional profits to long-term customer partnerships and sustainable business growth.
Currently, “Made in Yiwu” is undergoing a profound transformation from labor-intensive manufacturing to technology-enabled production. Local businesses are actively embracing smart manufacturing, digital operation and green, low-carbon development models to elevate product quality and industrial value.
After years of iterative development, the “Made in Yiwu” brand has integrated the dual strategy of “introducing global resources” and “expanding globally”, enabling enterprises to fill market gaps and seize emerging business opportunities. Its development path has evolved from original equipment manufacturing (OEM) and low-cost mass production to independent original design, licensed product development and industry standard formulation. This industrial upgrade is a microcosm of China’s manufacturing sector climbing from the low end to the high-value segment of the global value chain.
Backed by China’s super-large domestic market, complete industrial supporting ecosystem and favorable policy incentives, Chinese manufacturers are transforming from passive participants to active contributors to global value chains and international standard-setting. Going forward, “Made in China” will continue to evolve into a symbol of premium quality, technological sophistication and high industrial value across global markets.