The French national soccer team will end its long sponsorship deal with Adidas in 2011 in favor of a $506 million contract with Nike. The French soccer federation said Nike outbid Adidas and French company Airness, promising to pay $63.4 million per year until the end of the 2017-2018 season. Adidas has sponsored the national team, called Les Bleus, since 1972.


Nike may make further payments based on France's performance in the 2014 and 2018 World Cups. The federation, which will get about half of the $506 million in the final year, said it switched suppliers on the bid alone. Germany kept its alliance with adidas last year despite a much higher bid from Nike.

“For French soccer and those who will come after us, the federal council owed itself to go with the highest bidder,” said Jacques Lambert, director general of the French soccer federation.

“We're very excited to partner with the French team, one of the world's premier teams with a rich heritage and outstanding record on the global and European stage. We're committed to supporting and advancing French football at all levels from the national squad to youth football,” said Charles Denson, President of the Nike brand. “It's a great day for Nike football and a perfect match for our brand. This partnership will solidify Nike's leadership in football, as we continue delivering industry leading innovations on the pitch and create competitive distance with our next phase of growth.”

“We are pleased to be the FFF's future partner in our mutual quest to be the best,” said Fabrice Ducceschi, General Manager of Nike France. “This is the next exciting stage of our brand’s overall strategy in France, already the sports equipment market leader. This new agreement will be instrumental in further deepening our emotional connection to French supporters of football and their national team.”


Nike has made a major push into the world’s most popular sport, vowing to become soccer’s top brand by the next world cup. Since the early 1990s, Nike has grown its football revenues from about $40 million to approximately $1.5 billion.


Nike recently bought out England’s Umbro PLC for $566 million in a deal expected to be approved next month. Umbro’s soccer apparel, footwear and equipment is sold in more than 90 countries and supplies uniforms to the national teams of England, Ireland, Sweden and Norway, six English Premier League teams and more than 100 other professional teams globally.


Nike itself endorses soccer stars such as Ronaldinho, Cristiano Ronaldo and Franck Ribery. It also partners with national teams such as Brazil and Holland, and club teams such as Manchester United, Inter Milan and Barcelona.



Adidas outfits soccer clubs from England's Liverpool to Los Angeles Galaxy, whose roster includes David Beckham. The company replaced Umbro Plc as uniform supplier to Premier League club Chelsea in 2006 and is set to take over this year from Admiral as sponsor to England's national cricket team.