November 27 – On the field, Brazil’s famous yellow jersey is one of the most iconic pieces of apparel in world football. Off it, the recent unveiling of the kit Brazil will wear when it hosts the World Cup next summer has sparked the latest battle in the war for shirt supremacy between fierce rivals Nike and Adidas.
The Brazilian shirt is Nike’s top selling international jersey. The company has a long-term deal with the Brazilian Football Confederation and supplies 10 of the World Cup finalists. Adidas and Germany’s other chief supplier Puma each have deals with eight teams.
Adidas recently announced that it had extended its sponsorship agreement with FIFA to 2030 and has the top four teams in the FIFA rankings – Spain, Germany, Argentina and Colombia.
But Martin Lotti, creative director for Nike Football, said: “The Brazilian home kit is like a national flag; it symbolises the country and its people. We wanted to create a fusion of the high speed brilliance of football and the culture of Brazil while staying true to what the home kit represents.”
Contact the writer of this story at Andrew.warshaw@insideworld