adidas vs Nike: a close race in global brand perception

adidas and Nike have spent decades going head-to-head at the top of global sportswear — a rivalry that has long played out across stadiums, sneaker drops, and consumer perception alike. In YouGov’s Best Brand Rankings 2026, the two giants are once again separated by the narrowest of margins – standing 5th and 6th on the table, respectively.

With less than a single point separating them on overall global Index score – 35.3 for adidas versus 34.5 for Nike – the adidas vs Nike brand comparison is primarily about the small perception differences.

Value is adidas’ clearest global advantage

Across most metrics, the two brands are closely matched. adidas holds a slight lead on Impression (41.3 vs 40.4), while Quality is effectively identical (43.7 vs 43.6). Reputation is also tied, with adidas and Nike level at 33.3.

adidas performs marginally better on Recommend (36.1 vs 35.4) and Satisfaction (31.6 vs 31.1), but the differences remain very small.

Where adidas creates a more meaningful separation is Value. adidas posts a global Value score of 25.6 compared with Nike’s 23.0 — the widest gap across the core measures. Even in a premium category, adidas is more likely to be seen as offering stronger value for money.

The U.S. picture is more nuanced: adidas leads on Value, Nike dominates elsewhere

While adidas leads globally, U.S. trends over the past five years reveal a more complex dynamic. In early 2021, adidas’ U.S. Value score stood at 23.5 compared with Nike’s 15.4. By late 2025, both brands improve, but adidas remains ahead, rising to 26.1 versus 22.5 for Nike.

The pattern mirrors the global picture, with adidas more likely to be seen as offering stronger value for money, even though Nike has closed the gap quite substantially.

However, the relationship flips noticeably on other measures. Nike has built a substantial lead on Quality in the U.S.

In early 2021, adidas held a slight edge (40.7 vs 39.4), but by late 2025, Nike climbed to 48.7, while adidas sits at 41.9. This widening gap suggests Nike has strengthened its domestic positioning as the higher-quality brand.

Satisfaction also goes Nike’s way. Nike led from the outset in the U.S., scoring 30.4 in early 2021 compared with adidas’ 28.3. By late 2025, Nike extended that advantage further, reaching 35.7 versus 29.8 for adidas. While adidas performs slightly better on Satisfaction globally, Nike’s brand experience perception is clearly stronger among the U.S. population.

But it’s worth noting that Satisfaction scores are rebased to the overall population, not just customers. Among current or former customers specifically, adidas fares better, with a Satisfaction score of 63.8 compared with Nike’s 58.1 as of December 31, 2025.

Margins that matter at the top

Ultimately, the two brands remain exceptionally close, with adidas gaining just enough ground internationally through slightly stronger performance on Value, Impression, and Recommendation. And the contrast with U.S. trends highlights how brand leadership can shift depending on the metric — and the market.

Methodology: YouGov BrandIndex collects data on thousands of brands every day. Based on over six million consumer surveys in 28 markets, rankings are based on brands’ Index scores between January 1st, 2025, and December 31st, 2025. To qualify for YouGov’s global brand rankings, brands must be tracked in a minimum of 10 of the 28 markets analyzed in total. Brands must have a minimum sample size of 300 to be included. For a brand to qualify as a top 10 brand, it must have scores available for at least 6 months (183 days). Scores are rounded to 1 decimal place. If brands have the same rounded score, rank is determined by differences beyond the first decimal place.