A toy shop in the Netherlands gave away free LEGO to celebrate the World Cup this week – and what came next feels very on brand for the tournament…
Dutch toy store Intertoys gave away boxes of 2x4 orange LEGO bricks to anyone who asked for them yesterday (at least while supplies held out), apparently in celebration of the FIFA World Cup kicking off next week.
The colour of the bricks matches the national team’s kit, but aside from the exclusive packaging there’s nothing super special about these elements. Of course, that hasn’t stopped people trying to cash in.
Within hours of being handed out, these same boxes were appearing on local selling apps with asking prices of up to €75. Orange 2x4 bricks cost 22 cents each on Pick a Brick in the Netherlands, so 50 of them will set you back €11.
Over on BrickLink they’re even cheaper (not factoring in shipping costs). But these elements are packaged in a unique box, so maybe collectors will pay over the odds for them?
That’s presumably the thought process of the people trying to make money hand over fist on these freebies, and while it probably wasn’t the intention of Intertoys, it does feel in lockstep with the wider World Cup ethos. FIFA has repeatedly come under fire for charging wildly excessive prices for match tickets for the 2026 tournament, while train and bus fares to New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium have also been slashed following fan backlash.
Earlier today – only a week before the tournament gets underway – FIFA changed its policy on water bottles, banning fans from bringing them into stadiums. The organisation says the move is intended to ‘lower the risk of injury caused by fans throwing missiles’, reports the BBC, but some health experts have warned of an increased risk of ‘heat-related health incidents’.
As the Free Lions England fans’ group pointed out on X, the gut reaction from supporters is that the water bottle change is ‘just the latest money-grab’ from FIFA. However you shake it, the optics aren’t great, but again it all feels part and parcel of the philosophy behind the 2026 World Cup. And it’s hard to say that these opportunistic resellers in the Netherlands are any different…
Featured image: LodanMax
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