ToyFarce News: FIFA World Cup - Thousands of Fans Forced to Celebrate Without Starting Lineup Football Figures!

As the FIFA World Cup enters the knockout stages and millions of fans across the United States continue celebrating with equal amounts of passion and questionable decision-making, industry analysts have identified what may have been Hasbro's biggest missed opportunity in years: not having Starting Lineup football (soccer) action figures on store shelves. ToyFarce investigated...

"These things would've just sold themselves!" explained a marketing expert. "You've got fans who have already spent hundreds of dollars on tickets, jerseys, scarves, face paint, and approximately 14 overpriced stadium beers. Convincing them to spend another $35-40 on a Kylian Mbappé action figure would've been easier than convincing them to chant 'ONE MORE BEER!'. Plus, they were all already here in the USA, no need to ship all over the world! They drank all the beer in Boston! They'd have bought all the figures available on sight. Terrible missed opportunity..."

According to completely made-up ToyFarce market research, the five figures that would've disappeared from shelves first are Argentina's Lionel Messi, France's Kylian Mbappé, Norway's Erling Haaland, and England's Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, with collectors buying two of each: one to display and one "just in case it becomes rare". The World Cup's biggest names have dominated headlines (and the Golden Boot race, for the one who scores the most goals) throughout the tournament, making them obvious choices for a first wave, which, if available at stadiums during the World Cup, would have sold like hot cakes. They could have also had roleplaying items, like a World Cup trophy replica.

Toy collectors also admitted they would've joined the football craze despite not knowing a single rule: "I've never watched a football match in my life..." confessed collector Mike while refreshing online retailers. "But if they announced a deluxe Lionel Messi with interchangeable celebration hands and a tiny World Cup trophy, I'd pre-order three immediately. Maybe four if there was a chase variant."

Witnesses reported that countless missed sales occurred throughout the tournament as ecstatic supporters left stadiums with disposable income, only to discover there wasn't a single Starting Lineup figure available to commemorate the occasion: "It was the perfect storm..." sighed one disappointed football and Hasbro fan. "The fans were excited, emotional, and just drunk enough to convince themselves they absolutely needed a Erling Haaland figure at 2 AM. We'll never know how much money was left on the table there..."

More news at 11:00... "Millions of drunk football fans had money to spend. Hasbro Had nothing to sell them..."
*ToyFarce News is parody news for laughs and not meant to be taken seriously!