The world’s largest sports retail cooperative deploys football talent from brand partners Nike, adidas and PUMA in a campaign designed to close the distance between elite sport and everyday participation.
INTERSPORT International has launched its 2026 global brand campaign under the tagline “Your Passion. Your Place. Make It Your Game.” Announced May 5, the campaign features Joshua Kimmich, Frenkie De Jong, Bradley Barcola and Sandy Baltimore.
Football, running, futsal, freestyle, professional stadiums and courtyards, even e-games and all those spaces where sport meets culture, identity and lifestyle: the unifying thread is a multifaceted passion for sport, and a call to make it your game, not the game expected by others. The message is universal, as is the INTERSPORT product palette, with many brands integrated into the creative: Nike, adidas and PUMA, alongside ASICS, Brooks, Under Armour, New Balance and energetics, INTERSPORT’s private-label brand.
Clubhouses planned for Paris and Berlin to extend media into live activations
The campaign will run across television, digital, social media, ecommerce, in-store environments, radio and out-of-home, but it is meant to go beyond media and into physical space: INTERSPORT plans to extend the campaign into live activations with Clubhouses in Paris and Berlin this summer.
The spaces are intended for community events, athlete appearances and product showcases, as specialty retailers increasingly use branded experiences to drive store traffic and loyalty.
Consolidation, new formats and competitive pressure: how INTERSPORT is reshaping its expansion
The launch comes as INTERSPORT continues to combine modest growth with regional consolidation and internal restructuring. The group reported €14.1 billion in global omnichannel sales for 2025, and currently operates 5,260 stores across 40 countries.
Tom Foley took over as CEO of IIC – INTERSPORT International Corporation GmbH in July 2025, following the departure of Steve Evers at the end of 2024, and has inherited a network being reshaped through regional integrations, new formats and strategic partnerships.
During 2025, INTERSPORT Sweden and Denmark merged into a joint Nordic structure, while INTERSPORT France assumed responsibility for Spain and Portugal after the liquidation of INTERSPORT Spain.
In 2026, the consolidation continued: INTERSPORT Austria completed its acquisition of the INTERSPORT Slovenia Group, expanding its managed network to more than 500 stores across 12 countries, while INTERSPORT Deutschland opened Germany’s first INTERSPORT Superstore in Halle (Saale). In Spain, Decathlon’s proposed acquisition of some INTERSPORT assets has moved into a second-phase CNMC review, as JD-owned Sprinter accelerates expansion plans in the market.
| INTERSPORT – Corporate Timeline | |||
| Key transactions, leadership changes and partnerships | 2025–2026 | |||
| Period | Type | Market / Entity | Development |
| End-Dec. 2024 / July 1, 2025 |
Leadership transition | IIC – INTERSPORT International Corporation GmbH | Steve Evers stepped down as CEO at end-December 2024 by mutual agreement. Tom Foley was appointed as successor, effective July 1, 2025. His remit covers global network strengthening, operational efficiency and acceleration of brand and private-label development. |
| May–June 2025 | Acquisition / regional integration | INTERSPORT Sweden + INTERSPORT Denmark | Sweden and Denmark combined under a joint Nordic structure, with Nordsport Holdings AB acquiring INTERSPORT Denmark activities. Pontus Petersson, CEO of INTERSPORT Sweden, named CEO and Group President of the combined operation. Combined entity: ~€320–325 million turnover, 156 stores, 2,200 employees. |
| Feb.–Aug. 2025 | Insolvency / liquidation | INTERSPORT Spain | Filed for voluntary insolvency in February 2025. Barcelona’s commercial court ordered liquidation after creditors rejected a restructuring plan that included debt write-offs of up to 70 percent. Structure included Intersport SL, Intersport Retail One and Intersport CCS; approximately 120–130 stores affected. |
| Sept. 2025 | Commercial partnership | INTERSPORT + EA Sports FC 26 | Renewed partnership with EA Sports FC 26, building on the earlier EA Sports FC 25 collaboration. Includes in-game brand visibility, exclusive INTERSPORT kits, pitch-side LED branding and in-store activations and tournaments. Supports INTERSPORT’s specialist football-store formats in Greece, Türkiye and the Netherlands. |
| Oct.–Nov. 2025 | Acquisition / regional integration | INTERSPORT France + Spain / Portugal | INTERSPORT France took over management of Spain and Portugal following the Spanish insolvency, creating a Southern European hub covering France, Belgium, Spain and Portugal – more than 1,300 points of sale in total. The Spanish business was reportedly acquired for €300,000, including the brand, central office, selected suppliers and assets, and most of the workforce. |
| Nov. 2025 | Sports-event partnership | INTERSPORT + HYROX | Named Official Title Partner for key European HYROX races (Maastricht, Hamburg, Bordeaux and Stockholm), with in-store pre-registration activations in partnership with PUMA. |
| FY 2025 / reported March 2026 | Financial results | INTERSPORT Group | €14.1 billion in global omnichannel sales; +0.4 percent in euro terms, +1.2 percent currency-neutral. Margins improved year-on-year. Running led category growth, followed by Outdoor and Training. Network: 5,260 stores in 40 countries (down from 5,464 stores in 42 countries in 2024, consistent with network restructuring). |
| Jan. 2026 announced / Apr. 2026 closed | Acquisition / regional consolidation | INTERSPORT Austria + INTERSPORT Slovenia Group | INTERSPORT Austria announced the acquisition of INTERSPORT Slovenia Group in January 2026 and completed it in April 2026 following antitrust clearance. Austria now operates 500+ stores across 12 countries in Central and South-Eastern Europe. |
Sources: INTERSPORT newsroom; SGI Europe reporting; compiled May 2026.
France is set to provide an early test case for the group’s push into live activations.
INTERSPORT France, which absorbed the Spanish and Portuguese networks in late 2025 to create a Southern European hub of more than 1,300 points of sale under president Gérard Leclerc, is leveraging its role as official distributor of the French national football team ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
On May 16, the INTERSPORT République store at 10 Place de la République in Paris will stage what the cooperative describes as a “reverse autograph” event, inviting fans to sign one of 26 France jerseys with messages for players. The shirts are due to be delivered to the squad at Clairefontaine, the national team’s training centre, at the end of May.
The Fédération Française de Football (FFF) said it will produce content around the handover. A three-week World Cup activation at Les Halles is scheduled to run from June 12 to July 4, alongside INTERSPORT’s previously announced plan to open a permanent Clubhouse in Paris this summer.
