Soccer enthusiasm in Argentina has created a booming market for fake jerseys and collectible trading cards as the World Cup approaches, creating headaches for legitimate retailers already struggling with President Javier Milei’s market-opening policies.
Streets throughout Buenos Aires are packed with vendors selling hats, flags, mate gourds and t-shirts featuring the nation’s signature light-blue and white colors.
Argentina’s World Cup victory in 2022 “makes people who don’t even like soccer feel that passion,” said Fabián Castillo, head of the Buenos Aires commerce chamber.
However, Castillo believes more than 70% of the Argentine national team jerseys being sold by street vendors are fake. Across the globe, many shoppers deliberately purchase low-cost imitations due to the steep prices of authentic jerseys.
This trend is especially pronounced in Argentina, where people’s buying power has declined as wages haven’t matched inflation rates. The proliferation of fake merchandise compounds existing problems for the domestic textile sector, which has experienced factory shutdowns due to increased cheap imports under Milei’s administration.
Lucas Aranda, a textile merchant from the province of Buenos Aires, offers national team jerseys for 40,000 pesos ($28) each, roughly one-fourth the price of authentic versions.
Fake products have also entered the market for popular soccer stickers that children and many adults collect to fill their World Cup albums. While genuine stickers are available at convenience stores, less expensive “alternatives” are being sold online.
The World Cup begins next month, with the United States, Canada and Mexico serving as hosts. Argentina’s opening match is scheduled against Algeria on June 16.
