Beijing, July 14– Chinese catering businesses have been the quickest to adapt to the new match schedule. Data from lifestyle platform Meituan shows that searches for morning tea restaurants in Guangdong Province surged 8.5 times between June 11 and July 1 compared with the same period last year. In Foshan, a Guangdong city famous for Cantonese cuisine, a local hotel has launched football-themed set menus named “Brace” and “Hat Trick,” alongside football-shaped egg tarts. Sales have jumped around 30 percent compared with the same period last year, according to manager Wu Fenhong.
Coffee chains, busiest in the morning, have also joined the World Cup consumption boom. Luckin Coffee, the official sponsor of Portugal’s and Spain’s national football teams in China, has rolled out World Cup-themed drinks and collectibles including refrigerator magnets, keychains and figurines. Cotti Coffee, a global sponsor of Argentina’s national team, has launched officially licensed World Cup souvenirs, such as commemorative match tickets and jersey-themed magnets. The football fever has also brought new audiences to cinemas, which are facing sluggish box office performance. With large screens, surround sound and reclining seats, cinemas offer an immersive viewing experience unavailable at home. Morning and late-night matches have also filled traditionally off-peak cinema slots. China Film Group Corporation and Huaxia Film Distribution have organized over 28,000 World Cup screenings across 255 cities nationwide.
A cinema in Beijing’s Daxing District has rolled out exclusive perks for World Cup ticket holders, including a voucher for any regular movie screening, free popcorn and a soft drink. Nearly all seats were filled for a Sunday morning screening of the match between Argentina and Switzerland. Spectators, many wearing team jerseys, cheered enthusiastically throughout the game. “The screen is huge and the sound is fantastic,” said Chen, a football fan from Beijing. “After the match, it’s lunchtime. We can eat at the mall and shop in the afternoon.”
Chen noted that audience enthusiasm remains high despite the unfavorable time difference. World Cup-themed decorations, promotions and events have popped up in shopping malls and restaurants across Beijing. The World Cup boom comes as China ramps up efforts to expand domestic consumption. A recently approved government plan for expanding consumption during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030) aims to raise the household consumption-to-GDP ratio significantly and sustain steady growth in overall consumption of goods and services. Sports are expected to play a bigger role in the effort. In September 2025, the State Council issued guidelines to further stimulate sports consumption, targeting an industry value exceeding 7 trillion yuan (about 1 trillion U.S. dollars) by 2030, nearly double its 2023 size. The outline of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan also highlights the development of the sports event economy.
XINHUA
