Indonesian Businesses Set to Lose Merchandise Revenue After U-20 World Cup Moved

The FIFA U-20 World Cup was scheduled to begin next month in Indonesia, but FIFA stripped the host country of its status after political disagreements, handing the tournament over to Argentina instead.

We know well by now what goes into planning an international event like this. Aside from the myriad logistics and preparations, there's a ton of branded merchandise that will now be rendered obsolete.

A bit like the Tokyo 2020 Olympics merchandise that was left after the games were postponed due to COVID, Indonesia's marketing effort included branded toys, apparel, and more.

Indonesia’s licensed vendor for FIFA U-20 World Cup merchandise is scrambling to sell off its wares after the country lost its license to host the tournament in an act of political self-sabotage. #jakpost https://t.co/Eqkgr2FZ7x

— The Jakarta Post (@jakpost) April 18, 2023

Setting aside the money the country spent on sprucing up its facilities, like stadiums and other infrastructure, Indonesian businesses are set to lose out on a lot from abandoned merchandise.

Time Magazine cited a report from the Institute for Economic and Social Research at Universities Indonesia, which estimated that businesses designated as MSMEs (micro, small, and medium enterprises), aka merchandise vendors, would have made about $67,000 per day during the 22-day tournament.

Merchandise pop-ups and displays would have been set up at places like malls and airports in the host cities like Jakarta. Stores like Juaraga, an activewear store that ordered more than 500,000 pieces of merchandise, are now left with products that are essentially useless, according to the Jakarta Post.

The Tokyo games were only delayed, and made the leftover merchandise sort of a collector's item. This has much different connotations, so there won't be as many people willing to still buy merchandise from a tournament that never happened and will not happen.

Before the cancellation, items like magnets, keychains, and stuffed animals featuring the games' mascot (a rhino named Bacuya) were the most popular sellers.

The Jakarta Post estimated that the MSME's producing the products would lose about $2.03 billion in potential revenue, not to mention the chance to show off their products on an international scale.