Hong Kong seizes $20 million in fake World Cup jerseys hours before tournament opener

Hong Kong customs authorities seized approximately 230,000 counterfeit goods worth an estimated $20 million (£16 million) in the hours before the 2026 World Cup kicked off, with around 30,000 fake football shirts among the haul, officials announced Thursday.

Wayne Chung, a senior inspector at Hong Kong’s customs department, said most of the counterfeit jerseys were copies of player-edition shirts — which typically carry a higher price tag than fan-edition versions due to superior materials and design — and were so convincingly made they were difficult to distinguish from authentic merchandise.

Nearly 80 per cent of the seized goods were destined for the Americas, where the United States, Mexico, and Canada are jointly hosting the tournament. Mexico and South Africa were scheduled to play the World Cup opener on Thursday.

The operation, which ran from late May to early June, targeted logistics centres across Hong Kong and uncovered a range of other counterfeit products beyond football shirts, including footwear, watches, speakers, and handbags. Items bearing the likeness of luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton and Rolex were displayed at a press conference, with Chung suggesting those goods were likely aimed at tourist markets in other regions.

A truck driver was arrested at a border checkpoint on a bridge linking Hong Kong to mainland China and the neighbouring territory of Macao. Five further individuals were detained in connection with the online sale of counterfeit jerseys. All six have since been released on bail, with investigations into the origins of the goods ongoing.

Chung cautioned that anyone convicted of importing, exporting, selling, or possessing counterfeit goods for sale faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of approximately $64,000.