Adidas and Puma Kits Not Fit for 2025 FIFA Club World Cup Heat
- Adidas and Puma Struggles: Adidas and Puma kits are facing breathability issues in the hot and humid conditions of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, with Puma's kits performing particularly poorly, similar to issues seen in the 2022 World Cup.
- Nike's Superior Performance: Nike's Dri-FIT ADV fabric demonstrates exceptional breathability and maintains its form, even under extreme sweat conditions, setting it apart from Adidas and Puma.
- Kit Performance Disparity: The 2025 Club World Cup highlights a significant difference in kit performance among brands, indicating that some brands need to improve their kit technology for elite-level play in all climates.
The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the USA is proving to be a grueling test, not just for the players, but for the kit technology of the world's leading brands. The hot and humid conditions are providing a clear, real-world demonstration of how well each brand's fabric performs under extreme heat and sweat. After one week of competition, a clear winner has emerged: Nike. Meanwhile, Adidas and especially Puma are struggling with significant breathability issues.
Adidas and Puma Kits Not Fit for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup Heat
Puma's kits have shown extremely poor performance in the heat. Their authentic jerseys, which use Ultraweave technology, quickly become saturated with sweat, clinging to the players' bodies and looking like a "wet plastic bag."
Worryingly, this is not a new issue. The same problems were widely reported during the 2022 World Cup. It appears that no significant improvements have been made to Puma's authentic fabric technology to solve this recurring problem.
The performance of Adidas's kits is slightly better than Puma's, but still far from optimal. The jerseys, which use a new Ventilation Fabric for elite clubs, tend to get wrinkled and stick to the players' bodies when they sweat heavily.
This has been a persistent issue for Adidas in recent seasons. Despite the introduction of new fabric technologies, they have yet to find a definitive solution for their "sweat issues," which become very apparent in hot conditions.
Nike: A Class Apart in Breathability
In stark contrast, Nike has once again demonstrated the superiority of its kit technology. From the heat of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to the 2025 Club World Cup in the USA, Nike's Dri-FIT ADV fabric performs exceptionally well.
The jerseys show remarkable breathability, as the material does not appear to deform, wrinkle, or cling to the body, even under extreme sweat conditions.
A close-up image of Kvaratskhelia's PSG shirt is a perfect example: while the club crest has droplets of water on it, the surrounding fabric appears remarkably dry. It is genuinely difficult to find an image of a soaked Nike authentic kit from the tournament.
The 2025 Club World Cup has made it clear that while some brands are excelling, others have significant work to do to ensure their kits are fit for purpose at the elite level in all climates.
Have you noticed the difference in kit performance at the Club World Cup? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
