What to Watch: Which Athletic Footwear Brand Will Race to the Top in 2026?

Last twelvemonth was filled with aggravated question successful the diversion marketplace — from Nike plowing up with an ambitious turnaround effort and Adidas seeing large momentum, to Puma fielding merchantability rumors and Under Armour parting ways with hoops prima Steph Curry arsenic the marque embarks connected different restructuring.

In a twelvemonth wherever the Winter Olympics and World Cup instrumentality halfway stage, the question of alteration is definite to continue, but which marque volition travel retired connected top? Here are the large questions to see arsenic 2026 commences.

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Nike is the sanction connected everyone’s lips arsenic the twelvemonth kicks off. In December, the Swoosh reported that it ran into immoderate notable obstacles arsenic it continued its comeback bid successful the 2nd quarter.

On the company’s second-quarter net telephone past month, Nike Inc. president and main enforcement serviceman Elliott Hill told analysts that the institution is “in the mediate innings” of its comeback, adding that assorted areas of the concern are successful antithetic phases of turnaround.

“Fiscal twelvemonth ’26 continues to beryllium a twelvemonth of taking enactment to rightsize our classics business, instrumentality Nike integer to a premium experience, diversify our merchandise portfolio, deepen our user connections, fortify our spouse relationships and realign our teams and leadership,” Hill said past month.

And portion important enactment inactive needs to beryllium down to crook astir Nike’s Converse and Greater China concern units, the company’s banal got a much-needed boost astatine the extremity of the twelvemonth erstwhile Hill spent $1 cardinal to get 16,388 shares of the company’s people B communal banal astatine $61.10 per share. The determination came days aft Apple CEO and Nike manager Tim Cook purchased 50,000 shares astatine $58.97, spending astir $2.95 cardinal successful the process.

“Whether intended arsenic concern oregon signal, it is encouraging to spot absorption and the committee putting their wealth wherever their rima is,” Guggenheim expert Simeon Siegel said past week.

After conscionable 3 years successful the job, Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden has astir achieved the goals of his archetypal four-year program — 1 twelvemonth up of schedule.

When helium took connected the occupation successful 2023, Adidas was suffering financially due to the fact that of a canceled collaboration, the precise profitable Yeezy line, with the instrumentalist formerly known arsenic Kanye West. In 2025, Gulden said helium wanted Adidas to beryllium a “healthy company” by 2026.