Adidas, Coca-Cola, Visa and Sony are the most recognised World Cup sponsors among Chinese fans, despite China's own absence from the championship, says a survey by TNS Research International.
The findings, gathered between June 16 and 22, find that more Chinese football fans are watching the World Cup online and using social media to interact with other enthusiasts.
Nearly three in four adults polled by TNS expressed a strong interest in following what was happening, with 13 per cent describing themselves as being “crazy about” the World Cup.”
The survey reveals that Adidas is the most recognised World Cup sponsor among Chinese fans, with 72% of people saying they know the brand. A total of 65% recognised Coca-Cola, followed closely by Visa and Sony with awareness ratings of 61% and 58% respectively.
McDonald's, ranking fifth among all the sponsors, was correctly identified by 47% of Chinese consumers.
Solar energy company Yingli Group, the first Chinese brand ever to sponsor the event, has now become familiar to 20% of people.
The survey finds that while TV remains pre-eminent when it comes to watching football - with 77% of people saying they have watched at least one World Cup match on TV - some 49% said they were watching the matches on their computers.
England's David Beckham is still a sporting hero to 10% of Chinese football fans, despite not being in the ill-fated England squad.