Nike usurps Adidas as kit sponsor of German football teams with US$108m-a-year deal, ending a 70-year-plus partnership
- The decision to switch to the US company from 2027 sparked dismay in Berlin, with a minister blasting the switch as a lack of “patriotism”
- The 70-year-plus partnership with the Germany company saw the men’s and women’s teams win multiple World Cups and European titles in Adidas gear
Nike is replacing Adidas as the main uniform sponsor of Germany’s national football teams, taking the competition for marketing primacy in the sport onto its arch-rival’s home turf.
The US company will become the German teams’ main supplier as of 2027, ending a 77-year partnership during which the men’s and women’s squads won multiple World Cup titles and European championships in Adidas gear.
The Nike agreement is set to run through 2034.
Nike submitted “the economically best offer by far”, the German football association, DFB, said on Thursday in a statement on its website. It also included a commitment to support the organisation’s amateur sports activities and foster the development of women’s football.
The DFB’s decision to drop Adidas sparked dismay in Berlin on Friday, with the economy minister blasting the switch to Nike as a lack of “patriotism”.