At the height of the FIFA 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, four of China’s largest home appliance manufacturers are using different strategies to strengthen their positions in the World Cup marketing arena.
Hisense
Hisense, a three-time official global sponsor of the FIFA World Cup, expanded its partnership this year by becoming the official VAR (Video Assistant Referee) display technology partner, deploying its self-developed RGB-Mini LED equipment at the Dallas International Broadcast Centre and in the VAR referee room.
Haier
Instead of signing official sponsorship agreements, Haier chose a different approach by partnering with Tmall to launch the themed TV commercial “Haier We Go,” which cleverly used a homophonic pun on the classic football slogan “Here We Go” to highlight the emotional message that “home is the first home stadium of the World Cup.” As the global official partner of Paris Saint-Germain, Haier also launched the interactive campaign “Let AI Heat the Field” — giving away a set of AI-powered smart home appliances
Aux
AUX launched a campaign combining nostalgia and betting: after 25 years, it re-invited Bora Milutinović, the legendary coach who led China’s national football team to the 2001 World Cup, to serve as its brand ambassador, and introduced the promotion “Guess Milu, AUX will refund your money” — buyers of i9 Air Manager series air conditioners can request a full refund if the team predicted by Milutinović wins the World Cup. This is complemented by AUX’s 10-year free warranty on all residential air conditioners starting in 2026.
TCL
TCL continues its differentiated “team sponsorship” strategy, officially announcing partnerships with three World Cup favorites — Spain, Germany, and Argentina (the company also has long-standing partnerships with the Czech Republic and Brazil) — and also signing Arsenal star Bukayo Saka as a brand ambassador. Leveraging its TV manufacturing plant in Tijuana, Mexico, with an annual production capacity of about 5 million units, and localized overseas distribution channels, TCL launched the air-conditioner sales campaign “Big Matches, Big Discounts,” directly channeling World Cup hype into retail sales in North and Latin America, creating a closed loop of marketing reach and localized conversion.