Bitter rivals Nike and Adidas will have to take their dramatic flair to another sports bracket. Several weeks ahead of the 2018 World Cup soccer tournament, Adidas has claimed victory over Nike on several fronts. Not only is Adidas the official sponsor of the tournament taking place in Russia, but they've edged out their competitor by signing 12 design & manufacturing deals for Team Uniforms. Nike fell short of that number, reaching a deal with 10 Teams.
Unfortunately this is nothing more than a moral victory for Adidas, as the economy in Russia will be a of detriment to the many corporate sponsors looking to bank on the tournament. Adidas Chief Executive Kasper Rorsted reported last month that he expected "The World Cup in Russia (to) carry lower financial opportunities than the similar event four years ago in Brazil."
German brand Puma placed third in the running, with a haul of four sponsorship contracts, all with lowly ranked teams that don't normally qualify for the tournament. The Puma brand was hurt by Italy's inability to advance past the knockout stage of qualifying. A World Cup without Italy is hard to fully comprehend. The last time this occurred was nearly 6 decades ago in 1958, when the tournament was staged in Sweden.
Check out a few of the nicer Adidas kits blessing the big stage.