When it comes to football, the world is divided
between Adidas and Nike. Combined, they sponsor more than 60% of the
teams in Qatar. But not that long ago, this map looked much
different. In 1990, Adidas supplied more than 60%, and
Nike had none! Why does this even matter? Because there is A LOT of money at stake. The global sportswear market is worth 300
billion. And the World Cup is one of the world’s
biggest sporting events with a huge global audience. It showcases raw passion, athleticism, and
victory. Or in short: it is a massive marketing opportunity. That’s why Nike and Adidas battle for the
best teams, players, and moments. They want to win when the world is watching. So while Argentina and France shine on the
pitch, which brand is the biggest winner in Qatar? Welcome to Athletic Interest and the battle
of the brands. The fact that we are even talking about this
rivalry is remarkable. For a long time, Adidas owned football and
Nike was almost non-existent. Because Adidas’ roots are in football, and
Nike’s are in running. Adidas started its rise with the World Cup
in 1954. Their founder Adi Dassler had invented screw-in
studs on lightweight shoes that made Germany win the World Cup in the rain - and Adidas
a household name on pitches around the world. From then on, Adidas became synonymous with
football. During the 70s, Adidas boss Horst Dassler
even played a key role in commercializing FIFA - from creating a television market to
arranging sponsorships and broadcasting rights. Its strong ties to football made Adidas the
biggest sports brand in the world - and explain why the map looked like this at the beginning
of the 90s. At that time, Nike knew nothing about football,
and football knew nothing about Nike. But at the 94 World Cup in the US, Nike Co-Founder
Phil Knight saw the Brazilian national team take the title in front of a record-breaking
crowd at the Rose Bowl stadium. It made him think. After conquering running, tennis, and basketball
by signing the right athletes, to become a truly global brand, Nike had to get into football. And Knight had a plan. He told his employees that to understand football
truly, they had to see the game through the eyes of Brazilians. And that's what they did. Two years later, a $200 million 10 year-contract
was signed in New York between the Brazilian federation and Nike. Not only was the deal itself groundbreaking,
but it was also the way that Nike activated the partnership. The Brazil national team killing time at the
“Airport.” “The Secret Tournament”, viral Ronaldinhos,
Joga Bonito, and robots taking over football. Nike truly left its mark on football culture. And it paid off…Nike’s football sales
went from 40 million in 94 to more than 2 billion in 2018 - also thanks to sponsoring
the World Cup-winning team in Russia. Nike had gained the ground to the all-time
leader Adidas. But what about 2022? Here’s the breakdown. Every World Cup, the executives at the Adidas
and Nike offices each open their excel lists and start counting How many teams are wearing our kit? How many players are wearing our shoes? And how many goals have they scored? Let’s start with the first one: kit sponsorships. Each country has a massive built-in fan base
and success will lead to millions of shirt sales. 13 of the 32 countries are playing in shirts
provided by Nike. The most by any sportswear sponsor in Qatar. Adidas outfit seven nations. It’s only the third time Nike has outperformed
Adidas, and the biggest gap Nike has ever held over its longtime rival. Nike’s success clearly comes at the expense
of Adidas. And now even Puma is looking to catch up with
Adidas. However, it’s not just about quantity but
also quality. Between 2018 and 2019, Adidas lost 9 sponsored
federations. But only 2 came from the top 50 nations ( Iran,
and Israel). This is a clear sign that Adidas changed their
strategy to focus on having the best instead of the most. So let’s look at quality: who is sitting
in the VIP seats in the Nike and Adidas portfolios? Six of the seven nations playing in Adidas
are ranked among the world’s top 20. Nike has seven teams in the top 20 — but
it is also tied to lower-ranked teams like Qatar and Saudi Arabia, who both rank among
the worst teams competing this year. But having teams from the major markets of
England, France, and the US will most certainly guarantee a lot of shirt sales for Nike. Among the top four are two Nike teams and
one Adidas , but the secret winner is Puma who sponsor Morocco, a team that has won the
support of large parts of the Arab and African world. It’s nice to sell a lot of shirts, but there
is even more money to make with shoes! Players can freely choose what shoes to wear
no matter the team’s kit supplier. So Adidas and Nike sign individual deals with
players. Those are becoming increasingly important
in today’s superstar economy. Players like Ronaldo and Messi have an unprecedented
following on social media and with it a commercial power that exceeds many clubs and federations. As with shirts, it is again Nike with the
largest share. Almost half of the players in Qatar are wearing
Nike shoes, followed by Adidas with over a third. While Nike is still in the lead, they were
much more dominant four years ago with over 60% - but dropped a lot of players since then. Because again, it’s not about quantity. Having 70% of Ecuador won’t sell a lot of
shoes. But also on that end Nike wins. Most of the goals were scored with Nike boots. The squads of the two finalists show a more
balanced picture, a classic Adidas vs Nike situation. Before crowning the winner of the battle of
the brands, here are two honorable mentions. First: New Balance. They only have 10 players in total, but they
chose good ones, scoring 5 goals for big teams. And Louis Vuitton practically won the world
cup before it even started. The iconic photo of Ronaldo and Messi playing
chess made the internet go mad and became the second most-liked post ever on Instagram. But the big brand winner on the pitch this
year will be Nike. In 1990 they didn’t even have one single
team at the world cup. In 2022, after almost a century of Adidas'
dominance, Nike has stolen their place. However, Nike’s victory is not as big as
it could have been. Adidas can thank Messi and Argentina. Their most important ambassador once again
delivered. But who will take his place? The eyes of the Nike and Adidas managers will
already be on the future - trying to find the heroes of the 2026 World Cup. If you want us to make another battle of the
brands video four years from now, make sure to subscribe to the channel - and our newsletter. Thank you for watching!
