Post by adidas

A grassroots approach is creating a football frenzy in China – with a league like no other 🇨🇳⚽ We officially launched the 2026 match-day kits for the 13 teams of the Jiangsu City Football League last week. With a cultural movement powered by football underway in China, our presence will span all 85 matches from April to October. And while the players are local heroes, the tech is global: the Trionda has been announced as the official match ball, the exact same model selected for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Last year, content about the football league got 37 billion online views – reach that surpassed the digital traffic of the 2022 World Cup (35 billion) on the Chinese version of TikTok. 62,329 fans attended the final match, more than many high-profile league matches worldwide. Here’s a breakdown of what the Jiangsu City Football League is doing to make the sport reach staggering levels of popularity. 🙌 Diverse rosters of players: Rather than bidding for the best players available, these teams are comprised of local business owners, students, and residents – players who are all about the game and giving it their individual flair. 🫶 Grassroots passion: Prioritizing authenticity and community spirit, this league appeals to those who didn’t even know they could like football. 💬 Meme marketing: Move out of the way glitz and polish – now it’s time for fans to share their unique takes on what makes this game so beautiful, and their hot-takes are drawing in the masses. 💌 City pride: 13 cities in the province each have their own team, which comes with its own jersey that represents key elements of its residents. The jerseys were all conceived of and created by our colleagues at the adidas Creation Center Shanghai in just 100 days – even with the Chinese New Year holiday in between. As a global company with a local mindset, there’s nothing we love more than seeing each region do sports and culture as they see fit. China is leading the way, with abundant style and inspiration to spare. Check out the jerseys below, with the home kits inspired by regional roots and the away kits focused on modern urban energy. #adidasFootball