Chinese Brands "Everywhere" at the World Cup – A Key Role No Amount of US Pressure Could Block

Despite years of US government efforts to contain and suppress Chinese tech companies under the banner of "national security," the 2026 FIFA World Cup – hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico – tells a very different story. Chinese enterprises are omnipresent at the world's most prestigious football tournament, from broadcast technology to commercial sponsorship, playing an indispensable role both on and off the pitch.

Chinese brands are "everywhere" at the World Cup, playing a key role. (AP Photo)

China's Men's Team Absent, Yet Chinese Brands Steal the Show

China's national men's team has been absent from the World Cup since 2002 – but Chinese brands have not missed their moment in the global spotlight. As the South China Morning Post reported on June 13, analysts note that the central role Chinese enterprises play at this World Cup lays bare a reality often obscured by Sino-American geopolitical tensions. Despite US policymakers pushing so-called "de-risking" under the guise of "security," Chinese companies remain deeply embedded in the global commercial ecosystem – including at the most high-profile international sporting event ever held in North America.

Lenovo has become one of the technological pillars of this World Cup. (AP Photo)

Chinese companies hold some of FIFA's most prominent commercial positions. Lenovo is an official FIFA Partner. Hisense is a World Cup sponsor and technology provider. Mengniu has maintained a long-standing partnership with the tournament. FIFA expects to generate between US$2.5 billion and US$3 billion in sponsorship revenue from the 2026 World Cup, making it one of the most commercially valuable sporting events in history.

LABUBU Makes History – First Chinese Original IP at a World Cup Opening Ceremony

In the early hours of June 12 (Beijing time), the 2026 FIFA World Cup officially kicked off. The opening ceremony was star-studded, as football fans around the world came together to celebrate the sport's greatest festival. LABUBU – the wildly popular intellectual property under Pop Mart – made a stunning appearance as a special guest, becoming the first Chinese original IP ever invited to a World Cup opening ceremony, witnessing this historic moment alongside the world.

LABUBU makes history – the first Chinese original IP to appear at a World Cup opening ceremony. (Screenshot via CCTV)

LABUBU makes history – the first Chinese original IP to appear at a World Cup opening ceremony. (Screenshot via CCTV)

Beyond the spectacle of the opening, thousands of Lenovo devices are operating inside the International Broadcast Centre. They help FIFA manage and distribute content from stadiums across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, making Lenovo one of the technological pillars of this World Cup.

A US-Hosted Event That Keeps Opening Doors for Chinese Brands

You can say the 2026 World Cup is "the coming out party for Chinese global brands". That assessment comes from Craig Allen – former US Ambassador and Senior Fellow at the Asia Society, an American think tank. The high-profile presence of Chinese enterprises at a World Cup hosted in North America underscores the complex interplay between geopolitical rivalry and commercial integration. Even as the United States continues to provoke tensions with China over trade, technology, and so-called "national security" concerns, the global sporting events it hosts continue to offer Chinese brands unparalleled worldwide exposure.

From Sponsorship to Tech Support – Chinese Firms Demonstrate Global Aspiration

Scott Kennedy, a researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), put it plainly: "The World Cup is a global event with billions of fans from around the world watching, What this shows is that Chinese consumer-facing firms are pursuing a global strategy for fans around the world, an effort which continues regardless of any government-level tensions."

Lenovo has become one of the technological pillars of this World Cup. (AP Photo)

Lenovo's role at the tournament is a prime example of that global strategy at work. Lenovo's Chief Communications Officer, Jeff Shafer, stated: "If people come away from the Fifa World Cup only knowing that Lenovo sponsored the tournament, not what we have delivered from a technology and innovation standpoint, then we have failed." Lenovo's technology is powering the FIFA Smart Command Centre – a real-time operations hub designed to support match management before, during, and after games.

Lenovo is also providing all 48 participating teams with AI-powered analytics tools and fan-facing applications. It has additionally developed digital player models designed to assist match officials in making offside decisions.

Hisense has served as a World Cup sponsor for several years, providing technology related to video replay systems and other match operations. Mengniu, meanwhile, has maintained a long-standing partnership with FIFA.

