Sold for R$749.99 in official stores, Brazil’s World Cup shirt is the one that weighs the most on fans’ pockets among the eight countries that have already won the tournament.
BBC News Brasil compared the price of official uniforms with the average income of the population of Germany, England, France, Italy, Spain, Argentina and Uruguay.
In Brazil, the value corresponds to around 17.5% of the average monthly income per capita, according to the World Bank, calculated at US$859 — the equivalent today of R$4,289. The calculation considers the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) converted into dollars and divided by the number of inhabitants.
The value adopted by the World Bank is higher than that calculated by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics through the Continuous National Household Sample Survey, the Continuous PNAD, which takes net income into account.
According to IBGE, the average monthly income of the Brazilian population is R$3,367, a scenario in which purchasing a national team shirt would compromise 22.2% of income.
But World Bank data was adopted by the report to ensure a single basis for comparison between countries.
If the calculation took into account the minimum wage, for example, the price of the shirt would be equivalent, in Brazil, to 46.3% of the total amount received per month.
This comparison, however, would have limitations. While in Brazil around a third of workers receive the minimum wage, in Germany only 6% of the population earns the country’s legal minimum wage. Therefore, the indicator does not work as a good thermometer of the average income of the population in each territory.
Germany is the “cheapest” country to buy a national team shirt
Among the countries that have already won the trophy, the highest prices proportional to income are in the three South Americans on the list.
In European nations, fans do not need to pay more than 5.9% of their average monthly income to buy an official shirt.
The mantle, as the piece is called by some Brazilians, represents 3.7% of a German’s monthly income, 4% of an Englishman’s, 4.8% of a Frenchman’s, 5.2% of an Italian’s and 5.9% of a Spaniard’s, the highest percentage in Europe among champions.
Among Brazil’s neighbors, it is necessary to spend 9.2% of the average monthly income in Argentina to buy the official shirt and 9.9% in Uruguay.
Although the percentages are much higher than those recorded in Europe, they are still around 8% below the Brazilian value.
When converting euros, reais and pesos to dollars in this Tuesday’s prices (19), the absolute price of the Brazilian shirt appears as the second cheapest on the list (US$ 149.1), ahead only of Argentina (US$ 107.5). However, when the comparison takes into account the population’s income, Brazil is the most expensive country to purchase the piece.
The comparisons were made by BBC News Brasil by crossing data from the World Bank with information from official Nike and Adidas stores, brands responsible for selling the uniforms for these teams.
The values refer to the so-called player shirts. In the case of Nike, responsible for the Brazilian uniform, the company states that the piece uses a technology that allows air circulation on the skin, helping the body to stay cool in high temperatures and making the material lighter.
According to the manufacturers, these would be the same pieces used by athletes on the field. The comparison considered this model because, although there are cheaper versions in Brazil — such as a simple white t-shirt printed only with the CBF logo, sold for R$149.90 —, not all countries offer equivalent alternatives, as some only sell so-called player models.
Until the publication of this report, Nike did not respond to questions from BBC News Brasil about which factors impact the pricing of the shirt.
Price variation in Brazil exceeds inflation
The price paid for a national team shirt has always been considered high in Brazil. In 1998, on the eve of the World Cup in France, the item cost R$84. The value represented 64.6% of the minimum wage at the time, R$130 — a higher percentage than the current rate of 46.3%. It was in that year that Nike took over the production of official uniforms in partnership with the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation).
Still, the value of the shirt since then has been above inflation. If it were corrected by the IPCA (Broad National Consumer Price Index), an official IBGE indicator to measure variation in the cost of living, the value of R$84 in 1998 would be equivalent today to R$438 — that is, R$312 less than what was charged for this World Cup.
The adjustments between one World Cup and another varied a lot over time. Between the 2014 World Cups, in Brazil, and 2018, in Russia, the increase was 36.7%.
Between the Russian Cup and the Qatar Cup, in 2022, the increase reached 55.6%, when the price jumped from R$449.90 to R$699.99. It was an increase of 55.6%, while the accumulated IPCA was lower, at 29.1% — considering inflation, therefore, the shirt should have cost up to R$581.
For the next edition, hosted by Canada, the United States and Mexico from June 11th, the increase was smaller: 7.1%, with the price going from R$699.99 to R$749.99. Even so, the variation was above the inflation accumulated in the period, according to which the piece should cost, at most, R$735.
This text was originally published here.
