World Cup countdown fires up flag frenzy

A worker sews the national flag of Brazil at the factory of Qingdao Wonderful Flag Industry Co in Shandong province. CHINA DAILY

With around two months to go before the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off,朴彩英新闻网图 a flag manufacturer in Qingdao, Shandong province, is racing against time to meet a surge of global orders.

Inside the production workshops of Qingdao Wonderful Flag Industry Co, located in Duanbolan town of the coastal city's Jimo district, giant machines operate around the clock, printing vivid patterns onto rolls of fabric.

Automated cutters slice materials with precision, while rows of workers sitting at sewing machines efficiently attend to their tasks. Brightly colored flags in a variety of sizes roll off the assembly lines, destined to appear in stadiums across North America this summer.

From the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France to the upcoming 2026 edition hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, the company has supplied products for eight consecutive tournaments, growing into one of northern China's largest "super factories" for flags.

"Right now is the busiest season of the year," said company chairperson Xiao Chang'ai. "Our daily fabric output has reached 12,000 meters. In addition to World Cup orders, we are producing regular orders tied to international competitions such as England's Premier League, Germany's Bundesliga and the National Basketball Association in the US."

Xiao said large-scale orders for the 2026 World Cup began arriving as early as last year, covering a full range of products, including hand flags, pennant string flags, cheer flags and stadium banners.

"The World Cup can bring orders exceeding 30 million flags," she said. "With an annual capacity of 10 million meters of fabric, we are well-prepared for the explosive demand."

In a company display zone, a flag from the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil stands out. "This was a commemorative flag produced on short notice after Germany's championship win," Xiao said.

Shortly after the final, the company received an urgent order: 400,000 scarves for German fans in just 10 days. "Many companies wouldn't take it, but we accepted the challenge," Xiao said. All assembly switched to scarf production, employees worked around the clock, and every step — from cutting and printing to sewing and packaging — was completed on schedule.

"A World Cup year is always a peak sales season for us, but it is also a major test of our product quality," she added, noting that nearly two million flags produced by the company appeared in stadiums during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, earning high recognition from organizers for their fireproof, waterproof and sun-resistant properties.

For the 2026 tournament, the company has developed specialized fabrics tailored to the North American climate. With enhanced resistance to ultraviolet rays, low temperatures and tearing, the materials have helped drive orders up by more than 30 percent compared with the previous World Cup.

According to company general manager Xue Wanhong, outdoor flags must withstand wind, sun, rain and extreme temperatures, placing far greater demand on materials, dyes and production techniques.

To tackle those challenges, Xue said the company has developed a range of advanced technologies to improve production efficiency and secured more than 40 international patents, creating a fully integrated system of independent intellectual property covering fabric development, manufacturing processes, product design and quality control.