A few days after announcing that they will not be renewing their sponsorship deal with Le Coq Sportif, SAFA has revealed a new technical partner for South Africa’s national football teams.
The Le Coq Sportif contract comes to an end in December and will not go beyond that. Since 2020, SAFA has had all their national teams kitted by the French sportswear brand.
The December 2025/January 2026 AFCON finals to be staged in Morocco will be the final major tournament in which South Africa’s national teams wear apparel and use equipment supplied by Le Coq Sportif.
The marriage with the brand ended after SAFA president Danny Jordaan expressed dissatisfaction with their partnership.
WHO IS SAFA’S NEW TECHNICAL SPONSOR?
The local football mother body has announced that Adidas have returned as their technical partner on a three-year deal. This comes as Bafana Bafana qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Adidas will kit all of South Africa’s men’s and women’s national teams, from Bafana to junior sides, with the March 2026 FIFA international period marking the first time teams will don the three stripes.
It is not the first time for the two parties to enter into an agreement. Interestingly, the German sports apparel and equipment manufacturer was SAFA’s technical sponsor the last two times Bafana featured at the World Cup in 2002 and 2010.
“This partnership is more than a sponsorship. It’s a return to shared values of pride, resilience, and performance,” said SAFA CEO Lydia Monyepao on Friday.
“Adidas has long been part of our football story. And together we’ll inspire South Africans everywhere to believe that they’ve got what it takes.
“This return also marks the strengthening of our standing among the global football nations community as we compete at FIFA and CAF tournaments regularly and being supported by a brand that invests in innovation, performance and style to meet the needs of a modern sports organisation like us.”
A giant in the world of sports, Adidas is back at a time when South African national teams have been qualifying for World Cups. This is from junior ranks to the senior teams.
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