World Cup 2026: Spain was not the real winner!

WORLD CUP 2026: SPAIN WAS NOT THE REAL WINNER!

SurEconomics staff, July 2026

While the Spanish team, beyond the glory that comes with winning the World Cup, took home 50 million dollars, it was not the one that earned the most money, since someone else had been making money even before the first match: Adidas.

The famous German company Adidas, whose shares are listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, has been a FIFA sponsor since 1978, so its brand can be seen on the match ball used in all 104 games, on the kits of most national teams (including those in the final, of Spain and Argentina), on the clothing of referees and volunteers, and on the signage at every stadium.

For the right to display its brand at the World Cup, Adidas pays more than 60 million dollars a year, in addition to having spent some 65 million dollars on the commercial for this year's tournament, which features Messi, Lamine Yamal and Jude Bellingham. Beyond the sums Adidas invested ahead of the World Cup, the company spends 3 billion dollars a year on marketing, or 12% of its total revenue.

These enormous advertising expenses and other inefficiencies have significantly weighed on Adidas's profitability and share price, which have fallen 60% in value over the last 5 years.

This year, amid expectations of higher sales of clothing and other sporting goods driven by World Cup enthusiasm, Adidas shares trended upward, rising from 133 euros per share in April to 187.9 euros per share on July 7, shortly before the final. That was a 40% increase in the share price simply because the World Cup was taking place, regardless of the company's overall poor performance. Indeed, Adidas's economic performance is so questionable that, a few days after the final, its shares plunged.

Anyone who bought Adidas shares at 130 euros a few days before the World Cup could have sold them at 190 during the football festival, earning a good 60 euros per share. Adidas's major competitors, the equally well-known companies Nike and Puma, were not as lucky during the World Cup, since their share prices (which have also been falling in recent years) barely moved in response to the football excitement.

FIFA collected between 2.5 and 3 billion dollars from its sponsors; likewise, the players and finalist teams took home hefty sums of money, but it seems that the big winner of the World Cup, at least financially, was Adidas and its investors.

Sources

·       Bloomberg Línea

·       Merca20

·       El Colombiano

·       Teletica (BBC Mundo)

·       Yahoo Noticias

·       Teleamazonas