Early data shows that Adidas “appears to be getting a bigger boost than rival Nike” as the World Cup “brand battle heats up,” according to Kaye & Brown of REUTERS. Both companies are investing heavily in the tournament, but Nike is “relying on it for sales and visibility as it tries to right its ship amid years of steadily leaking market share.” Investors “will be looking for signs of progress next week” when Nike reports fourth-quarter earnings. Adidas, an official World Cup sponsor and a brand long associated with soccer, is sponsoring 14 teams and supplying the “coveted match ball.” Nike is outfitting 12 national teams, partnering with local street-wear designers and refreshing soccer merchandise at more than 5,000 Nike and wholesale stores globally. Data from Placer.ai shows that visits to Adidas’ U.S. stores “surged 47% during the first week of the World Cup compared to 2026 averages, versus an 11% jump at Nike’s U.S. factory stores.” Placer.ai found that for Adidas, those visits “represented a 16% jump versus the same week last year -- but for Nike, they represented a drop.” Placer.ai Dir/Research Elizabeth Lafontaine said that while the Nike data “only covers outlet stores, the overall findings still indicate that Adidas ‘has been top of mind for shoppers and may have done a good job in its store activation around the event.’” A report from LSEG this week shows a “bright spot for Nike: 28% of its World Cup merchandise in the U.S. sold out during the first two weeks of the tournament -- well above Adidas’ 7%” (REUTERS, 6/24).
Early World Cup data gives Adidas edge over Nike
