Kylian Mbappé Just Left Nike for On — And It Says a Lot About Where Sportswear Is Heading
One of football’s biggest athletes just made one of the most unexpected sportswear moves of the year.
On September 18, Kylian Mbappé ended his long relationship with Nike and became a global partner of Swiss performance brand On.
This isn’t simply another sponsorship switch.
Mbappé had been associated with Nike since childhood. Reuters reports that the relationship lasted roughly two decades. On, meanwhile, built its reputation primarily through running before expanding into tennis and lifestyle footwear. Until now, it wasn’t one of the names most football fans would place alongside Nike, adidas or Puma.
Now it wants to become one.
And Mbappé is helping it do it.
The move provides a useful glimpse into a bigger change happening across performance apparel: sportswear brands no longer want to remain inside one sport, and athletes increasingly want to be collaborators rather than walking billboards.
Why Mbappé Joining On Is Such a Big Deal
Football equipment has historically been dominated by a small group of companies.
Nike, adidas and Puma have enormous relationships with clubs, national teams and individual players.
On is the challenger.
Founded around running, the Swiss company developed a distinctive position through its CloudTec footwear and has since expanded into tennis, apparel and lifestyle products.
Football represents a significantly more ambitious step.
Reuters reports that On’s agreement with Mbappé includes both cash and equity components, meaning the relationship goes beyond a conventional endorsement. The company has also appointed Thierry Henry as director of football.
That’s an interesting combination.
One of football’s biggest current stars.
One of its most recognisable former players.
And a sportswear company with almost no traditional football heritage.
Instead of relying on history, On is attempting to build credibility through athletes.
The Athlete Is Becoming Part of the Product Team
This may be the more important part of the announcement.
On says it is developing its first football products directly with Mbappé, Henry and Swiss international Sydney Schertenleib.
The company’s first football range is expected in 2027.
Mbappé isn’t simply expected to wear the finished product.
He is involved in its development.
That reflects a wider evolution in athlete partnerships.
The traditional formula was straightforward:
Brand develops product.
Athlete wears product.
Brand puts athlete in advertisement.
Consumers buy product.
Increasingly, the relationship is becoming:
Brand + athlete develop product together.
That difference matters because elite athletes can provide something even the best laboratory can’t fully reproduce: thousands of hours of experience performing at the highest level.
On Is Bringing Running Technology Into Football
Perhaps the most interesting question is what a running company can contribute to football.
On is currently experimenting with its LightSpray technology for football boots.
The process can create a seamless upper and potentially eliminate traditional laces, although On says it is testing both laced and laceless versions with Mbappé and Schertenleib.
That is exactly what makes new competition interesting.
A company entering a category from the outside doesn’t necessarily inherit the same assumptions as established players.
On isn’t approaching football with decades of existing boot design to protect.
It can ask:
What can we borrow from running?
What can be manufactured differently?
What does the modern footballer actually need?
Not every experiment will work.
But competition forces everyone to innovate.
Running Brands Aren’t Just for Runners Anymore
On’s move also reflects the extraordinary cultural growth of running.
The global running market reached roughly $43 billion in 2025, according to recent industry analysis, with the category increasingly driven by a combination of performance, lifestyle and community rather than race-day equipment alone.
You can see that change everywhere.
Running shoes are worn as lifestyle sneakers.
Run clubs function as social communities.
Technical clothing appears outside training.
Performance brands collaborate with fashion designers.
And companies originally associated with one sport increasingly compete across several.
The old labels are becoming less useful.
A “running brand” can make tennis apparel.
A football brand can influence streetwear.
A gym-focused company can create lifestyle clothing.
Consumers don’t necessarily organise their wardrobes according to sporting categories anymore.
They organise them around their lives.
Football Is Also Becoming a Fashion Category
On itself describes football as a global culture rather than simply a sport and says its approach will connect elite on-pitch performance with street style.
That language matters.
Football shirts have already moved far beyond stadiums.
Retro jerseys appear in everyday outfits.
Training tops are styled with casual trousers.
Football-inspired sneakers and terrace culture influence fashion collections.
Oversized shirts echo old football silhouettes.
Athletes themselves increasingly become fashion figures.
For sportswear companies, this means a football product no longer has to exist exclusively during the 90 minutes of a match.
