NEW YORK, July 9 — The World Cup is more than a tournament for fans. For sportswear brands, it is a real-time sales laboratory, and one research firm is tracking every swipe of a payment card to see who is winning. M Science, a firm that analyzes anonymized credit and debit card transaction data, is monitoring consumer spending on sportswear during the current World Cup.
Analyst Drake MacFarlane explained that the methodology combines card transaction data with bank account information to measure year-over-year growth for major brands including Nike, Adidas, and Puma. The approach offers a window into sales trends that moves faster than traditional earnings reports.
By tracking transactions across both direct-to-consumer channels and wholesale partners, M Science can see in near real-time which brands are capturing consumer attention and spending during the tournament.
What the data shows
The early read is clear. According to the transaction data M Science has analyzed, Adidas is outpacing its competitors in sales growth during the tournament. For a brand with deep soccer roots, that finding carries weight.
Adidas has long been a fixture on the pitch, supplying kits for national teams and producing the official match ball for major tournaments. The payment card data suggests that presence is translating into actual purchases at registers and online checkouts.
Nike and Puma remain in the race, but the data indicates they are trailing Adidas in the growth metrics M Science is tracking through this World Cup cycle.
How the tracking works
The process relies on anonymized transaction data — meaning individual shoppers are not identified. Instead, M Science aggregates spending patterns from millions of credit and debit card transactions to build a picture of category-level and brand-level performance. Bank account information adds another layer, allowing analysts to connect spending to broader consumer financial behavior.
The result is a dataset that captures not just what people buy, but how their purchasing habits shift during a major sporting event. For investors and brand executives, this kind of granular, real-time data has become increasingly valuable.
It offers a check on how marketing campaigns, jersey launches, and sponsorship activations are actually performing with consumers — measured in dollars spent, not just social media engagement.
What to watch next
The World Cup runs for several weeks, and consumer spending patterns can shift as the tournament progresses. Early-stage sales growth does not always hold through the final whistle. Knockout rounds, marquee matchups, and a championship game can all drive additional spending on jerseys, footwear, and apparel.
M Science will continue tracking the data through the remainder of the tournament. The question for Adidas is whether it can sustain its lead.
For Nike and Puma, the challenge is whether late-tournament momentum can close the gap.
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