Brandwave

Adidas vs Nike:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Nike had more branded searches than Adidas among football brands in New Zealand. Nike had about 72,700 branded searches, while Adidas had 67,000. Nike made up 43.2% of all football brand searches we track, and Adidas accounted for 39.8%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about football brands, both Adidas and Nike appeared in all five answers. Adidas was mentioned before Nike in every answer.

Among football brands in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Nike, about 9% more searches than Adidas

Nike 72.7K searchesAdidas 67K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both are mentioned in every answer we collected.

Adidas in 5 of 5Nike in 5 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Adidas, named ahead of Nike in every answer

Adidas first in 5Nike never first

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Top football brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, both Adidas and Nike showed up in all five answers. Adidas was listed before Nike in every answer.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Adidas1st
  2. Nike2nd
  3. Mitre3rd
  4. Puma4th
  5. Select5th

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Nike5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Adidas5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Mitre5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Puma3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Select2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about football brands

5 answers

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 19, 2026.

Is Adidas or Nike more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Adidas and Nike by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all five football brands we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.

Adidas and Nike among football brands in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Nike, Adidas. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthNikeAdidasPumaSelectMitre
Oct 202547.1%38.4%14.3%0.04%0.03%
Nov 202548.5%38.9%12.6%0.02%0.03%
Dec 202550.4%34.1%15.5%0.02%0.02%
Jan 202651.8%34.2%14%0.03%0.03%
Feb 202648.8%37.6%13.5%0.02%0.02%
Mar 202646.3%39.4%14.2%0.02%0.02%
Apr 202645.7%39.4%14.9%0.04%0.03%
May 202644.4%41.8%13.8%0.03%0.03%
Jun 202641.9%38.1%20%0.03%0.03%
Jul 202642.4%39.2%18.3%0.04%0.04%
Aug 202645.1%38.5%16.3%0.03%0.05%
Sep 202643.2%39.8%17%0.04%0.03%

How has the Adidas and Nike comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Nike was ahead of Adidas in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Adidas’ share of searches among football brands in New Zealand moved from 38.4% to 39.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 60.5K to 67K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Nike’s share of searches among football brands in New Zealand moved from 47.1% to 43.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 74.1K to 72.7K.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand football brands in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Adidas gained share of searches among football brands in New Zealand, from 38.5% to 39.8%.

  2. In September 2026, Nike lost share of searches among football brands in New Zealand, from 45.1% to 43.2%.

How are branded searches counted?

28 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Adidas’ and Nike’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Adidas

15 branded search terms

  • adidas
  • adidas adizero
  • adidas campus
  • adidas gazelle
  • adidas jacket
  • adidas logos
  • adidas originals
  • adidas outlets
  • adidas predator
  • adidas samba
  • adidas samba og
  • adidas slides
  • adidas spezial
  • adidas superstar
  • adidas trackpants

Nike

13 branded search terms

  • nike
  • nike air max
  • nike airforce
  • nike backpacks
  • nike dunks
  • nike hoodie
  • nike metcons
  • nike pegasus
  • nike pro
  • nike shorts
  • nike shox
  • nike socks
  • nike tn

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among football brands

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