World Cup Apparel Wars

 *I know this article is a tad bit late but I looked more at the numbers and what goes into getting the sponsorships compared to the World Cup aspect*

The ultimate prize for a sportswear company: A team wearing its logo as it celebrates victory.

The final 16 teams are set to compete in the World Cup. But another battle is taking place off the field, among the sportswear companies who sponsor their jerseys. The ultimate prize for Adidas, Nike, Puma and Brooks: A team wearing their logos as they celebrate victory.

Adidas , the second largest sportswear company in the world with $12.8 billion in revenues, sponsored 12 teams at the beginning of the tournament, edging out Nike (with 10) and Puma (with 7). Running shoe company Brooks had one team in the tourney, Chile. Honduras was sponsored by Joma and North Korea by Astore.
Seven of Adidas' original 12 teams qualified for the round of 16: Mexico, Argentina, Germany, Japan, Paraguay, Slovakia and Spain. Of those teams, Argentina, Germany and Spain are considered favorites to win the cup.

In Depth: World Cup Apparel Wars

Adidas also sponsors the FIFA World Cup tournament itself, and produced its official match ball, known as the Jabulani. (This may not be a good thing: The ball has been roundly criticized during the tournament for its supposed erratic flight). The German company's sponsorship of FIFA, together with its sponsorship of six teams, reportedly costs $125 million a year.
Sponsorship entails providing a country with a "kit" which includes shirt, shorts and socks. Shoe sponsorships are done with individual players....

Read the rest of the article here:
http://www.forbes.com/2010/06/25/world-cup-apparel-jerseys-lifestyle-sports-sponsors.html