Overview 2018 World Cup sponsors
From June 14th till July 15th Russia will host the 2018 World Cup. 32 nations, including debutants Panama and Iceland, will compete across 11 Russian cities for the World Cup.
After analysing the kit sponsors at previous tournaments like EURO 2016 and in leagues like the Premier League and Champions League, we now take a look at the kit sponsors at the 2018 World Cup. Are the usual brands supplying the nations? How do the kit sponsors at the 2018 World Cup compare to previous football tournaments?
Related article: Overview of the 2018/2019 Premier League sponsors
2018 World Cup Sponsors: 32 nations, 8 brands
The 32 nations competing in Russia are sponsored by eight different clothing brands. Fans will see kits from Adidas, Nike, Puma, New Balance, Erreà, Hummel, Uhlsport and Umbro.
Number of nations playing at the 2018 World Cup per brand.
Adidas is the main kit supplier at the 2018 World Cup with 12 nations. The German brand has also long been an official partner of FIFA, and thus the World Cup. So they supply the tournament’s gear, like the ball, and their logo will be visible in the tournament’s official marketing material.
Nike supplies 10 nations. Not as high as could have been since the American brand sponsors some notable absentees like the USA, Chile and The Netherlands.
The two superpowers Adidas and Nike will thus supply almost 70% of the 32 teams that participate at football’s biggest stage.
New Balance (Panama and Costa Rica) and Puma (Senegal, Serbia, Switzerland and Uruguay) also supply more than one nation.
The other four brands will only be represented by one nation.
| Nation (Confederation) | Kit Sponsor |
|---|---|
| Argentina (CONMEBOL) | Adidas |
| Australia (AFC) | Nike |
| Belgium (UEFA) | Adidas |
| Brazil (CONMEBOL) | Nike |
| Colombia (CONMEBOL) | Adidas |
| Costa Rica (CONCACAF) | New Balance |
| Croatia (UEFA) | Nike |
| Denmark (UEFA) | Hummel |
| Egypt (CAF) | Adidas |
| England (UEFA) | Nike |
| France (UEFA) | Nike |
| Germany (UEFA) | Adidas |
| Iceland (UEFA) | Erreà |
| Iran (AFC) | Adidas |
| Japan (AFC) | Adidas |
| Morocco (CAF) | Adidas |
| Mexico (CONCACAF) | Adidas |
| Nigeria (CAF) | Nike |
| Panama (CONCACAF) | New Balance |
| Peru (CONMEBOL) | Umbro |
| Poland (UEFA) | Nike |
| Portugal (UEFA) | Nike |
| Russia (UEFA) | Adidas |
| Saudi Arabia (AFC) | Nike |
| Senegal (CAF) | Puma |
| Serbia (UEFA) | Puma |
| South Korea (AFC) | Nike |
| Spain (UEFA) | Adidas |
| Sweden (UEFA) | Adidas |
| Switzerland (UEFA) | Puma |
| Tunisia (CAF) | Uhlsport |
| Uruguay (CONMEBOL) | Puma |
Adidas geographically well represented
UEFA (Europe) has the most nations playing at the 2018 World Cup. The 14 UEFA-teams are sponsored by five different brands – Adidas, Nike, Puma, Erreà and Hummel. CAF (Africa) and CONMEBOL (South America) follow with four different brands for the five teams that have qualified for Russia.
CONCACAF has only three teams playing at the 2018 World Cup, including two with New Balance kits.
Adidas has the best geographical representation with a nation from all five confederations (UEFA, CAF, CONMEBOL, AFC, CONCACAF) taking part.
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Kit sponsors at the 2018 World Cup vs. 2014 World Cup and EURO 2016
At the 2014 World Cup there were eight different clothing brands, just as many as at the 2018 World Cup. While at EURO 2016 there were seven different brands represented, while the 14 European countries playing in Russia have five different kit suppliers.
| 2018 World Cup | 2014 World Cup | EURO 2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total number of teams | 32 | 32 | 24 |
| Total number of brands | 8 | 8 | 7 |
| Brands (number of teams – %) | Adidas (12 – 38%) | Nike (10 – 32%) | Adidas (9 – 38%) |
| Nike (10 – 32%) | Adidas (9 – 28%) | Nike (6 – 25%) | |
| Puma (4 – 12%) | Puma (8 – 25%) | Puma (5 – 21%) | |
| New Balance (2 – 6%) | Burrda (1 – 3%) | Erreà (1 – 4%) | |
| Erreà (1 – 3%) | Joma (1 – 3%) | Joma (1 – 4%) | |
| Hummel (1 – 3%) | Lotto (1 – 3%) | Macron (1 – 4%) | |
| Uhlsport (1 – 3%) | Marathon (1 – 3%) | Umbro (1 – 4%) | |
| Umbro(1 – 3%) | Uhlsport (1 – 3%) |
Last five World Cup winners
The last five World Cup winners all wore one of the three main brands in the football apparel industry: Puma, Adidas or Nike. Adidas supplied the World Champions of 2014 (Germany), 2010 (Spain) and 1998 (France). When Italy were crowned World Champions in 2006 they wore Puma. And Nike was already a partner of Brazil when they won the World Cup in 2002.
