Switzerland
On Enters Football With Kylian Mbappé as Swiss Sportswear Brand Targets the World’s Biggest Sport: Swiss sportswear brand On has officially entered football, joining forces with French football superstar Kylian Mbappé as the company expands beyond its roots in running and performance footwear.
The announcement, made September 18, marks a major new chapter for On, which says it wants to bring its distinctive combination of Swiss engineering, athlete-led product development and contemporary design to football. The company has also named French World Cup winner and Arsenal legend Thierry Henry as its Director of Football. Henry has been working with On behind the scenes since late 2025 on its football strategy and product approach.
The move comes as On continues to expand its global sportswear presence. The company, founded in Switzerland in 2010, now operates in more than 90 countries and has built its reputation around technologies including CloudTec® and LightSpray™.
Mbappé Becomes Face of On Football
Mbappé will be central to On’s football strategy, working directly with the company’s product teams to develop and test future football footwear and apparel.
The partnership extends beyond product development. Mbappé will become a global ambassador for On, representing the brand across movement, performance and contemporary design as well as football.
“Football doesn’t need another sportswear brand to do more of the same,” On founder and co-CEO David Allemann said in the company’s announcement, describing the football expansion as an opportunity to introduce new ideas and challenge existing approaches to performance and design.
For Mbappé, the partnership represents an opportunity to participate directly in creating new products rather than simply endorsing an established football line.
“From the beginning, what drew me to On was the opportunity to build something entirely new together that will help shape tomorrow’s game,” Mbappé said.
The agreement also ends Mbappé’s long-running relationship with Nike, which began when he was a child. Reuters reported that the new On arrangement includes cash and equity components, although financial details have not been disclosed.
Thierry Henry Takes Strategic Role
Henry’s appointment gives On an experienced football voice at the center of its expansion.
The French World Cup winner has been involved with On’s football project since late 2025, contributing to product strategy, athlete relationships and the company’s approach to football culture.
As Director of Football, Henry will help guide the development of On Football and its relationships with elite players.
“Building something new in football requires a bold and original approach,” Henry said. “We want to listen to players, understand what they need and create something that can genuinely add to the game.”
Henry’s role also reflects On’s stated intention to build its football business around athlete involvement rather than simply placing its logo on existing products.
LightSpray Technology Moves Onto the Pitch
A key element of the company’s football strategy will be LightSpray™, On’s robotic manufacturing technology introduced in 2024.
The technology creates a performance upper using a continuous sprayed filament, allowing On to pursue a different approach to traditional footwear construction. The company says it is now adapting LightSpray to the specific requirements of elite football, with a focus on lightweight construction, precision and close-to-foot feel.
The development process will involve elite players directly testing and challenging prototypes alongside On’s product teams.
The strategy follows a broader pattern in On’s business, where athlete feedback and proprietary technology have been central to product development. In 2026, the company has continued to emphasize LightSpray as a technology moving from elite-athlete validation toward broader commercial use.
Sydney Schertenleib Brings Women’s Football Perspective
On’s football initiative also includes the next generation of women’s football through Swiss international and FC Barcelona player Sydney Schertenleib.
Schertenleib originally joined On in December 2025 as a Training and Lifestyle ambassador. Her relationship with the company now expands into football, where she will work directly with product teams on development and testing.
On says her involvement will contribute to products designed with the future of women’s football in mind.
From Running Challenger to Global Sports Brand
On’s football entry represents a significant expansion from the company’s original identity as a running-focused challenger brand.
Founded in 2010, On has expanded into footwear, apparel and accessories across running, outdoor, training, tennis and lifestyle categories. Its latest financial results showed continued global expansion, with second-quarter 2026 net sales reaching CHF 850.3 million, up 13.5% year over year, while apparel sales increased 47.7%.
The company’s football expansion therefore comes at a time when it is already broadening its presence across performance sport, fashion and lifestyle.
The football market, however, presents a different competitive environment, dominated by established global brands with decades of football heritage. Reuters reported that On plans to release its first football boots in 2027.
Football, Innovation and Culture
On is positioning the new football business around more than performance footwear. The company says it wants to connect elite sport with the wider culture surrounding football, including design, creativity and communities.
The launch campaign was photographed by internationally recognized photographer Juergen Teller at On Labs in Zurich, bringing Mbappé, Henry and Schertenleib together around the company’s product-development environment and LightSpray technology.
The combination of Mbappé’s global football profile, Henry’s experience and Schertenleib’s perspective on the women’s game gives On three different athlete voices as it begins developing its football platform.
For a company whose identity has been built around rethinking running footwear, football now becomes the next major testing ground for its technology and brand strategy.