The opportunity extends into training, travel, recovery and everyday clothing.
What This Means for Smaller Activewear Brands
There is a useful lesson here that has nothing to do with trying to compete directly with Nike or On.
A sportswear brand doesn’t need to be defined by one activity.
Customers aren’t one-dimensional athletes.
Someone can lift weights on Monday, play football Wednesday, run Saturday and spend Sunday wearing an oversized tee and sweatpants.
Their clothing needs change throughout that week.
That is why ActivX combines performance products with more relaxed athleisure silhouettes.
A Dry-Fit Performance Shirt serves a different purpose from a heavyweight oversized tee.
Relaxed shorts can work across strength training and everyday wear.
Sweatpants and hoodies naturally cover warm-ups, recovery and lifestyle.
The objective isn’t making every garment suitable for every activity.
It’s building a wardrobe around the person rather than one specific workout.
Performance and Streetwear Are Moving Closer Together
Look at the language being used across sportswear in 2026 and one theme appears repeatedly:
Performance without sacrificing identity.
Last month, adidas by Stella McCartney released a running collection co-designed with heptathlete Anna Hall that explicitly combined competition-level functionality with fashion-led design.
Earlier this month, adidas and artist Tyrrell Winston launched “The Athlete,” an off-duty sportswear collection inspired by athletic mentality and Midwestern sports culture.
Now On is describing its football strategy in terms of both elite performance and street style.
These aren’t isolated ideas.
They’re signals of where the industry is heading.
The Future Athlete Doesn’t Have One Uniform
Modern sportswear is becoming more specialised and more versatile at the same time.
That sounds contradictory.
It isn’t.
When you’re running hard, you want performance fabrics.
When you’re playing football, you want clothing designed for football.
When you’re lifting, you might prefer an oversized silhouette.
When the workout ends, you want clothing that can move into the rest of your day.
The future isn’t necessarily one outfit that somehow does everything.
It’s a wardrobe where performance and lifestyle pieces belong to the same identity.
Mbappé’s move to On illustrates that perfectly.
A company that became famous for running is entering football.
A footballer is becoming a product collaborator and shareholder.
Performance technology is crossing sporting categories.
And football itself is being positioned simultaneously as competition and culture.
Sportswear is becoming harder to categorise.
That might be exactly where it’s headed.
⸻
FAQ: Kylian Mbappé and On
Did Kylian Mbappé leave Nike?
Yes. Reuters reported on September 18, 2026 that Mbappé ended his roughly two-decade relationship with Nike and became a global partner of On.
Is On making football boots?
Yes. On confirms that it is developing its first football range with Kylian Mbappé, Thierry Henry and Sydney Schertenleib, with products planned for 2027.
What is Thierry Henry’s role at On?
Thierry Henry has joined On as its director of football as the company develops its entry into the sport.
Will On football boots be laceless?
Possibly, but not exclusively. On says LightSpray can produce a seamless, laceless construction, while its development team is currently testing both laced and laceless versions.
⸻
Suggested ActivX Internal Links
Use “performance clothing for high-intensity training” → ActivX Men’s/Women’s Performance Shirt collection.
Use “oversized gym and streetwear T-shirts” → ActivX Oversized T-Shirt collection.
Use “relaxed athletic shorts and sweatpants” → relevant ActivX Shorts/Sweatpants collection.
Use “Dubai performance and athleisure clothing” → ActivX Shop All or homepage.
CTA
Performance when you’re training. Comfort when you’re not. Build a rotation designed for both sides of an active lifestyle with ActivX.
Sources for Editor
Reuters — September 18, 2026 reporting confirms Mbappé’s move from Nike to On, the roughly two-decade Nike relationship, On’s entry into football and the structure of the partnership.
On — Official Football FAQ — current details on Mbappé’s global partnership, Thierry Henry and Sydney Schertenleib’s involvement, the 2027 product launch and On’s performance-to-streetwear positioning.
On — Football product development details — current information on LightSpray technology and testing of laced and laceless football footwear.
adidas — Anna Hall x Stella McCartney performance capsule — official July 28, 2026 release illustrating the current crossover between high-performance running apparel and fashion-led design.
adidas — Tyrrell Winston "The Athlete" collection — official September 8, 2026 release illustrating the growing overlap between athletic identity and off-duty sportswear.