As soon as you step into Niky’s Sports’ Pico Union store, it’s clear they’re ready for the FIFA World Cup.
Soccer jerseys from all the national teams who have qualified for the tournament are displayed front and center, especially Mexico’s “El Tri” home kit featured on a mannequin. Colombia’s, Argentina’s, Germany’s and Spain’s jerseys complete the colorful arrangement, with a picture of Spanish player Lamine Yamal holding onto his Adidas shoes.
No team that has made an impact in recent tournaments are absent.
With the tournament quickly approaching, Niky’s says they’re already seeing a rise in sales.
Sales have risen about 30% across Niky’s stores across LA County since the start of the year, according to manager Cynthia Molina, who adds that the Pico Union location is helping drive that trend.
The biggest demand has been for national team jerseys, particularly Mexico, Argentina and Colombia. Most national team jerseys typically cost between $100 and $150.
“I feel like, with the excitement going around now, we have a lot of people coming in just asking for jerseys,” Molina said. “So, it’s moving.”
Customers are buying gear as a way to connect with family, often making the visit to the store a memorable trip, Molina said.
“They’re wanting to support their teams. They’re coming and uniting with their families, sharing that whole experience all together,” Molina said. “People from all over the world are coming in sometimes and checking out the items we have.”
The boost in sales at Niky’s Sports is just a small piece of the economic impact expected when the first World Cup game is held in Inglewood on June 12.
The tournament is projected to generate around $892 million in total economic activity across the county, according to the Los Angeles World Cup 2026 Host Committee. Most of this is expected to come from visitor spending on housing, dining, and retail – an estimated $515 million, according to forecasts.
A boost is also expected from businesses increasing their purchasing and hiring more workers. When longer-term tourism gains from global exposure are factored in, total benefits could exceed $1.1 billion.
Officials also anticipate about $50 million in new local tax revenue.
The purchase of at least one jersey can be attributed to Janeth Diron, a local resident and longtime customer of Niky’s Sports, who visited the retailer’s Pico Union location on a recent March afternoon.
Diron, 34, played soccer in high school and would always get her gear from the Pico Union shop, but on Wednesday she went in to buy her husband a Brazil away jersey. He plans to root for the team in the tournament.
Diron is looking forward to the tournament, even as she prepares to have a baby around the same time.
“I’m excited. I’ll have my husband home, and he’ll be enjoying that,” Diron said laughing.
Other shops are also beginning to feel the early effects of the World Cup. At Sportsland in Westlake, staff are seeing a jump in sales, but at nearby Pepe’s Sports, sales have remained steady.
“For now, everything is staying normal; there’s still a lot of time,” co-owner Diego Ángel Gómez said, noting that demand usually spikes closer to the start of the tournament.
The business has been in Westlake for nearly three decades and based on past World Cups, sales can jump dramatically depending on team performance, Gómez said.
During the last tournament in 2022, Argentina’s championship run drove a sharp increase in demand.
“Argentina saved our business,” he said. Argentina jersey sales nearly doubled, and he ran out of stock.
He expects a similar pattern this year, with a big rise in sales about a month before kickoff and even more once the matches begin.
At Sports, a shop near MacArthur Park that has been operating for over two decades, sales associate Luis Sánchez said business has remained flat compared with six months ago. He attributes the slower buildup to broader economic and political factors.
“The situation with the government, rising gas prices, lack of jobs, immigration,” Sánchez said, listing what he believes is keeping customers away. Still, he remains optimistic that sales will pick up as the tournament approaches.
“Let’s hope so, we have faith,” he said