In a just-released study, Heuritech, the Paris-based AI trend forecasting platform, expects an overall decline in the sneaker market in both Europe and the U.S. in 2026, but found Adidas surpassing Nike as the market share leader in the global women’s market, while New Balance, On, Mizuno, and Skechers were among brands seeing gains in social media visibility.

Founded in 2013, Heuritech reports that it uses advanced AI, specifically computer vision and deep learning, to analyze millions of images from platforms including Instagram to forecast fashion trends.

Top 10 Brands Market Share  
Heuritech’s “Global  Footwear Insights” study exploring the sneaker market found that in 2025, three brands — Nike, Adidas and New Balance — together accounted for 74 percent of global sneaker market share. Nike ended the year with a 34 percent share; Adidas, 26 percent and New Balance, 14 percent. Nike’s market share was found to be slightly eroding.

Top Three Sneaker Brands Market Share

A further 20 percent of the market was held by the seven other brands in the Top 10, taking the combined share of the Top 10 players to almost 95 percent of the global market. Among mid-market brands, Asics (4th) and Onitsuka Tiger (10th) posted the strongest year-over-year market-share gains. Rounding out the Top 10, in order, are Vans, Puma, Jordan, On, and Converse.

Remaining Seven Sneaker Brands Market Share

Social Media Visibility Trends
Exploring social media visibility by brand and gender, Mizuno achieved the highest overall growth, with a 30 percent average increase throughout the year. On ranked 2nd with an average growth of 21 percent, and Onitsuka Tiger came in 3rd with an average growth of 19 percent.

Within the women’s market, Mizuno emerged as the most dynamic brand in terms of visibility in 2025, posting strong growth across all four quarters and ending the year with the highest 12-month average increase of 44 percent. Onitsuka Tiger saw the strongest acceleration in the second half, ranking second in the fourth quarter with an average growth of 28 percent. The On brand ranked third with a 12-month average of 22.5 percent, despite a slowdown in growth over the year.

Among the top three brands by market share, New Balance recorded the largest increase in visibility, up 15 percent. Adidas rose by 5 percent, while Nike declined by 8 percent.

Sneaker Brand Social Visibility (Females)

In the male market, visibility trends were relatively subdued, with no brand showing significant upward momentum. Skechers emerged as the relative leader, maintaining the highest and most stable quarter-on-quarter growth (+22 percent in 2025 vs 2024). On and Mizuno followed with 20 percent and 15 percent growth, respectively, though both experienced a gradual slowdown over the year. Among the major players, Adidas grew 5 percent, New Balance was up 3.6 percent, while Nike slid 2 percent. While all three of the top sneaker brands ended the year relatively flat compared to 2024, each showed gradual downward momentum throughout 2025.

Sneaker Brand Social Visibility (Males)

Heuritech noted that in the U.S. market, women’s sneaker demand was slightly concentrated in the 36–45 and 45+ age groups, while younger women represented a smaller share of the market. In contrast, men showed a balanced distribution across age groups, with the younger segments (16–25 and 26–35) playing a more significant role than in the female market.

Among sports and fashion categories in the U.S. market, Puma recorded the strongest growth in the Running and Fashion Forward segments for both men and women. Notably, Puma was the only brand to see growth in the female Fashion Forward segment. In Training, New Balance posted the highest growth among women, while Asics and Mizuno led among men. In the Yoga & Pilates segment, where consumer preferences are influenced by lifestyle footwear trends, New Balance and Puma recorded the strongest year-on-year growth.

Among models, the Adidas Adizero and Nike P-6000 ranked among the four fastest-growing sneaker models over the past 12 months across both genders. The Puma Speedcat recorded the strongest growth among women, up 206 percent in 2025 compared with the previous year. For men, the Adidas Adizero led the way with 150 percent growth, followed by the Nike Shox TL, climbing 96 percent.

2026 Forecast
According to Heuritech’s analysis, the sneaker market in Europe and the U.S. experienced a progressive slowdown throughout 2025 and is forecast to deteriorate further in 2026. The European market is expected to decline 5 percent in the fourth quarter of the current year, compared to a more moderate 3 percent decline in the U.S. in the quarter.

Growth by Quarter for Sneakers

Over the next year, the female market in Europe is projected to decline by 4 percent. In contrast, the female market in the U.S. is expected to grow modestly, up 0.6 percent. Male segments are projected to remain relatively stable in both regions, with forecasted declines of 0.5 percent in Europe and the U.S.

Exploring categories, performance running sneakers held the largest overall market share throughout 2025 for both men and women, followed by retro basketball sneakers. Most sneaker categories are forecast to decline over the next 12 months due to broader market trends, with Retro trainers the only segment projected to grow for both genders.

Market Share and Forecasted Growth By Category

Image courtesy Adidas