"You Can Buy a 200,000 Won Uniform for 10,000 Won"... A Country Where Over 70% of Market Uniforms Are Counterfeit

More Than 70% of Uniforms on the Market in Argentina Are Counterfeit
Replicas Priced at One-Tenth of Official Products Draw Crowds to Wholesale Markets
Consumer Prices Rise 32%, TV Sales Plummet

As the opening of the 2026 North and Central American World Cup approaches, counterfeit uniforms are selling rapidly in Argentina. This phenomenon has emerged as the official product prices exceed the real purchasing power of consumers.

Lionel Messi wearing the Argentina national team uniform. Adidas official website

On June 1, Yonhap News Agency reported, "Sales of national team uniforms and various cheering merchandise are soaring ahead of the World Cup. However, as the prices of official products have become burdensome for ordinary consumers, the market for counterfeit goods is growing alongside."

Throughout downtown Buenos Aires, sky blue and white uniforms, hats, and flags symbolizing the Argentina national team fill the streets. The football fever that has continued since Argentina's victory at the 2022 Qatar World Cup is heating up even more. However, a significant portion of the national team uniforms sold on the streets and in shops are unofficial replicas. The local chamber of commerce and industry estimates that more than 70% of national team uniforms distributed in the market are counterfeit.

On local social networking services (SNS), advertisements for replica World Cup merchandise such as uniforms, headbands, and flags are overflowing. Some sellers attract consumers by highlighting the low price and claiming there is "almost no difference from the official products."

While the price of an official uniform is between 170,000 and 200,000 won, replicas are traded for around 40,000 won, and at the Once wholesale market and some street stalls, they can be purchased for about 10,000 won. This is less than a quarter, and in some cases, just one-tenth the price of official products.

A cafe in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, is decorated with sky blue and white colors on its windows in anticipation of the 2026 North American and Central American World Cup. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Maria (45), a citizen who visited the representative Once wholesale market in Buenos Aires, told Yonhap News Agency, "It is too much of a financial burden for my family of four to buy official uniforms for everyone," adding, "Whether or not it's an official product isn't that important." Purchasing official uniforms for a family of four would cost well over 600,000 won.

Fabian Castillo, President of the Buenos Aires Chamber of Commerce, said in an interview with foreign media, "The World Cup victory has made even those who were not interested in football root for the national team." The increase in sales of counterfeit uniforms, even as World Cup fever spreads, is being analyzed as a reflection of Argentina's economic reality.

Javier Milei, President of Argentina. Photo by AP Yonhap News

Argentina has suffered from one of the highest inflation rates in the world for several years. According to Argentina's National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INDEC), consumer prices in April 2026 rose by 32.4% compared to the same period a year earlier. Although President Javier Milei's aggressive fiscal austerity has slowed the monthly inflation rate to 2.6%—the lowest in 11 months—years of high prices have eroded real purchasing power.

Meanwhile, sales of TVs, a representative product benefiting from the World Cup, reportedly decreased by more than 35% compared to the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Claudio (55), an electronics store employee, told Yonhap News Agency, "In the past, the store would be crowded with customers wanting to buy TVs a month before the World Cup, but now, even with drastic discount events, consumers are reluctant to open their wallets."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.