On enters football race with Nike and Adidas

Swiss sportswear brand On is betting football can become its next major growth driver, expanding beyond running, the category that fueled its rapid rise over the past decade, as it takes on established giants including Nike, Adidas and Puma in one of the world’s most popular sports.

The company on Thursday announced its entry into football through a long-term partnership with French football star Kylian Mbappe, who will work with On’s product teams on the development of football footwear and apparel.

Former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry has joined On as its first Director of Football, while FC Barcelona player Sydney Schertenleib will contribute to product development for the women’s game.

The move marks On’s most ambitious expansion into a new sports category since its founding in 2010, as the Swiss company seeks to replicate the disruption it created in running in another global sports market.

“Football is the world’s largest cultural and athletic stage,” Adib Asraf Sisani, chief communications officer at On, told China Daily. “We are bringing our unique DNA of performance, design and game-changing innovation to the beautiful game.”

Rather than pursuing rapid market share gains, On described football as a “deliberate, long-term strategy,” with the company aiming to build a premium presence through differentiated products rather than brand awareness alone.

The company said its partnerships with elite athletes, including Mbappe, Henry and Schertenleib, go beyond traditional endorsement deals, with players directly involved in product development and testing.

“Our partnerships are deep collaborations, not just endorsements,” Sisani said. “They are integral to our R&D process, ensuring our products are co-created and validated by the best in the sport.”

The football push expands On’s ambitions beyond its core running business, while putting the company into a category where competition is significantly more intense.

China is expected to be an important part of the rollout.

“Football is a global game, and our vision is global,” Sisani said. “China is a priority market for On, and it will be an integral part of our phased global rollout of football products throughout 2027.”

The company said it plans to combine on-pitch performance innovation with off-pitch style and street culture, an approach it believes will appeal to Chinese consumers.

Football has become a particularly attractive category as brands seek growth opportunities beyond traditional markets such as running. But Unlike running, where On carved out a distinctive position around cushioning technology and design, football is a category where Nike and Adidas have built decades of dominance through elite athletes, club partnerships and global events.

On’s challenge will be converting technological differentiation into consumer demand in a market where brand heritage remains a powerful advantage.

On said it believes its competitive advantage will come from product innovation rather than competing directly on marketing scale.

At the center of its football strategy is LightSpray, On’s proprietary technology that creates a lightweight football boot through a robotic manufacturing process. The company said the technology is designed to provide a precise fit and enhance on-pitch performance.

The football expansion comes as On continues to grow globally, despite the company reported second-quarter revenue that fell short of expectations and lowered its sales growth outlook for the full year.

For the second quarter and first six months ended June 30, 2026, the company reported net sales increased 13.5 percent year-on-year, to CHF850.3 million ($1.05 billion). The Asia-Pacific region contributed more than 20 percent of global sales, driven by strong momentum in Japan, South Korea and China.