Adidas has reported it sold four times as many jerseys and twice as many match balls as it did during the last World Cup, according to e-mailed responses from the company to questions from Bloomberg News.
Both teams in the finals, including the winner, Spain, and runner-up Argentina, were sponsored by Adidas. Adidas is also the official partner and sponsor of the FIFA World Cup.
“In total, we expect event-related sales of around €1.5 billion ($1.7 bn), which also includes football-inspired streetwear that is in high demand everywhere,” said Adidas CEO Bjoern Gulden in the statement provided on Saturday, July 18, the day before the finals. The figure is well above the company’s previous guidance of over €1 billion in sales tied to the World Cup.
“Seeing two teams, and the referees, in three stripes in the final is more than we could have wished for,” Gulden added.
Among the 14 national teams wearing Adidas kits, Mexico’s jersey was the top seller, narrowly ahead of Argentina, while Spain also reported strong sales. Separately, the company’s U.S. retro jersey collection, a denim-inspired design drawing on the 1994 World Cup, ranked among Adidas’ best-performing apparel launches of the summer.
Adidas’ World Cup performance was seen as a win against Nike, which sponsored 12 national teams, including France and England, but none made it to the final. Puma was the third-largest kit sponsor at the World Cup, with 11 teams, including Morocco and Switzerland, reaching the quarterfinals.
Image courtesy Adidas
