Fifa World Cup: Chinese fans cheer adopted teams, but Covid curbs mean noticeably fewer have made trip to Qatar
- Restrictions in China have impacted travel, and number of fans has dropped significantly from previous tournaments
- In the past, China was in top 10 countries for ticket sales, now it is well outside that bracket
Restrictions put in place by mainland officials to curb Covid-19 have had a major impact on the number of Chinese fans attending the World Cup finals in Qatar, with numbers dropping significantly since the tournament was last held in Russia in 2018.
Official figures have yet to be released by Fifa or local organisers, but sources told the Post that sales to China nationals – a category encompassing Chinese fans travelling from the mainland plus those living overseas – fall well outside the top 10 of the total sold. India heads the list by a considerable margin.
That stands in stark contrast to figures from the previous World Cup in Russia, when sales to Chinese fans saw the country nestled comfortably in the top 10, with higher numbers than traditional football powers including England. Visa-free travel between China and Russia facilitated easy movement between the two nations four years ago.
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Most of the tickets in 2018 were sold to Russian fans, with the United States bringing the largest contingent from overseas while China was eighth on that list, despite the national team failing to qualify for the finals.
China have not played at the World Cup since making their debut appearance at the finals in South Korea and Japan in 2002, when fans flocked to Gwangju, Seogwipo and Seoul to witness the country’s three group match losses against Costa Rica, Brazil and Turkey.
Tight restrictions put in place as a result of the government’s ongoing attempts to impose a zero-Covid strategy on the country mean anyone returning to China is subject to strict quarantining measures, which have discouraged overseas travel.
The inability of Chinese fans to make the journey to Qatar for the finals has had an impact at all levels, with the sale of high-value hospitality packages also believed to have been severely affected.
Fans from all over the world have congregated in the Gulf state for the 32-nation tournament, which kicked off on November 20 and will run until December 18, when the final will be played at the Lusail Stadium.
But while Chinese fans were highly visible in Russia, often congregating in large groups outside stadiums ahead of games and carrying Chinese flags and banners, the numbers in Qatar are noticeably lower.
Some have still travelled, and in particular Chinese football fans from neighbouring countries keen to revel in the festival atmosphere engulfing the tournament despite numerous negative stories in the international media during the lead-up to the competition.
“My family and I live in Jeddah, we’ve been there 15 years so we feel that Saudi Arabia is our home,” said Lily Zheng, who flew to Qatar to cheer her adopted home to victory over Argentina earlier in the competition.
“We’re there for my husband’s job and my son was born there. Hopefully at the next World Cup China will be qualified, but this time we will cheer for Saudi Arabia because it’s our second home.”
Yang Junting, a student from Guangzhou who currently lives in Manchester, has also travelled to Qatar with a group of around 20 friends, with half of her companions making the journey from China.
“I hope Cristiano Ronaldo can get to be champion,” she said ahead of Argentina’s clash with Mexico on Saturday evening. “I support Manchester United and Ronaldo is my favourite player.
“I went to the last World Cup in Russia. It was so close to go to Russia and we didn’t need a visa. The Chinese fans here are all supporting any other team without China being here.
“China is still locked down so it’s hard, it’s complicated if you want to go outside. If you want to go outside security will say no and you have to go home. Everything is locked down. They’re crazy. But everybody is coming out to see the football.”
