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Why World Cup Soccer Jerseys Are So Expensive
Why World Cup Soccer Jerseys Are So Expensive
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Phụ đề (273)
0:01
Millions of World [music] Cup soccer
0:03
jerseys are streaming out of factories
0:05
in Bangladesh.
0:07
To most fans, they all look the same,
0:09
but the details tell a very different
0:12
story. These jerseys are officially
0:14
licensed replicas. These aren't approved
0:17
by FIFA, but they're still well-made.
0:19
And then there are these, low-quality
0:22
fakes produced by the thousands. They're
0:25
all trying to copy authentic jerseys
0:27
[music] that look like this.
0:31
The real one can sell for $180.
0:34
Collectors' items [music] cost even
0:36
more.
0:36
>> What?
0:37
>> This one's $400.
0:40
>> While the cheapest [music] knockoffs go
0:41
for just $20.
0:43
>> This feels very, very light.
0:45
>> Now, authorities around the globe are
0:47
cracking down on fake jersey shipments
0:50
before they reach fans. [music]
0:52
So, why are official soccer jerseys so
0:54
expensive? And what are fans really
0:57
paying for? Fabric, [music]
0:58
quality, or branding?
1:04
This is Epyllion Style,
1:06
one of the largest garment factories in
1:08
Bangladesh with 5,000 workers. This
1:11
year, it landed a huge order from the
1:14
British brand Marks & Spencer for 90,000
1:17
official replica jerseys.
1:20
They're designed for fans and are
1:22
licensed by FIFA.
1:24
It took the factory 6 months to chase
1:27
official permits before they could even
1:29
start production.
1:31
Workers first turn yarn into fabric
1:34
using massive circular knitting machines
1:37
that cost at least $15,000.
1:40
After that, they assemble the jersey
1:42
step by step, stitching shoulders,
1:45
collars, side panels, plackets, hems,
1:49
and logos until the final jerseys are
1:52
ready for England and Brazil.
1:55
In total, nearly 80 workers are involved
1:58
in making a single jersey. The finished
2:01
product goes through multiple quality
2:03
checks before it's hand tagged, folded,
2:06
and exported to the UK.
2:10
Replica jerseys, like the ones from A
2:13
almost half of the global jersey market.
2:16
So, we came to this soccer store in
2:18
Manhattan to buy one.
2:22
Replica jerseys are officially produced
2:24
by big sports brands and licensed by
2:27
FIFA. And they have a more comfortable
2:29
fit as they're designed for everyday
2:32
wear.
2:32
>> And [music] then, like these details are
2:35
embroidered on this patch,
2:37
uh the Mexico patch, and the Adidas
2:39
patch.
2:40
>> The bottom line is they're not crazy
2:42
expensive.
2:43
>> And it looks good. It sells for $119.
2:47
>> But, at the higher end of the market are
2:49
authentic jerseys that are closest to
2:52
what players wear.
2:53
>> The authentic version actually feels way
2:56
heavier than the fan [music] replica,
2:58
which was just light, super light.
3:00
>> Authentic jerseys use advanced [music]
3:02
performance fabrics and feature
3:04
ventilation, reinforced stitching, and
3:07
high-end printing. They have a different
3:09
authenticity label that includes a
3:11
hologram, a licensed product tag, or
3:14
serial number printed somewhere [music]
3:15
inside the shirt, often near the collar
3:18
or waistband. This one sells for $180 at
3:21
this store.
3:23
>> Thank you so much. Thanks.
3:26
>> So, why are they so expensive?
3:28
Well, the biggest cut goes to the
3:30
retailer, about 35% of the sale price.
3:34
Then, brands like Nike or Adidas keep
3:37
another 25%. But, they have a lot of
3:40
costs to cover. A huge chunk of the
3:42
money goes into marketing.
3:45
>> Extra, extra, read all about it. World
3:47
Cup hype begins.
3:49
>> The ads,
3:50
the athlete endorsements, the social
3:53
media campaigns, and the multi-million
3:55
dollar sponsorship deals that make
3:58
brands the official outfitter of
4:00
national teams.
4:03
For team USA, Nike holds that exclusive
4:06
right.
4:07
And they told [music] us that the high
4:08
price of their authentic jerseys
4:11
reflects years of research and
4:12
development behind proprietary fabrics
4:15
like AeroFit. But textile industry
4:17
experts say even those jerseys cost very
4:20
little to make as most brands produce
4:23
them out of factories in Asia where
4:26
manufacturing costs can be as low as $5
4:29
a shirt. Brands also pay licensing fees
4:32
to FIFA for the right to use official
4:35
World Cup branding.
4:36
We asked the agency how much they make
4:38
from those deals, but they didn't
4:40
respond.
4:41
Another 8 to 15% goes to the club or
4:44
federation associated with the jersey.
4:47
About 5% of the final tag covers
4:50
transportation and distribution costs.
4:52
And the rest goes to taxes.
4:55
So when you buy a $180 jersey, you're
4:58
not just paying for the shirt itself,
5:01
but the massive business built around
5:03
the world's biggest sporting event. In
5:05
2023 alone, the global soccer jersey
5:08
market was worth roughly $15 billion
5:12
including both authentic jerseys and
5:15
officially licensed replicas. And some
5:17
estimates suggest it could nearly double
5:20
over the next decade.
5:21
That's because [music] soccer is still
5:23
growing in popularity. FIFA expects the
5:26
2026 World Cup to draw around 6 billion
5:29
viewers worldwide
5:31
up from about 5 billion for the last
5:33
one.
