The South African Football Association (SAFA) has announced sportswear giant Adidas will step in as the kit supplier for all its national teams from next year, with the men's side gearing up to compete in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Under the three-year deal, Adidas becomes the official technical sponsor for SAFA’s national teams, including the men’s Bafana Bafana, women’s Banyana Banyana, and youth teams, with the iconic three stripes set to feature on their kits from March 24, 2026.
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Along with match and training wear, the deal includes pre-match apparel, travel ranges, and an extensive fan collection.
The men’s team will don Adidas kits at next year's World Cup, being hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico, having qualified for the tournament earlier this week after a 3-0 win over Rwanda.
The deal sees SAFA and Adidas reunite, with the sportswear giant having previously held the designation for 12 years until 2011. During that time, South Africa hosted the World Cup in 2010.
Adidas replaces French brand Le Coq Sportif, whose contract is due to expire in December. The company has provided kits for all SAFA teams since 2020, but has recently been embroiled in financial issues.
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By GlobalDataThe French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF) and French Paralympic and Sports Committee (CPSF) had to provide emergency funding to the brand to fulfill its kit deal for the Paris 2024 Olympics. Despite that, both committees renewed their contracts with the brand at the end of last year.
That followed a €10 million ($10.8 million) loan from the French government undertaken in 2023.
In recent years, the brand’s financial woes have deepened, with the issues having been exacerbated primarily by its inability to secure a foothold in the footwear industry, a failure that saw its revenue drop by €20 million in the 2023 financial year.
Last year, the French rugby union’s FFR governing body filed a lawsuit claiming unpaid debt against Le Coq Sportif, its former kit manufacturer.
Most recently, a Paris court selected a bid from French-Swiss entrepreneur Dan Mamane to take over Le Coq Sportif and save the beleaguered French sportswear brand from insolvency.
The Mamane-led group will be investing €70 million in the embattled brand.
