It’s a turning point: after more than 70 years, the German Football Association is turning away from its supplier for the first time – and switching to US giant Nike.
The DFB announced this decision on Thursday. The partnership is scheduled to begin in January 2027 and last until 2034. Nike is supposed to equip all national teams during this period.
“We look forward to working with Nike and the trust placed in us. The future partnership will enable the DFB to continue to carry out key tasks in the coming decade with a view to the comprehensive development of football in Germany,” says DFB President Bernd Neuendorf.
Partner in six World Cup titles
The current partnership with Adidas expires at the end of 2026. Adidas was the supplier for all four World Cup titles and all three European Championship titles for men as well as for the two World Cup titles and the eight European Championship trophies for women. Just last week, the new jerseys for EURO 2024 were presented in our own country and were discussed extensively, especially because of the bright pink jersey.
The upcoming tournaments will now be a farewell tour for the traditional supplier from Herzogenaurach. The DFB teams will still be wearing Adidas jerseys for the 2024 home European Championships, the 2025 Women’s European Championships in Switzerland and the 2026 Men’s World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada. At EURO 2024, the DFB team will even be living in the Adidas homeground in Herzogenaurach.
Nike with the best economic offer
The reason for the unexpected switch to Nike, which had repeatedly unsuccessfully competed for the DFB selection in recent years: According to the DFB, the Americans “made by far the best economic offer”. The adidas competitor also impressed “with its substantive vision, which also includes a clear commitment to the promotion of amateur and popular sports as well as the sustainable development of women’s football in Germany.”
The DFB is in illustrious company with Nike: The world’s leading sporting goods supplier since 1989 has been equipping the record world champions Brazil since 1994, and its well-known trademark (“Swoosh”) is also emblazoned on the shirts of other major football nations such as France, England and the Netherlands or former European champion Portugal.
Nike is clearly ahead of Adidas
Most recently, Nike reported annual sales of the equivalent of 47.1 billion euros with a profit of 4.7 billion. Adidas had to accept a loss of 75 million euros on sales of 21.4 billion euros – and now that of the German national team.
2024-03-21 15:55:00
#Adidas #Nike #DFB #supplier #years
