Adidas celebrates football with retro market in Shanghai

Adidas recently unveiled the kits for the men's 2026 FIFA World Cup (WC) in the US, Canada and Mexico. For the Chinese market, the Herzogenaurach-based sportswear brand celebrated the launch with an event featuring a fashion show and other activities.

Fashion show and retro market

After unveiling the new kits for 25 national teams in mid-March, the company brought its Chinese community together for a three-day event at the historic Xintiandi Laguna Primary School, Adidas announced. The event kicked off with a fashion show in the schoolyard, unveiling the kits and aiming to evoke early memories of football and childhood breaks. The collection was presented by brand ambassador and actor Dylan Wang (Wáng Hèdì), as well as the football teams from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Tongji University.

Over the following two days, Adidas hosted an interactive market in the main building in collaboration with local creative market Common Rare. This included stalls with retro kits, screen-printing workshops and vinyl records. Other activities included a “skateboarding class”, street dance flash mobs and a “World Cup-themed canteen”.

World Cup archive with collector's items

On the fourth floor of the building, the “World Cup Archive” offered a look back at the shared history of Adidas and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), which organises the World Cup. The exhibition featured rare collector's items, historic kits and photographs. A central element was the return of the Trefoil logo to the national kits for the upcoming WC after 36 years. The logo is associated with the Adidas Originals lifestyle line.