5:34
And the organization expects to earn
5:36
roughly $670 million in licensing
5:40
revenue from all the different merch
5:42
sold during this World Cup cycle.
5:46
>> [cheering]
5:49
>> But demand can shift instantly. And a
5:52
team that looks like a safe bet one day
5:54
can become a liability the next. After
5:57
Italy failed to qualify for the 2026
5:59
World Cup, Adidas slashed prices [music]
6:02
on its Italy jerseys by 50%. But today,
6:06
soccer jerseys are no [music] longer
6:07
just for sports fans. They're coveted by
6:10
collectors and resellers.
6:12
>> It's so great. I mean, come on. And the
6:14
colors, everything.
6:16
>> And they've even become a fashion
6:18
statement worn as streetwear by
6:20
celebrities and influencers far beyond
6:22
the stadium.
6:24
Dogs are even getting in on the trend.
6:27
And so are politicians. New York City
6:29
Mayor Zaran Mamdani launched 1,500
6:32
limited edition World Cup jerseys priced
6:35
at just $50 each. Thousands of people
6:38
lined up to get their hands on it.
6:40
>> The fact that it's only 50 bucks is
6:41
awesome.
6:42
>> But within hours of selling out, the
6:44
jerseys were already showing up on eBay.
6:47
Some were listed for nearly $1,000.
6:51
Of course, as jerseys become fashion,
6:54
prices keep rising and not everyone can
6:56
afford them. That's why the market for
6:58
counterfeit jerseys has exploded.
7:01
Nearly 18% of all football jerseys sold
7:05
globally [music] are fake. So we went to
7:07
Canal Street to buy one for ourselves
7:10
and couldn't find any price tags on
7:12
[music] it.
7:12
>> Uh the fabric is just like very, very
7:15
cheap. You can tell.
7:16
>> bought it for $25. [music]
7:18
>> And I see everything's made in
7:19
Bangladesh, which is yeah, how it is.
7:21
Well, thank you so much.
7:23
You too.
7:24
>> At first glance, it looks like the real
7:26
thing. But there are clues to spot a
7:29
fake. The fabric looks cheap [music] and
7:31
appears digitally printed with no real
7:33
texture or depth. The crest uses the
7:36
wrong colors [music]
7:37
and the stitching is already starting to
7:39
come apart. There are no brand logos and
7:42
it's missing a serial number tag.
7:44
And the price was way too cheap.
7:49
Factories in Bangladesh are churning out
7:51
hundreds of thousands of these fakes for
7:53
the World Cup. Like Advergo, they don't
7:56
have any official orders from [music]
7:58
brands like Nike. But inside, workers
8:01
are producing pieces with the brand's
8:03
logo that are designed to look almost
8:05
like the originals. [music]
8:16
Advergo studies official FIFA clothing
8:18
before recreating it.
8:42
The hardest part of making these
8:43
knockoffs [music] is reproducing the
8:45
high-performance fabrics.
8:59
Instead [music] of stitching the design
9:01
details as higher quality replicas do,
9:04
giant heat presses fuse them directly
9:06
onto the fabric. Smaller presses apply
9:09
silicone logos, sponsor details, and
9:12
player names in just seconds.
9:15
Workers sew the jerseys with 11 to 12
9:18
stitches per inch, just like the
9:20
originals. And the average customer
9:22
can't really tell the difference.
9:34
If a defect is found, [music] the
9:35
garment is immediately sent back for
9:37
correction.
9:40
During the World Cup, companies like
9:42
Advego enter their busiest season.
9:45
Production can rise to around 10,000
9:47
jerseys per day.
9:49
Roughly 40% of its soccer stock is
9:52
exported, and the rest stays in
9:54
Bangladesh. The jerseys sell at a
9:56
wholesale price of around 500
9:58
Bangladeshi taka. That's roughly $4.
10:12
Selling or importing jerseys that use
10:14
FIFA branding, club crests, or
10:16
tournament logos without permission is
10:19
illegal. Online marketplaces and social
10:21
media have created a borderless business
10:24
that's faster, cheaper, and harder to
10:27
trace [music] than ever. But ahead of
10:28
major tournaments, enforcement in the US
10:31
ramps up.
10:32
>> When you have crowds [music] this big,
10:34
criminal activity is followed.
10:36
>> Last year alone, the Department of
10:38
Homeland Security seized more than
10:40
276,000 [music]
10:42
counterfeit sports-related items worth
10:45
over $33
10:49
down, too.
10:49
>> This seizure is a reminder to fans
10:52
be vigilant.
10:53
>> In May, Canadian police seized 3 and 1/2
10:56
million dollars worth of counterfeit
10:58
merchandise, including 16,000 fake
11:02
jerseys and flags, the largest seizure
11:04
of its kind in Canadian history.
11:07
>> If a deal seems too good to be true, it
11:09
likely [music] is.
11:12
>> Back in Bangladesh, some small factories
11:14
like this one are also making super fake
11:17
jerseys using imported fabric from
11:19
China. Minmax plans to produce around
11:22
30,000 jerseys for the World Cup. The
11:24
company openly admits these jerseys are
11:27
inferior to authentic or licensed
11:29
replicas.
11:48
>> Still for many [music] customers these
11:50
jerseys are good enough.
12:02
While for many [music] fans price does
12:04
influence the final choice, every jersey
12:07
serves the same purpose, allowing fans
12:09
[music] to express loyalty toward their
12:11
team and feel part of a community.
12:14
>> I think it looks great. I love the
12:15
little um
12:17
um logo right here too for Mexico.
