Taiwanese Footwear Manufacturers Primed to Benefit as Soccer Shoe Demand Surges Ahead of 2026 World Cup

It is worth noting that with the surging participation in soccer across the North American market—the host destination for the 2026 World Cup—demand for professional soccer shoes has demonstrated structural growth. This trend represents a substantial, long-term tailwind for order books among Taiwanese manufacturers.

Currently, major footwear manufacturers are experiencing a simultaneous warming trend in both orders and shipments starting from the second quarter.

• Pou Chen (寶成): Consolidated revenue for April reached NT$22.344 billion, representing a month-on-month (MoM) increase of 15.3% and a year-on-year (YoY) growth of 3.8%. This marks a return to a dual-growth trajectory on both a monthly and annual basis. Notably, Pou Chen’s core footwear manufacturing business recorded a 6.9% YoY increase in April, signaling a clear stabilization and recovery in the footwear industry's business cycle.

• Feng Tay (豐泰): April's consolidated revenue stood at NT$6.819 billion, reflecting a MoM increase of 3.3% though declining 6.1% YoY. This marks the second consecutive month of positive MoM growth.

• Lai Yih (來億): April's consolidated revenue was NT$4.211 billion, which, despite a 9.2% YoY decline, aligns with the traditional peak season of the second quarter. As brand customers successively initiate their pulling momentum for inventory, Lai Yih—in its capacity as a core OEM manufacturer for Adidas—is poised to benefit significantly.

• Fulgent Sun (鈺齊): April's consolidated revenue reached NT$1.635 billion, registering a sharp MoM increase of 36.9% and a YoY growth of 9.7%. This not only secures a return to dual monthly and annual growth but also represents a single-month high for the year, indicating that the company's operations are steadily emerging from the first-quarter trough. Fulgent Sun currently possesses confirmed order visibility extending into the third quarter, maintaining a prudently optimistic outlook on the overall order momentum for autumn and winter footwear models.

• Sports Gear (志強): April's consolidated revenue hit NT$21.25 billion, a YoY increase of 5.9%, snapped a six-month streak of YoY declines to return to a growth track. Market analysts note that as soccer shoes enter their traditional peak season, compounded by the upcoming World Cup and the continuous ramp-up of production capacity at its new Indonesian facility, Sports Gear's operational performance is expected to heat up month by month.

Concurrently, beyond its specialization in soccer footwear, Sports Gear is actively expanding its order pipeline for ASICS and Brooks running shoes in a strategic push to diversify its product portfolio. As the Indonesian plant begins mass production in the second quarter, running shoe shipments will sequentially hit the market. Coupled with the arrival of the peak shipping season for the World Cup, second-half operational performance is projected to outperform the first half, with full-year consolidated revenue well-positioned to consistently shatter historical highs.