The Shanghai Municipal Government has issued an action plan for 2026-2028 to develop a high-quality sports event economy. It aims to create one to two world-class Shanghai event brands, cultivate internationally capable organizers, and establish a consumption ecosystem friendly to all times and demographics. Targets include cumulative participation of over 10 million in national-level and above events, over 30 million in mass sports events, and an economic impact exceeding RMB 100 billion.
China has published the '15th Five-Year Plan for Expanding Consumption', the first national five-year plan focused on consumption in nearly 50 years. It targets total retail sales of consumer goods to reach about 60 trillion RMB by 2030, implying an average annual growth of 3.7% from 2025's 50.1 trillion RMB. The plan prioritizes service consumption, including elderly care, childcare, health, education, culture, and tourism. It also addresses auto and housing consumption but does not directly extend the consumer goods trade-in subsidy program.
FIFA announced the transformation of its Forward Project into a commercial entity, FIFA Forward Enterprise, and the sale of a 21% stake for $4.2 billion at a $20 billion valuation. The funds will increase grants to member associations from $8 million to $20 million per cycle starting 2027. FIFA President Gianni Infantino is set to become CEO of the new enterprise after his term, with an annual salary exceeding $60 million. The plan has drawn criticism from UEFA and the English FA for lack of transparency and bypassing governance structures.
China's National Sports Administration has issued the 15th Five-Year Plan for Building a Sporting Powerhouse, the first national special plan on the theme, setting five key targets for 2030, including total sports industry scale exceeding RMB 7 trillion. The plan supports multi-sport events since summer 2026. In the 2025 City Football League, 85 matches drew 2.43 million spectators, with 95.9% of attendees making extra purchases, as a RMB 1 ticket generated RMB 7.3 in related spending. In May 2026, the Northeast Super League became China's first cross-provincial city football league.