Canada soccer jerseys in short supply as demand surges in Metro Vancouver

Canada soccer jerseys in short supply as demand surges in Metro Vancouver

Some Vancouver retailers say they have sold out of Canada soccer jerseys amid World Cup hype

On a Friday afternoon at the Sport Chek location on Vancouver's Robson Street, staff were still unboxing a fresh shipment of soccer jerseys when customers began asking for them.

Store manager Bruce Haug said the latest batch was an "emergency shipment" of Canadian men's soccer jerseys that had been ordered after days of intense demand from customers.

The jerseys had been in Toronto the day before, Haug said, before being rushed west to Vancouver.

"People were moving mountains and literally getting them here as fast as they can," he said.

Haug estimated the shipment included about 2,700 units. When asked how long he expected those jerseys to last, he did not sound optimistic.

"They'll probably be gone today, I would imagine," he said.

In Richmond, Vancity Sports owner John Czvelka said his store has sold out of Canada jerseys with the strongest demand for the red and black styles.

"Everybody wants a Canadian jersey, but supplies are extremely low because the manufacturers didn't produce enough," he said.

At North America Sports The Soccer Shop, owner Ferruccio Susin said his store has been overwhelmed by customers looking for World Cup merchandise.

"Nike as far as we know [is] sold out and we are sold out as well," he said.

He said he has never seen a rush like this.

"Never, never in 50 years that we've been in business, this has never happened and it's due to the World Cup in Canada," he said.

Fans look for colours beyond Canada

While Canada jerseys appear to be leading the rush, retailers say gear from other teams playing at B.C. Place is also popular.

"We ran out of Turkey, we ran out of Egypt and we ran out of Australia," said Susin, referring to stock at North America Sports The Soccer Shop,

At Sports Junkies in Vancouver's Mount Pleasant neighbourhood, assistant manager Anja Marx said calls have picked up since the start of the World Cup with customers asking about all kinds of soccer merchandise.

"Before the Australia game, people were asking for anything that was yellow. And same for the Canada game, people were asking for anything that's red," she said.

At the Robson Street Sport Chek, Haug said the demand has led to some unusual moments.

He recalled one customer who came in looking for a Scotland jersey after his store had already sold out. Haug happened to be wearing a Scotland jersey at the time and sold it to him.

"He bought it off my back," Haug said. "It's a story that he's going to go home to Scotland with."

Stores say supply has not kept up

Nike is the official apparel supplier for Canada Soccer, and its 2026 men's national team jerseys are sold through official and major retail channels. But some retailers say demand for the jerseys has outpaced supply.

According to Susin, North America Sports has been searching for more jerseys but has struggled to find them.

"We're searching some websites and wherever we can find them. Nike Canada, unfortunately, does not have any," he said.

Vijay Setlur, a marketing instructor at York University's Schulich School of Business who specializes in sport and tourism, said companies often base production on past demand, supply chains and expectations about which teams may perform well.

"You don't want to end up developing a lot of product that eventually becomes surplus," he said.

CBC News requested a comment from Canada Soccer and Nike but did not hear back by deadline.

Laurence Watt is an associate producer assigned to directing The Early Edition show in Vancouver. You can reach him at laurence.watt@cbc.ca or on Twitter @_laurencewatt.