Adidas "Monopolized" 1974 World Cup Kit Battle

Sep 26, 2022

by Chris

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1974 World Cup Kit Monopoly: Adidas supplied kits for 12 of the 16 teams at the 1974 World Cup, demonstrating a near monopoly at the time.
Branding Visibility: While Adidas supplied many kits, some did not feature visible branding, such as Germany's team kit.
2022 World Cup Shift: In contrast to 1974, Adidas is only the second most common kit supplier in the 2022 World Cup, with Nike leading.

Ever wondered which brand were the leading kit supplier 50 years ago? Thanks to Football Kit Archive, our website about classic football shirts, it is easy to see that the Three Stripes brand had practically a monopoly back then.

Check out the World Cup Kit History on Football Kit Archive

1974 World Cup Kit Battle

Adidas made the kits for 12 of the 16 1974 World Cup teams, including champions Germany and runners-up the Netherlands.

Only 4 teams were not supplied by Adidas - Australia, Scotland (Umbro), Brazil (Athleta), and East Germany (DDR - in-house).

However, not all kits featured visible brandings. For example, Germany's kits featured no Three Stripes and no Adidas logo. Their off-pitch and training wear featured Adidas brandings.

Dutch superstar Johann Cryuff famously refused to wear Three Stripes and only wore two stripes. He was sponsored by Puma.

1974 World Cup Home Kits

2022 World Cup Kit Battle

In the 2022 World Cup, Adidas are only second when it comes to the number of teams. Nike clearly lead with 13 teams - Adidas just make the kits for 7 teams.