Aizawl: With the FIFA World Cup entering its closing stages, football fever has gripped Mizoram again, driving a sharp rise in jersey sales, keeping fans awake past midnight and highlighting the state’s enduring bond with the sport.In Aizawl, several sports goods shops ran out of Argentina jerseys by Thursday, with demand soaring after the South American giants’ march to the World Cup final.“We have only a few jerseys left in sizes meant for around 10-year-old children. Nothing more,” said Mamuana, a former football writer who now owns a sports goods store. “Ronaldo and Messi jerseys topped our sales this World Cup. We have already run out of stock,” he added.Another dealer said sales occasionally crossed Rs 1 lakh in a single day, a rare surge driven largely by World Cup demand.The boom has extended beyond established shops, with small entrepreneurs and online sellers, many operating through social media, also reporting stocks selling out faster than expected.The frenzy has gone beyond merchandise.With matches in North America kicking off late at night or continuing into the early hours in India, fans have been trading sleep for live football. In Mizoram, that routine is hardly new. For years, football lovers have stayed up to watch the English Premier League, UEFA Champions League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and other major European competitions.Football occupies a special place in the state’s sporting culture, with fans closely tracking global stars such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as well as club line-ups and emerging players from Europe’s top leagues.“When the Premier League, Champions League or other major tournaments are on, football fans in Mizoram remain glued to their television screens until late at night,” Mamuana said. He recalled a time when watching international football was a community event.“Gone are the days when we gathered at the homes of well-to-do families who owned a television set to watch the FIFA World Cup… I still remember watching Diego Maradona’s famous ‘Hand of God’ goal on a black-and-white TV together with dozens of other villagers,” he said.The arrival of cable television in the 1990s, followed by satellite channels and digital streaming platforms, changed the way Mizoram watched football. As access improved, fans could follow top international leagues and tournaments throughout the year, not just during the World Cup.The exposure also helped raise the standard of the game in the state. “This brought a positive change to football in Mizoram. From the early 2000s onwards, we started seeing Mizo footballers earning places in I-League clubs,” Mamuana said.Today, Mizoram has firmly established itself as one of India’s football powerhouses. Despite its small population, the state has produced some of the country’s finest footballers, with around 30 to 40 Mizo players featuring in the Indian Super League, I-League and I-League 2. Several have also represented the national team.As another World Cup draws to a close, Mizoram’s passion for the game is once again on display — in sold-out jerseys, sleepless nights and conversations where football is not just watched, but lived.
Screen printers used by local entrepreneurs to print jerseys
