German football and Adidas are parting ways.

In a surprising announcement on Thursday, the German Football Association (DFB) revealed that the American sportswear giant Nike will be providing apparel and equipment for all German national teams starting in 2027.

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The new agreement will extend until 2034, ending the long-standing partnership between Germany and Adidas, a relationship that dates back nearly 70 years and seemed unshakable.

This summer, the German men's team used Adidas' headquarters in Herzogenaurach, near Nuremberg, as their base for the UEFA European Championship, which Germany hosted.

Adidas appeared surprised by the DFB's decision to switch to its biggest competitor, confirming the news in a brief statement: "Today, the DFB informed us that the association will have a new supplier starting in 2027."

Throughout their history, Germany's men's team has worn Adidas gear during all four of their World Cup victories, three European Championships, and the women's team's two World Cup and eight European Championship wins.

The DFB later defended its decision to switch to the American equipment supplier.

"We understand every emotion. This is also a significant event for us as an association, as we are well aware that a partnership characterized by many special moments in the past and present will end after more than 70 years. This does not leave us indifferent," the DFB wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).

The organization stated that its primary focus is football and its development in Germany, overseeing more than 24,000 clubs and 2.2 million active players. The DFB emphasized its commitment to investing in member clubs and their grassroots base to ensure football remains a sport for everyone.

"The DFB must make economic decisions within this context. Nike made the best financial offer in a transparent and non-discriminatory bidding process," the DFB wrote.

Earlier, DFB President Bernd Neuendorf stated, "We look forward to working with Nike and appreciate their trust in us. The future partnership will enable the DFB to continue pursuing key initiatives related to Nike over the next decade, ensuring the comprehensive development of German football."

Neuendorf noted that Adidas will remain the DFB's supplier until December 2026, saying, "We will do everything we can to achieve mutual success with our long-term and current partner Adidas. German football has been grateful to Adidas for over seventy years."

When Germany won their first World Cup in 1954, Adidas founder Adi Dassler sat on the bench next to West Germany's coach Sepp Herberger, wearing boots with screw-in studs from his company.

Contrary to popular belief, Dassler did not invent boots with interchangeable studs. They were invented years earlier by German shoemaker Alexander Salot, who registered his invention with the German Patent Office on August 30, 1949.

However, those boots did help the German team defeat Hungary in the 1954 World Cup final. Since then, Dassler's company has been providing gear for German football. Just last week, Adidas unveiled the new jersey for the 2024 European Championship, which Germany will host from June 14 to July 14.

Germany's U-21 national team coach Antonio Di Salvo expressed surprise at the decision to switch jersey suppliers, especially with the new European Championship jersey just launched: "It’s very surprising for everyone... especially now that the new jersey for the European Championship has been unveiled. I didn't expect this to happen."

The decision seems to have been driven by financial and other considerations.