Nike Ignores Qatar - Qatar to Leave for Adidas?
One Nike-sponsored national team won a major continental tournament last weekend; the other lost its game. How Nike responded raises some questions.
The teams in question are Nike-sponsored Qatar and Nigeria. Qatar won the Asian Cup, while Nigeria lost its final
Nike Does Ignore Qatar Asian Cup Title, Adidas Posts Celebration Images
After Qatar won the 2023 Asian Cup, there was no reaction from Nike, at least on its official X and Instagram pages. Meanwhile, just minutes after Nigeria lost its final, Nike praised the team and said, "Nigeria will be back".
What is also very remarkable is that Adidas celebrated Qatar's victory heavily on its Instagram page despite not sponsoring the Qatari national team.
As spotted by our follower Manuel Hernandez, since 2024 began, Nike does not appear among the main sponsors of Qatar anymore.
It is not known if the Nike Qatar deal will end soon or has already ended, but the 2023 Asian Cup could have been Qatar's last major tournament wearing Nike. It seems possible that the Qatar Nike deal included the 2023 Asian Cup, which had to be postponed.
If Adidas signs Qatar, we could see the first Adidas Qatar kits as early as March 2024, in time for the next FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers matches.
Qatar does not get a mention from Nike, despite winning the Asian Cup
Do you think Qatar and Nike will end their partnership? Let us know in the comments below.
