Nike Uses World Cup To Catalyze Football Business
Nike is using the World Cup to try to catalyze its football business for the next several quarters, putting nike in direct commercial competition with Adidas ahead of the tournament. Both brands have rolled out cinematic campaigns built around stars, but they are doing it from very different business positions.
Nike And Adidas At World Cup
Elliott Hill said the tournament is being used as an opportunity to catalyze the football marketplace for quarters to come. That line matches the pressure on Nike’s broader business: its revenues were flat year over year in Q1, while Adidas posted another quarter of growth with revenue up 7%.
The split is sharper than the videos themselves. Nike is leaning on the World Cup to pull football into its world, while Adidas is leaning into football from inside the sport’s own language and rhythm. Eric Tsytsylin put that contrast plainly: “Nike, facing significant pressure in much of its business, is pulling football into its world. Adidas, buoyed by strong momentum and deep confidence in its sporting credentials, positions itself inside football’s world”
Adidas Builds Backyard Legends
Adidas debuted its five-minute short Backyard Legends in May. The film stars Timothée Chalamet, Lamine Yamal, Jude Bellingham and Trinity Rodman, then peaks during an imagined 2002 match with David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane and Alessandro Del Piero.
The reveal at the end brings Bad Bunny and Lionel Messi into the frame as they watch the final match. Adidas closes the video on its match ball and tagline, while the campaign copy says, “Everyone remembers that feeling: playing for the joy of it, no pressure, no expectations.”
Brand Films, Different Stakes
The two campaigns use the same stage but different logic. Allison Arling-Giorgi said, “Football fandom is immersive, and the Nike and Adidas brand films match that depth for the World Cup stage.” She added, “They are rewarding attention and driving repeat viewing with their style and approach.”
Her final point gets to the competition inside the marketing: “It’s truly indulgence by design, building excitement and emotional connection that keeps fans coming back.” For Adidas, that strategy comes with a tailwind from Q1 growth and Bjørn Gulden’s insistence that soccer is not a “one-time wonder” for the brand.
Nike does not have that cushion. The company is facing significant pressure in much of its business, so the World Cup campaign is doing more than selling a tournament story; it is trying to reset momentum in football itself. Adidas, meanwhile, is treating the event as proof that its sporting credentials can keep carrying commercial weight long after the clips stop circulating.
