Imported beer floods Xiamen as 2018 FIFA World Cup to kick off

The 2018 FIFA World Cup gets under way on Thursday as hosts Russia face Saudi Arabia after the opening ceremony at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium.

With the first kick off just around the corner, Xiamen football fans have been busy stockpiling food and drink for the month-long tournament, that runs from June 14 to July 15.

 
According to consumer statistics released by Xiamen Customs, more than 59 million liters of beer have been imported in the first five months of 2018, an year-on-year increase of 2.8%.

In May alone over 18 million liters were imported representing a year-on-year increase of 9.3%, a record high for the city. It also puts Xiamen at the top of the list of cities in terms of beer imports.

The EU is the largest source of beer imported to Xiamen, accounting for 50 million liters in the first five months of 2018, or 84.5% of the total imports .

Beer is not the only craze taking off at the moment. The upcoming football bonanza is also boosting the sales of crawfish, a popular snack in China. “Our sales have been going crazy lately, we're selling hundreds of kilograms of crawfish everyday.” said a local restaurant owner.