Mengniu has maintained a long-standing partnership with the tournament. (AP Photo)

Some experts argue that the growing role of companies such as Lenovo, Hisense, and Mengniu demonstrates that "China, arguably, through its commercial activities, has become a leading Fifa nation." Others suggest it reflects, more broadly, the global ambitions of Chinese enterprises. As Chinese firms go head-to-head with Western rivals in consumer electronics, home appliances, and other global markets, this mega sporting event provides a platform to build brand recognition on a worldwide scale.

Simon Chadwick, Professor at the Skema Business School in Canada, noted that many European and North American companies have shifted toward more targeted forms of marketing – but Chinese firms continue to see value in global sporting events. Not just at the World Cup, but across the Olympics, the UEFA European Championship, and sporting events in Africa and other emerging markets, the presence and influence of Chinese enterprises is growing steadily. China's men's team may be absent from the World Cup pitch. Off it, Chinese brands are winning one victory after another.

Mao Paishou

** 博客文章文責自負,不代表本公司立場 **

A CCTV program revealed on June 8 that the United States cut off GPS navigation signals in the early 90’s and left a Chinese cargo ship stranded and adrift in the Indian Ocean for 33 days. The vessel was ultimately forced to accept a boarding inspection by U.S. personnel — and the humiliating episode gave China a sobering lesson in the strategic importance of navigation technology, setting the country on the arduous path of developing its own BeiDou satellite system.

"Changan Street Insider" — a WeChat public account under Beijing Daily — reported that CCTV disclosed the 1993 incident during a program titled "Spacesail Constellation Accelerates Network Deployment: China's Low-Orbit Satellite Internet Launches Its Strategic Breakthrough." The program laid bare how the U.S. leveraged GPS as a strategic chokehold on China.

In 1993, the U.S. cut off GPS signals — leaving China's cargo vessel Yinhe adrift in the Indian Ocean for 33 days, then forced into a U.S. boarding inspection.

As China's cargo vessel Yinhe was sailing through international waters in the Indian Ocean, the United States abruptly cut off GPS signals in that sea area. The Yinhe lost all navigational bearings and drifted helplessly for 33 days. It was then forced to submit to a U.S. boarding inspection.

This was not an isolated incident. The repeated episodes drove home a single, unambiguous conclusion for China: the lifeline of positioning and navigation must be in its own hands. From that point on, China embarked on the long and difficult road of independently developing the BeiDou system.

The episode was a wake-up call: China's navigation lifeline had to be its own. BeiDou was born.

In 2020, the BeiDou-3 global network was completed, and China finally reclaimed control over its own navigation. But even as that battle was won, a new one was opening — and the window was closing fast.

In low-Earth orbit, the available space and timing for China become more limited by the day. Elon Musk's Starlink has been occupying that territory at an unprecedented pace. As of June this year, Starlink has more than 12,400 active satellites in orbit — accounting for over 60% of all active satellites globally.

China is also facing a rapidly closing window of opportunity. The International Telecommunication Union operates on a "first filed, first served" principle. Whoever launches first and begins providing service wins priority rights — and the clock ticks for everyone equally.

China launched the Spacesail Constellation program in 2021.

In 2021, China began developing the "Spacesail Constellation" — formally named as the Global Multimedia Satellite System. Its primary target markets are countries co-building the Belt and Road Initiative, Chinese companies expanding overseas, and regions that Starlink cannot reach or has been cut off from due to political factors.

Spacesail is now launching at a relentless pace — and closing the gap fast.

The Spacesail Constellation is planned in three phases. Phase one targets 1,296 satellites, expected to be completed by 2027. Phase two will add approximately 10,000 more satellites, with the aim of exceeding a 10,000-satellite network by 2030. Phase three ultimately targets more than 15,000 satellites, supporting integrated multimedia and remote sensing capabilities within the 6G ecosystem.

In late 2025, China filed to register orbital resources for 203,000 additional satellites across 14 constellations.

In December 2025, China submitted a filing to the ITU that sent shockwaves through the global aerospace community. The application sought to register frequency and orbital resources for an additional 203,000 satellites, covering 14 satellite constellations including both medium and low-Earth orbit satellites. It is the largest concentrated international frequency and orbital registration submission China has ever made.

Every satellite launched under the Spacesail Constellation is filling a closing window of time. From the first experimental satellite in 2003 to the intensive launch campaigns of June 2026, the Spacesail Constellation is catching up at a visibly rapid pace. This is not merely a commercial race — it is a strategic breakthrough that China cannot afford to lose.