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Sportswear firms fail to score at the World Cup amid a China sales slump
Sales are declining despite the World Cup because international and domestic brands face weak consumer demand amid economic concerns
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Zhu Wenqianin BeijingPublished: 7:00am, 3 Jul 2026
Big international sportswear brands like Nike, Adidas and Arc’teryx all saw declining in-store sales at Chinese shopping malls in May, according to data tracked by a third-party platform.
Despite the ongoing Fifa World Cup 2026, analysts expect soft consumer demand will cause the weakening trend to sustain during the next few months in the world’s second-largest consumer goods market.
“The World Cup could have less impact than the Olympics as it focuses on a single sport. And when the event is in a difficult time zone for people to watch, it has even less of an impact,” said Cathy Chao, senior director of Asia-Pacific corporate ratings at Fitch Ratings. “So there is unlikely to be any significant impact either positive or negative.”
Nike’s China same-store sales growth (SSSG) slowed to 3 per cent year on year in May, down from 13 per cent in April and 20 per cent in the first quarter, according to data from Shanghai-based consulting firm Meritco Services.
Adidas’ growth turned negative, dropping 2 per cent in May, after an increase of 3 per cent in April and 15 per cent in the first quarter.
“The sportswear industry is not immune to weaker consumer sentiment. It is still a discretionary spending category,” Chao said.
The data aligns with the general decline in consumer goods sales in China, which has raised significant concerns about the economy and fierce competition among companies in the market.
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