Move over, Adidas. Nike will become the DFB team’s new kit supplier starting in 2027. The American sportswear brand reached inked a seven-year deal with the European giants.
The new deal, officially announced on the national team website, is a shocker. The German sportswear brand Adidas has outfitted Die Mannschaft for 70 years. During that period, the DFB won the FIFA World Cup four times while wearing some of the most iconic kits in history. The only exception was the 1974 triumph when Erima produced all the jerseys.
The 1954, 1990, and most recent 2014 World Cup triumphs were all in Adidas kits. The German women won two World Cup trophies in the Adidas kits, 2003 and 2007.
News of the new Nike deal shocked the internet, especially given that Adidas is one of Germany’s most famous sportswear brands. Albeit so is Puma, another internationally recognized German brand.
“Nah Germany & Nike just doesn’t fit bro,” shared one fan. “Imagine having 2 of the world’s 3 biggest sportswear companies in your country and you go for the other one? Makes no sense to me. Obviously Nike paid more – apparently – but it’s a huge L after so many decades. Germany is Adidas.”
Get used to it ✔️🇩🇪
The longstanding affiliation in which Adidas paid $54 million annually to sponsor the national team will end after Germany competes in the 2026 World Cup. The first time we’ll see Germany don the Nike dot will be Euro 2028 in the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
“We look forward to working with Nike and to the trust they have placed in us,” announced DFB president Bernd Neuendorf in a statement.
Neuendorf informed Adidas of the decision on Thursday.
“The future partnership will enable the DFB to continue to play a key role in the comprehensive development of football in Germany over the next decade,” he added. “But one thing is also clear: until December 2026, we will do everything in our power to achieve joint success with our longstanding and current partner, Adidas, to whom German football has been indebted for more than seven decades.”
It’s the end of an era at a time when Germany hosts this summer’s Euros. It all feels a little weird and contrived, doesn’t it?
Photo: x/eurofootcom
