BEIJING — For soccer fans like Miko Zhang, China’s failure to qualify for this year’s World Cup is almost beside the point.
Early on Wednesday, as Argentina sealed a 3-0 victory over Algeria, hundreds of fans gathered on the courtyard lawn of Beijing’s Argentine Embassy to cheer the team on. Some wore the country’s blue-and-white jerseys while lounging on soccer-ball-shaped beanbags, while others relished in an early barbecue lunch featuring Argentine beef.
“I’m used to it! Maybe in 10 years. For now, we have Messi,” Zhang, 34, told NBC News when asked about China’s absence from the tournament.
China has not qualified for the men’s World Cup since 2002, but soccer remains deeply popular in the country, where more than 44 million watched South Korea’s opening game against Czechia last week, according to data from state broadcaster CCTV.
Fans here have found other ways of being part of the tournament, including rallying behind Chinese referee Ma Ning, as well as snapping up plushies and jerseys and cheering for their favorite teams.
Chen Bo, a 49-year-old manager in Shanghai, said it’s the “sheer charm of football as a sport” that it has such a hold on China.
“The game itself is just so captivating that even when you aren’t cheering for your own country, it still draws a massive audience,” he said in a phone interview.
Chen will also be cheering for Argentina, whose Lionel Messi is as much of a star in China as he is back home.
Chinese firms like All Star Partner are capitalizing on that sentiment, having struck a contract with several soccer clubs and national teams to produce branded products, such as bag charms, jersey plushies and keychains.
“There are lots of football fans in China,” the company’s chief executive, Luo Bin, told NBC News at their office in Beijing.
The products include a palm-sized Messi plushie, shaped like a goat and wearing a No. 10 jersey — a homage to the player’s title as the GOAT (“greatest of all time”).
It has quickly become a bestseller, Luo said.
“Even Messi himself loved it,” he said, referring to when, in 2023, Argentina played a friendly match against Australia in Beijing. “We used to think it’s an Asia thing. But then we realized everybody loved them.”
All Star Partner also sells soccer-themed earrings and necklaces, filling a gap for women in the merchandise market, said Luo, who hopes for their products “to be part of everyday life.”
Memorabilia isn’t the only business getting a boost during the tournament: Takeaway orders also see a temporary surge — crawfish and beer being an iconic combo — especially with many matches kicking off late in the night.
“We’ll definitely order some beer, snacks or small dishes, or we might even cook a bit ourselves and watch together,” Chen, the Shanghai-based Argentina fan, said.
Despite the sport’s passionate fan base in China, the men’s national team has struggled to succeed on the world stage. Efforts to strengthen the program, including investments in academies, pitch construction and youth leagues backed by President Xi Jinping, have yet to deliver international results. And despite years of speculation about a Chinese effort to one day host the tournament, Beijing has not yet pursued a formal bid to do so.
This year, there’s at least one national hero in the World Cup: referee Ma Ning, known locally as “Card Master” for his strict approach and liberally reaching into his pocket to show cards. In one notable Shanghai derby in 2015, he handed out nine yellow cards and three red cards, becoming a meme on Chinese social media.
“Just seeing him stand out there is enough for me,” a Shanghai-based fan, 25-year-old Hu Qiyun, said in a phone interview. “Whether he decides to hand out cards or not is entirely up to him.”
Ma, one of 52 referees picked for the World Cup and the only Chinese top official at the tournament, will make his debut on Saturday at the match between Ecuador and Curaçao in Kansas City.
News of his upcoming match went viral on Weibo, with the hashtag racking up more than 24 million views.
And the timing couldn’t have been better.
The match kicks off Sunday morning for fans in China, just in time for the Dragon Boat festival holiday weekend.
“We’ll be cheering for you, because there’s no one else from China for us to support in the tournament,” one comment read under Ma’s photo on Chinese social media platform RedNote, which showed him standing at the airport as he left for the World Cup.
Ma, who refereed the 2023 Asian Cup final and matches at the 2025 Arab Cup, has gained over half a million followers on RedNote and Douyin, China’s version of TikTok. While referees are often low-profile, he’s landed brand deals with several Chinese brands spanning food to technology, including Lenovo and Hisense.
Chen said he will also be cheering for Ma from afar.
“I’m sure he will study both teams’ playing styles carefully beforehand,” Chen said. “That will help him decide whether to apply a more relaxed or stricter standard during the game.”
While for Chinese fans, supporting Ma might be the only way to cheer for their country this year, Hu said he was hoping that “by the time I’m around 35 and well into my career, China can qualify for the World Cup again.”
Janis Mackey Frayer, Erin Tan and Dawn Liu reported from Beijing, and Mithil Aggarwal from Hong Kong.
