Soccer World Cups are considered a real sales magnet for Adidas and Puma. At least usually. That could change at this year’s World Cup: After much criticism of the host country Qatar for human rights violations, the mood for football among the German audience is rather clouded. This could also have a negative impact on manufacturers of sporting goods.
Adidas is supplying jerseys for seven of the 32 participating teams and six for Puma. In relation to that, however, there is much more at stake for Adidas: “Puma tends to equip outsiders like Switzerland, Serbia, Morocco – or the Italians, who didn’t qualify this year. It’s a bit different with Adidas: Adidas is the official sponsor of the World Cup and equips some of the most important countries,” explains Handelsblatt editor Axel Höpner in the podcast.
However, both companies are also facing major challenges away from the World Cup: The previous Puma boss Björn Gulden is switching to competitor Adidas of all things. In view of the rivalry, this is rather unusual, Höpner agrees: “It’s a bit like a player from Schalke 04 suddenly switching to Borussia Dortmund.”
In addition, Puma is threatened with relegation from the Dax after almost 15 months, while Adidas has to deal with the allegations of harassment against former cooperation partner and US rapper Kanye West. What does the hustle and bustle at Adidas and Puma mean for investors? With host Agatha Kremplewski, Höpner does the share check for the two sporting goods manufacturers.
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Also: According to Energy Minister Saad Sherida al-Kaabi, Qatar has concluded an agreement on liquid gas deliveries to Germany. The energy giant Qatar Energy is to sell liquid gas to the US company Conoco-Philipps, which in turn will transport it to the LNG terminal in Brunsbüttel.
The gas deal should come into effect from 2026, run for up to 15 years and deliver up to two million tons of gas. Handelsblatt foreign correspondent Mathias Brüggmann explains the details of the agreement in the second part of the podcast.
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