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Nike will replace Adidas as the sponsor of the German national football team, putting an end to one of the longest-standing kit partnerships in sport in a fresh setback for the struggling brand.
The DFB German football association announced on Thursday afternoon that Nike would become the new main supplier of kit for all national football teams from 2027 after signing a seven-year contract with the world’s largest sportswear maker.
It will be the first time since 1950 that German national footballers will not wear the distinctive three-striped logo of Adidas, which was founded in the town of Herzogenaurach near Nuremberg a year before.
The DFB said on Thursday that Nike had made “by far the best financial offer” and also committed to support “amateur and grassroots sport” as well as women’s football in Germany.
“I was fortunate enough to be in Germany for our pitch earlier this week”, Nike chief executive John Donahoe said on Thursday. He said that the company had emphasised both the men’s and women’s national teams and the goal “to make the German team a global brand, and to make their athletes global heroes . . . when Nike brings out our best, no one can beat us.”
The DFB did not disclose the financial terms of the deal. The association stressed that its tender was “transparent and non-discriminatory”, adding it was “grateful” that it was facing a “financially stable future” thanks to the support pledged by Nike.
DFB president Bernd Neuendorf said that “German football owes a great deal to [Adidas] for more than seven decades of co-operation.”
Losing sponsorship of its home country’s national football team is a blow for Adidas’ sports-obsessed chief executive Bjørn Gulden. A former professional football player, Gulden has vowed to seize on Adidas’ rich historic heritage to lead the group out of its deepest financial crisis in three decades.
Adidas said in a statement that “we were informed by the DFB today that the federation will have a new supplier from 2027 onwards”.
From a financial perspective, the DFB’s decision will not have any immediate impact on Adidas as its contract covers this year’s Euro 2024 tournament which will be hosted by Germany as well as the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
This month, Adidas made headlines in Germany when it unveiled the national team’s kit for Euro 2024, including a pink away jersey that has no historical precursor. The company said this week that the jersey had already become a bestseller but declined to disclose detailed numbers.
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