Nike charges World Cup fans the most for replica shirts after price surge

Nike replica shirts for the 2026 World Cup cost up to €160, the highest among tournament teams, as prices for fan jerseys have surged 53% since 2010, according to market research [1]. Fans of England, France and Brazil face spending €110 (£95) on an adult Nike replica shirt for the tournament in the United States [1]. Adidas, which supplies Spain, Germany and Scotland, and Puma, the kit provider for Portugal, both charge an average of €100 for adult replicas [1]. For children, Nike remains the most expensive at €85, compared with €80 for Puma and €75 for Adidas [1]. The figures are calculated from prices on the European websites of the sports brands and football associations at the start of the sales campaign [1]. In the UK, an adult England stadium shirt costs £90, or £135 for the “match” version worn by players, while the Scotland kit is priced at £75 and £120 respectively [1]. A child’s England shirt costs £65, £10 more than the equivalent Scotland top [1]. The price of an England shirt has risen from £45 in 2010, when Umbro was the supplier, to £75 in 2022 and now £90 [1]. Nike, which replaced Umbro in 2013, is the world’s largest supplier of athletic shoes and apparel, with revenue exceeding US$46 billion in its 2022 fiscal year [5]. Dr Peter Rohlmann, an analyst specialising in football merchandise, estimates that between 18 million and 23 million replica shirts will be sold for this World Cup [1]. That would surpass the 14.4 million shirts sold for the 2022 Qatar tournament [1]. Adidas, Nike and Puma are expected to account for close to 80% of those sales [1]. Adidas, the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe and second largest globally after Nike, reported revenue of €23 billion in 2024 [3]. Rohlmann said the average price for an adult stadium shirt across all teams has climbed from €65 in 2010 to €100 today [1]. “The steady increase in prices for fans buying their national team jerseys is striking,” he said [1]. For English fans, shirt prices have “risen much faster and proportionally more sharply” than the general cost of living, “meaning that fans’ love for their favourite teams is being ruthlessly exploited” [1]. Nike stated: “We know that any kit price increase matters to fans, and we never take that lightly. We regularly review our product costs to make sure we’re delivering the best possible performance and innovation, while balancing rising material, manufacturing and logistics costs” [1]. Adidas said its pricing “reflects the technology, development, and materials behind them” and that it offers jerseys at different price points to “minimise the impact on consumers of rising costs across the industry, including the increasing fees paid to clubs and federations” [1]. Puma did not respond to a request for comment [1]. High official prices are pushing some fans toward counterfeit shirts. KitLegit, an app that uses AI to verify authenticity, estimates that 30% to 40% of shirts in circulation are counterfeit based on its data [1]. Ben Houston, co-founder of KitLegit, said: “The price of official shirts will be having an impact on demand for fakes, but due to the cost of living crisis many fans seek out counterfeit product” [1]. Houston added that some consumers knowingly buy fakes while others are duped by clone websites and secondhand platforms, thinking they are getting official products at a reduced cost [1].