2026 World Cup exposes billion-dollar dispute between Nike, Adidas and Puma

Brazilian team will be at the 2026 World Cup
Getty Images via BBC
Behind the football dispute of the 2026 World Cup hides a million-dollar commercial battle, involving sports companies and the most famous stars on the field. While the giants of the sector compete for space in the biggest sports showcase on the planet, the tendency for players to strengthen their media presence by registering their own brands is increasing.
Three major sports brands together dress 37 of the 48 teams on the field, equivalent to 77%. The expansion of the tournament this year, however, also gives visibility to emerging competitors in the market.
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The biggest commercial war is between Adidas and Nike, present in, respectively, 14 and 12 teams in the tournament. Puma, in turn, has 11 teams. Alternative manufacturers such as Kelme, Reebok, Kappa, Umbro, Marathon, Jako, Saeta, 7Saber, Majid and Tempo also entered the tournament.
Brazil has worn Nike since 1996, having debuted the American brand's uniforms on the field in the 1998 World Cup. In 2024, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) renewed the contract until 2038, for a value estimated by the portal ge at 100 million dollars.
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Gains and losses for Adidas
Messi - Argentina x Venezuela - Más Monumental - 2026 World Cup Qualifiers
REUTERS
For Adidas, the advantage is also symbolic. The German company dresses the current world champion, Argentina, and other teams with strong commercial weight, such as Spain, Germany, Mexico, Colombia, Belgium or Japan.
Italy, however, a team historically associated with the brand, will not be in the championship for the third consecutive time. Another setback comes from Germany, which will compete in its last major tournament dressed in Adidas, before changing the brand to Nike from next year.
The German team and Adidas have been united for 75 years. The partnership accompanied Mannschaft in winning four world titles and transformed its uniforms into one of the most recognizable symbols of international football.
The commercial dispute takes place not only over the teams, but also over the uniforms of players with enormous impact. Lionel Messi leads the Adidas list in his sixth World Cup with Argentina.
Puma, a silent winner
Nike, in turn, maintains one of the strongest sports portfolios in the championship. In addition to Brazil, the company has contracts with France, England, the Netherlands, Uruguay, the United States and others.
Uruguay x Peru goal Arrascaeta
REUTERS/Mariana Greif
On an individual level, the American arrives supported by some of the biggest stars in world football. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Kylian Mbappé (France), Vinicius Junior (Brazil) and Erling Haaland (Norway) are part of the brand's commercial portfolio.
However, it also lost some important assets. Rodrygo (Brazil) will not be able to participate in the tournament due to injury, while Cole Palmer (England) was left out of the squad.
Puma appears as the big silent winner of the new format. Also German, the company went from dressing six teams in the 2022 World Cup, held in Qatar, to eleven in 2026.
Its growth strategy has been especially strong in Africa, with five teams from the continent: Senegal, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Egypt and Morocco. Portugal, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Paraguay and New Zealand also include Portugal, Switzerland, Austria, Paraguay and New Zealand.
Mohamed Salah shoots on goal in the Egypt x Cape Verde game in the group stage of the 2024 African Cup of Nations
REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dals
Celebrities with registered trademarks
Nor do players waste time in ensuring commercial gains. Frenchman Kylian Mbappé and Spaniard Lamine Yamal this year dethroned Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as the footballers with the most brands of their name protected for possible commercial use in the European economic space.
If four years ago the Portuguese and Argentineans were the kings of intellectual property, now Mbappé has a wide advantage.

He has 15 protected trademarks, some of them phrases associated with his image, such as "Moi tu m'parles pas d'age" (Don't tell me about your age, in free translation).
With Lamine Yamal's show, Spain goes to the 2024 Euro Cup final
Leonhard Simon/Reuters
All of them were registered with the European Union (EU) Intellectual Property Office. In addition to the names in different formats, the French star of Real Madrid has a silhouette drawing of the characteristic celebration of his goals.
Lamine already owns seven brands, including "304", which alludes to the last digits of the postal code of his humble neighborhood of origin in Barcelona. In turn, Vinicius Junior has five brands, and Neymar, two.
Other players are waiting for their brands to be registered, and the trend is also spreading among some coaches.

Source: G1

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