How Trump's New Tariffs Could Increase Nike & Adidas Football Kit Prices in the USA
- New Tariffs Impact: New tariffs on goods from countries like Vietnam and China, where Nike and Adidas manufacture heavily, could increase football kit prices in the USA.
- Production Costs and Potential Price Increase: Despite low production costs for jerseys, high import duties ranging from 32% to 54%, especially from Vietnam (where 50% of Nike's footwear is made), could lead to a $5 to $15 increase in the price of a soccer jersey.
- Limited Options for Brands: Relocating production to the USA isn't feasible due to higher labor costs, meaning brands might absorb the tariffs or pass them on to consumers, but it won't bring jobs back to the USA.
The world faces significant disruption after President Trump's newly announced tariffs on almost all countries. The new tariffs, if they stay in place, will also affect the football market, with Asian countries particularly hit by high tariffs.
Fortunately for Nike, the production costs for a soccer jersey are low - import duties are only levied on the import price
Goods from Vietnam, Indonesia, and China face some of the highest import taxes in the US, ranging from 32% to 54%. Nike's shares dropped 14% the day after the tariff announcement, as concerns grew regarding the potential impact on the company's supply chain.
How the USA's New Tariffs Could Affect Football Kit Prices in the USA
Vietnam has emerged as a key manufacturing center in recent years, with many companies having shifted production there from China during the previous round of tariffs in 2018. Vietnam manufactures 50% of Nike's footwear and a substantial portion of Adidas products, so the new 46% import duty could dramatically impact production costs and retail prices.
For football fans in the United States, this could translate to significant increases in the retail prices of both replica and authentic kits. Luckily for brands, a football kit is cheap to produce (we assume 10-15 USD - it might be a bit lower in reality), meaning that the total amount of tariffs is not as high as the final retail price of 95-170 USD suggests.
We could see price increases for a soccer jersey of around 5 to 15 USD
It is unclear how brands will react to the tariffs once they are active. It does not affect products that are already in the USA, so the current stock does not need to be increased in price. If Nike passes through 100% of the extra tariffs, we see price increases for a soccer jersey of around 5 to 15 USD.
For Nike and other brands, relocating part of the production to the USA makes no sense, as the significantly higher salaries in the USA would render any products made there much more expensive than the additional tariffs would. Ultimately, at least for the football market in the United States, the tariffs will simply serve as a tax increase but will certainly not bring any jobs back to the USA.
For football supporters from the USA, these developments could mean paying more for their favorite club and national team kits in the coming seasons.
Nike employs nearly 460,000 workers (39% of Nike's global workforce) in Vietnam. This contrasts dramatically with Nike's US operations, which include just about 4,100 workers. 1% of those in Vietnam.
Do you think Adidas and Nike will increase prices in the USA soon? Let us know in the comments below.
A Look Back at World Cup Shirt Number Typography
Football kit design account @PaladarNegroWeb has shared an interesting retrospective on the typography used for shirt numbers in recent World Cups. The visual language of football kits is often defined by these details, with fonts becoming instantly recognizable symbols of specific tournaments and eras.
The collage highlights various iconic typefaces worn by national teams on the biggest stage. spanning from the 2006 World Cup to the FIFA World Cup.
This overview is part of an ongoing series by the account exploring the visual elements of football. It serves as a great reminder of how deeply typography impacts the overall aesthetic and legacy of a football shirt.
Morecambe 26-27 Home & Away Kits Released
Morecambe FC have officially launched their new 26-27 home and away kits, produced by Surridge Sports. The club received massive backlash for posting AI images for the launch, and later posted a clearer CAD of the home shirt.
The home shirt features the club's traditional red color palette with black detailing, while the away kit introduces a bold combination of purple and yellow. Both designs incorporate modern elements to provide a fresh look for the upcoming National League North campaign.
The new Surridge Sports Morecambe 2026-27 jerseys are currently available for pre-order through the club's official online store.
Puma Kits Keep Ripping at the 2026 World Cup
Puma is facing significant criticism at the 2026 World Cup as multiple national team jerseys have easily ripped during matches.
Incidents involving players from Czechia, Morocco, Egypt, and Paraguay have highlighted an ongoing durability issue with the brand's latest kits - every torn shirt in the tournament so far belongs to a Puma-sponsored team.
The Puma 2026 World Cup kits incorporate the latest version of PUMA's ULTRAWEAVE “Thermoadapt” technology, which obviously is not tear-resistant enough.
The recurring wardrobe malfunctions have resulted in terrible PR for the German sportswear manufacturer and even prompted the viral resurgence of Xherdan Shaqiri's infamous quote from Euro 2016, where he joked that he hopes Puma does not produce condoms.