Adidas appears to be gaining a stronger commercial boost from the FIFA World Cup 2026 than rival Nike, according to early retail and consumer data, as both sportswear giants intensify efforts to capture football fans during the tournament.
Data from research firm M Science showed spending on Adidas apparel jumped 70% year-on-year in May and remained robust into June, largely driven by strong demand for team jerseys ahead of the World Cup. Analyst Drake MacFarlane said Nike’s apparel business was also growing but at a slower pace than Adidas.
Adidas, an official FIFA World Cup sponsor, is backing 14 national teams and supplies the tournament’s match ball, while Nike outfits 12 teams and has expanded its football merchandise presence across more than 5,000 stores globally.
Foot traffic data from Placer.ai further highlighted Adidas’ momentum. Visits to Adidas stores in the US surged 47% during the opening week of the World Cup compared with average 2026 levels, while Nike factory stores recorded an 11% increase. Compared with the same period last year, Adidas store visits rose 16%, whereas Nike experienced a decline.
British retailer JD Sports reported that Mexico’s Adidas-produced jersey was its best-selling team kit during the week beginning June 15. Nike’s US national team jersey ranked second.
Nike, however, recorded stronger merchandise sell-through rates. Data from LSEG showed 28% of Nike’s World Cup merchandise in the US sold out during the tournament’s first two weeks, significantly above Adidas’ 7%.
On the pitch, Nike retained a slight edge in player visibility, with 232 of the 528 World Cup starters wearing Nike boots compared with 218 for Adidas.
Nike remains the world’s largest sports footwear company, although its global market share declined to 22.9% last year from 29.2% in 2022, according to Euromonitor International data cited by Reuters.
