The FIFA World Cup is currently underway, and excitement surrounding the games has been high.
Excitement around the games has been so high, in fact, that people are buying its merchandise in droves. This, it seems, wasn’t exactly expected by manufacturers, as fans have reported difficulties getting their favorite teams’ kit online.
As it turns out, this problem is not just limited to the internet. Even in the stadium, some are finding some quirks when it comes to getting the jersey they want.
What Happened At This World Cup Game?
In a video with over 542,000 views, TikTok user Casey Settleman (@caseysettleman13) explains that he’s been to 19 matches in this year’s FIFA World Cup. At the Brazil vs. Japan game, however, he noticed something strange.
“This is the first time out of 19 matches that I’ve gone to that they are not [selling] both teams’ jerseys,” he starts.
“Usually, it’s always USA jerseys and then the two teams playing,” he continues. “Today, it’s USA and Brazil jerseys only.”
According to Settleman, he looked for Japan jerseys throughout the stadium but was unable to locate them.
“Houston’s got some explaining to do why we don’t have both teams’ jerseys here,” he concludes.
What Happened To Japan’s Jerseys?
Settleman isn’t the only person to complain about this. Other visitors to the June 29 match said that they, too, were unable to find merchandise supporting the Japanese team.
Why did this happen? It’s unclear. Though there are some hints about what might be going on.
First, World Cup merchandise for Japan seems to be in short supply, period—not just at the games. The official FIFA store only has two pieces of Japan merchandise in incredibly limited sizes. Additionally, the Adidas website shows that the Japan 26 Away Authentic Jersey, the Japan 26 Away Jersey, the Japan 26 Home Jersey, and the Japan 26 Away Kids Jersey are all sold out.
Given this, it’s possible that producers underestimated how in-demand the Japan jerseys would be. Consequently, they sold out and thus did not have enough to provide at the stadium.
Similarly, producers could have overestimated the support for Brazil. This would result in more Brazil jerseys being stocked and fewer Japan ones.
It’s Not Just Japan
While most World Cup fans have been able to find their favorite teams’ kits with relative ease, some have noted difficulties trying to get jerseys for specific teams.
For example, a July 3 piece from Reuters noted that some Morocco fans were having trouble finding their team’s jersey.
The FIFA official store also states that many countries’ merchandise is out of stock or in low supply. To offer another example, there are currently no items listed in the store for Cabo Verde. Even fans of the American team are having trouble finding all of the jerseys in all sizes.
It’s unclear why exactly this is the case. BroBible has reached out to FIFA for clarification.
Commenters Aren’t Surprised
In the comments section, many users claimed that they weren’t particularly shocked that the Japan jerseys were unavailable.
“They sold out. Japan jersey was the coolest looking,” said a user.
“As a soccer jersey collector, Japan jerseys are always the hardest to find, even more so during the World Cup,” alleged another. “I had to order their player version long sleeve all the way from Japan 4 years ago because it was impossible to find here.”
“My son lives in Tokyo and I have been trying to get the away kit for months! he says they are sold out everywhere,” wrote a further TikToker.
@caseysettleman13 Unfortunately you can only buy a Brazil jersey and not Japan 🥺 #brazil #japan #houston #worldcup #soccertiktok
BroBible reached out to Settleman via email and Instagram direct message and to FIFA via email.