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The European soccer championships will begin on June 14 in Germany to kick off what will be a huge summer for major sports events in Europe, with the Paris Olympics set to start on July 26. The timing of the Euros and the Olympics is crucial for the sports apparel sector, which has been struggling in 2024 with the notable exception of Adidas (OTCQX:ADDYY).
“The industry is heavily dependent on the economy and consumption,” warned Baader Bank trader Marc Richter. Fortunately, the Euros and the Olympics have provided economic and quarterly earnings boosts in the past.
A strong showing by France in major tournaments in the past has boosted Nike’s (NYSE:NKE) quarterly sales in Europe. For the 2024 Euros, Nike (NKE) is sponsoring France, Croatia, Slovenia, England, Turkey, Portugal, Slovakia, Poland, and the Netherlands. Adidas (OTCQX:ADDYY) is sponsoring host nation Germany, Scotland, Hungary, Spain, Italy, and Belgium. Meanwhile, Puma (OTCPK:PMMAF) is sponsoring Switzerland, Serbia, Czech Republic, and Austria. If there is to be a breakout sponsor star at the Euros, watch for Italian sportswear brand Macron, Spanish sports brand Joma Sport S.A., and German-Danish company Hummel International. Macron is sponsoring Albania and Georgia, while Joma is sponsoring both Romania and Ukraine, and Denmark’s team will wear kits from Hummel. U.S. companies Lululemon (LULU) and Under Armour (UAA) will not have a huge presence at the Euros, but have positioned their marketing campaigns strategically to stay relevant ahead of the Olympics blitz. On Holding (ONON) will also be a major player this summer and created some buzz last week by signing Zendaya as a brand ambassador.
The Euros can have an impact on other companies outside the sports apparel sector. Electronic Arts (EA) has benefited in the past from a burst of soccer interest in the U.S. during and following the tournament. Beer giants Heineken N.V. (OTCQX:HEINY), Carlsberg AS (OTCPK:CABGY) (OTCPK:CABJF), and Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD) are all expected to see a summer boost, especially if the weather during the Euros cooperates. “If you get the sort of Goldilocks scenario of a beautiful summer, England playing Italy in the finals, or England versus France, that will, of course, be pretty helpful to the industry,” stated Barclays analyst Laurence Whyatt.
Sports betting companies on both sides of the Atlantic will also get an obvious boost due to the Euros and Olympics being just once-every-four year events that will prop up the year-over-year revenue comparisons when earnings reports roll out. Some of the companies that could benefit from higher volume, include Flutter Entertainment (NYSE:FLUT), Entain (OTCPK:GMVHF), Evoke plc (OTCPK:EIHDF), Bettson (OTCPK:BTSBF), Bet365, Kindred Group (OTC:KNDGF), Super Group’s (SGHC) Betway, DraftKings (DKNG), and BetMGM (MGM) (OTCPK:GMVHF). Side bets for investors on sports betting include Genius Sports (GENI), Evolution AB (OTCPK:EVVTY), and Sportradar (SRAD). The Roundhill Sports Betting & iGaming ETF (BETZ) is a catch-all sports betting ETF.
What about Germany?
A key question with the Euros is always the economic impact of hosting the tournament. Deutsche Bank estimated that hosting is typically worth a 0.1% percentage point boost to quarterly GDP, but the effect could be larger and more persistent this year if Germany repeated something akin to the Sommermärchen tale of the 2006 World Cup, when it hosted and made the semi-finals. “Importantly, however, the impact of a successful sporting event may go well beyond the direct spending related to the tournament itself if it boosts sentiment in a country, whether the host nation or any other participating country,” highlighted DB analyst Robin Winkler. Currently, adjusted for some British bias with the major bookmakers, Germany is given a roughly 15% to 20% probability of making the final and boosting local sentiment along the way. Some Germany-focused ETFs include iShares MSCI Germany ETF (NYSEARCA:EWG), New Germany Fund (GF), First Trust Germany AlphaDEX Fund ETF (FGM), First Trust Germany AlphaDEX Fund ETF(DAX), and Franklin FTSE Germany ETF (FLGR).
