German FA announces switch from Adidas to Nike for national team kits

The German national football teams will switch from Adidas to Nike for apparel and equipment from 2027, the German Football Association (DFB) announced on Thursday.

"The DFB has to make economic decisions against this background. Nike made by far the best financial offer in the transparent and non-discriminatory tender process," the DFB posted on X.

"Nike made by far the best economic offer and also impressed with its substantive vision, which includes a clear commitment to the promotion of amateur and grassroots sports as well as the sustainable development of women's soccer in Germany," Holger Blask, chief executive of DFB, said in a statement.

The new deal with Nike meant that the more-than-70-year-old partnership between the DFB and home-based Adidas will come to an end. The German company sounded very surprised at the decision.

"We were informed by the DFB today that the association will have a new supplier from 2027," Adidas said in a statement. Nike will continue to supply kits to the German national teams until 2034 as part of the deal.

Germany won all four of their FIFA World Cup titles in 1954, 1974, 1990 and 2014, wearing Adidas jerseys. The switch from a home brand to an American company made Robert Habeck, the country's vice chancellor and economy minister, unhappy.

"I can hardly imagine the Germany shirt without the three stripes," Habeck said in a statement to AFP. "Adidas and black-red-gold always belonged together for me, a piece of German identity. I would have liked a bit more local patriotism."

The DFB defended their decision in their statement on X. "We understand every emotion. It's also a drastic event for us as an association when it becomes clear that a partnership that was and is characterized by many special moments is coming to an end after more than 70 years. That doesn't leave us cold," the organization said.

The World Cup in the U.S., Canada and Mexico in 2026 will be the final edition of the tournament in which the German national team is to wear Adidas jerseys, if they qualify for it, of course.