Qingdao flag maker ramps up production to fill World Cup orders

With around two months to go before the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off, production lines at a flag manufacturer in Qingdao, Shandong province, are running at full speed to produce various types of flags, many of which will soon appear in stadiums across North America.

Qingdao Wonderful Flag Industry, located in Jimo district, has supplied flags for eight consecutive editions of the world's top soccer tournament, from the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France to the upcoming 2026 tournament jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

"Right now is the busiest time of the year for us, with daily fabric output reaching 12,000 meters," said Xiao Chang'ai, chairwoman of the company.

Alongside World Cup orders, the company is producing regular orders linked to international leagues, such as England's Premier League, Germany's Bundesliga, and the National Basketball Association of the United States, she said.

According to Xiao, large batches of orders for the 2026 World Cup began pouring in last year. The products cover a full range of fan and stadium flags, including hand flags, pennant string flags, cheer flags, and stadium banners.

"For a single World Cup edition, the total orders can exceed 30 million flags," she said. "With an annual production capacity of 10 million meters of fabric, the company is fully capable of meeting the surge in demand during the tournament."

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, the chairwoman said.

The 2026 World Cup will run from June 11 to July 19 across 16 host cities in the US, Canada, and Mexico, according to FIFA's official website.