The German National Football Team has signed Nike as its new sponsor, parting ways with adidas after more than seventy years.
The American brand will become the new supplier from 2027 and has signed an agreement through to 2034. German title, Handelsblatt, reports that Nike will pay €100 million ($108 million) a year, and Bloomberg adds that, if correct, this means that the brand is paying more to the German team than it pays to France and England – both of whom are higher in the FIFA rankings.
In a statement, Dr. Holger Blask, Managing Director of the German football association, DFB,
explained: “Awarding a contract to our future kit supplier Nike is the result of a transparent and non-discriminatory tender procedure. Nike made by far the best financial offer and additionally impressed with the content of their vision, which also included a clear commitment to supporting amateur and grassroots sport, as well as the sustainable development of women’s football in Germany.”
However, the deal has raised some eyebrows in Germany, not least because adidas is a German company. The German Economy Minister and Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck told the newswire DPA: “I can hardly imagine the German jersey without the three stripes. Adidas and black-red-gold always belonged together in my mind. A piece of German identity. There I would have hoped for a bit more hometown loyalty.”
