Germany’s national football teams will wear jerseys made by US sportswear giant Nike from 2027, the German Football Association (DFB) said Thursday, ending a decades-long kit partnership with domestic outfitter Adidas.

The deal with Nike, which will run through 2034, was “by far the best financial offer” on the table, association CEO Holger Blask said in a statement.

The US group made a “clear commitment to the promotion of amateur sport, as well as the sustainable development of women’s football in Germany,” Blask said.

The announcement, just months before the Euro 2024 championships in Germany, was within the “usual” timeframe, Blask said.

The DFB would “do everything for joint success” with its long-time partner Adidas before the end of the year, DFB president Bernd Neuendorf added in the statement.

Germany’s footballers have hoisted a number of trophies while dressed in gear bearing Adidas’ three stripes, with the brand becoming almost synonymous with the team.

The collaboration between the team and kitmaker began in 1954 when West Germany sensationally beat Hungary to win the World Cup that year.

Since then the German men’s team have lifted another three World Cups, while the women have two to their name.

The end of the kit deal with the German FA will be a bitter blow for Adidas, which reported its first loss in 30 years earlier this month amid a bitter break-up with artist Kanye West.

Adidas had been paying approximately 50 million euros ($54 million) a year to kit out the German national football teams, according to German daily Bild.

AFP