Adidas Has Again Completely Changed Its Football Kit Strategy Since 2015
Apr 19, 2026, by Chris
- Strategy Shift: Adidas has reversed its 2015 strategy of focusing solely on elite clubs and is now aggressively signing mid-tier clubs and smaller national teams to increase brand visibility.
- New 'Class Plus Mass' Philosophy: Adidas has adopted a 'class plus mass' approach, aiming to maximize its presence in the football world by partnering with both top-tier and smaller teams, using retailers like 11teamsports to manage distribution.
- Financial Success: In 2025, Adidas achieved record revenue and profit, driven by strong growth in footwear and apparel, indicating the new strategy's success.
Back in 2015, Adidas famously announced a major shift in its football sponsorship strategy, deciding to focus almost exclusively on top-tier international clubs and federations with global appeal, such as Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Manchester United. However, for a few years and even more eye-catching since CEO Bjørn Gulden took over in early 2023, the Three Stripes have completely reversed this approach.
Class Plus Mass: Adidas Focuses on Both Small & Big Teams
Adidas has actively pushed to be visible everywhere across the football world, transforming the brand's previous "class instead of mass" motto into a new "class plus mass" philosophy. This strategy means Adidas is once again aggressively signing mid-tier clubs and smaller national teams to maximize its overall brand presence on the pitch.
This massive change is clearly visible in the brand's recent wave of kit deals. Alongside their elite premium roster, Adidas for the 2026-2027 season secured partnerships with clubs such as 1. FC Köln, RC Lens, and US Lecce. The brand is also reported to be expanding its international footprint by picking up national teams like Poland, Turkey and North Macedonia. To manage this rapidly growing portfolio of smaller and mid-tier contracts, Adidas is increasingly collaborating with major football retailers like 11teamsports to handle distribution and production.
A prime example of Adidas' new strategy is the Curacao case. Adidas only signed the small nation weeks before they secured qualification for the World Cup. After qualification, Adidas designed 100% bespoke kits for the nation in the last minute. Before, the national team wore basic, makeshift Adidas teamwear kits.
Nike takes over two of Adidas' big deals
What has even more changed is Adidas' classification of its teams. Before, there was a hard split between the top Elite (Real Madrid, Bayern, Arsenal, Juventus, Manchester United, Liverpool, Flamengo) and the others. Now, there are many mid-categories - medium-sized teams such as Leeds, Roma, Celtic, and others get the expensive, authentic tech kits, and much more collections.
Ajax, Benfica, Lyon & Fenerbahçe to Become Adidas Local Elite Teams
Possibly even more remarkably are two of the most important deals that Adidas did lose/is set to lose - the German national team and the Champions League ball maker deal. Nike made offers for both elite deals that Adidas did not want to match.
In 2025, the Three Stripes had a record revenue and a massive profit
So far, the new strategy has been working very well for Adidas. In 2025, the Three Stripes had a record revenue of €24.8 billion (up 13% on a currency-adjusted basis). Operating profit rose by 54% to €2.06 billion, corresponding to an operating margin of 8.3%. Net profit almost doubled to around €1.34 billion, driven by strong growth in footwear and apparel
Do you like seeing the Three Stripes on a wider variety of clubs? Let us know in the comments.
SV Zulte Waregem 26-27 Third Kit Released - 25th Anniversary Design
Belgian side SV Zulte Waregem and kit supplier Patrick have officially released their new third kit for the 26-27 season. Celebrating the club's silver jubilee marking 25 years since their formation in 2001, Essevee swap out their traditional red, green, and white colours for an understated black and silver look dubbed "Memories worth a touch of silver."
The Patrick SV Zulte Waregem 26-27 third jersey features a black base detailed with thin vertical silver pinstripes down the front. A closer inspection reveals that the pinstripes incorporate handwritten script documenting key milestones and dates throughout the club's history, highlighting achievements such as their inaugural 2001-02 title and their memorable 2012-13 campaign as league runners-up.
Completing the anniversary aesthetic, the jersey is finished with a silver V-neck collar and matching sleeve cuffs. All branding—including the monochrome SV Zulte Waregem club crest, Patrick maker's marks, and primary sponsors iDocta and Elindus—appears in silver and white to match the unified commemorative design.
Napoli Wears Last Season's Shorts Against Inter - Here Is Why
In their Serie A clash against Inter at San Siro, SSC Napoli caught the attention of eagle-eyed Napoli kit expert @TutelaMagliaNA. For the 26-27 centenary season, EA7 designed two distinct pairs of white shorts: the home shorts carry the club's special centenary crest, while the away version features an alternate Mount Vesuvius-themed logo. Because the red jersey used the standard circular Napoli crest, pairing it with either of the 26-27 white shorts would have caused a clash of emblems on the same uniform.
Rather than producing a third set of white change shorts solely to carry the standard badge, Napoli simply reused their plain white match shorts from 25-26.
Benjamin Sesko’s Sleeve Badge Error
While all other Manchester United players took the pitch with league badges on both sleeves, Benjamin Šeško was spotted as the only one missing the patch on his left arm for reasons unknown.
Thanks to @jerseystory_vn for the information and collage.
