On came for running, then went wild on tennis. Now, the Swiss performance brand are gunning for football.
Rumours of On entering this particular market were swirling just before the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but on September 18, the news became official – On Football is real. The brand entered the arena with Kylian Mbappé as frontman alongside FC Barcelona’s Sydney Schertenleib, and the legendary Thierry Henry as director of football – and Henry has, it was recently revealed, been secretly working within On’s entry and product approach team since late 2025.
‘Football doesn’t need another sportswear brand to do more of the same,’ David Allemann, founder and co-CEO of On said at the announcement. ‘Football needs new ideas and a challenge to what is possible. When we enter a sport, we want to be the brand of the future – through true innovation and contemporary design. Our ambition is to bring On’s approach to the pitch, the pavement, and the runway – connecting elite performance with the culture that surrounds the game. With Kylian we have the perfect partner to dream what football can become.’
On aren’t just a new kid on the beautiful game’s block. They’re a serious rival to the major brands. Through both running and tennis, they’ve shown that they aren’t afraid of going head-to-head with the giants – so here’s what On Football means for the industry.
Will On Football Be a Success?
Since launching in 2010, On have experienced an insane trajectory. Last year, the brand saw their annual net sales surpass $3 billion for the first time ever – that’s 30 per cent year-over-year growth.
On first tackled the running market as a small start-up spruiking their quirky CloudTec soles, and by the mid-2010s, the brand’s engineered speedsters were fast becoming the worst nightmare of performance’s big dogs. As the 2020s edged closer, it was clear On weren’t going to settle for staying in their boutique-running-brand lane – their aspirations were far greater.
Moving into football is a mammoth decision from On, but they’ve had experience entering as the underdog – case in point, their tennis takeover. Tennis apparel and footwear had been lacking an injection of excitement for a long time at the point that On decided to break clay. Their chance came in 2018 after Roger Federer exited his Nike deal, and the athlete was soon spotted wearing On’s running shoes. At the time, the brand didn’t have the money for a superstar-athlete signing – so Federer joined as a shareholder with a three per cent equity stake, and began work on the brand’s first tennis shoe.
In 2021, the Roger Pro was announced, and in 2023 On signed up-and-comers Ben Shelton and Iga Świątek to their tennis roster. By the time 2024 hit, On was a household name for racquet-heads, and they’ve continued to bolster their catalogue with every Grand Slam that passes.
Like tennis, football is craving a disruptor to snatch the crowns from Nike, adidas and PUMA. On’s strategy of positioning Mbappé and Schertenleib as leading the boot-development charge, led by Henry, is a perfect starting point – but football is a completely different ball-game to the other sports On have experience in. They’ll be competing with brands who own long, deep legacies in the sport – and facing franchises like Mercurial, Phantom, F50, Predator, FUTURE and King.
On Football is a monumental move from the Swiss brand, and it’ll be their biggest challenge yet.
Mbappé Signs for On
The signing of Kylian Mbappé was On Football’s launch headline, a piece of news which immediately blew up socials because they’d managed to snatch the French star from Nike. Mbappé originally signed to Team Swoosh when he was just eight years old, and went on to become one of the faces of their legendary Mercurial line. His contract expired in July of 2026, and he reportedly turned down a $20 million per year, 10-year contract extension in order to ink the On deal.
‘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. ‘I want to bring my experience and perspective into what we create, push what’s possible through innovation, and always stay true to the joy of football. We have a shared dream, and this is only the beginning.’
Mbappé’s move from the Swoosh to On follows a slew of other superstar players across football who’ve chosen to sign with brands other than the big three (Nike, adidas and PUMA). Under Armour boast Ferran Torres and Achraf Hakimi on their slate, and New Balance are doing wonders with Bukayo Saka. The moves to smaller brands aren’t just limited to football, either – in basketball, Steph Curry recently made a high-profile shift from Under Armour to Li-Ning.
While Kylian is moving away from the behemoth that first recognised his talent and stuck by him throughout his career thus far, On provides a fresh start with what could be an exhilarating new elite football competitor. The financial terms of Mbappé’s On partnership haven’t been disclosed, but there are reports he will receive cash and equity – similar to Federer.
‘We’re bringing one shared dream to life,’ said Mbappé, ‘and I can’t wait for everyone to see what we’re building together. Follow me, Thierry and Sydney as we build a new era of football.’
Why Is On Football So Disruptive?
Going from a scrappy upstart brand to a performance powerhouse in 16 years is no mean feat. On roughhoused their way into running, tackled tennis, and are now prepped to disrupt football – and the cultural momentum behind them is unmatched.
They are armed with their LightSpray tech and manufacturing methods, which premiered in 2024 as groundbreaking techniques for creating lightweight, aerodynamic uppers for performance footwear – and have since performed in elite settings on the feet of runners like Hellen Obiri. On's LightSpray uppers are manufactured with an automated robot arm that sprays recycled thermoplastic material onto a last, resulting in a one-piece upper. This makes for ultra-lightweight builds – and for football boots with no foam midsole weight, resulting in a super-speedy cleat. Coincidentally, Mbappé has always favoured Nike’s speed boot franchise, and particularly the Mercurial Superfly, built for explosive, straight-line speed.
On’s current roster of players will work with their production teams to bring LightSpray to elite football, creating extremely precise builds that will act like the athletes’ second skin.
We have had an early preview already: Mbappé wore a prototype of the new boots while training with Real Madrid, and was spotted wearing the LightSpray Cloudmonster 3 during the international break. He was also wearing virtual On boots during the EA Sports FC 27 trailer. However, during last Sunday’s El Derbi Madrileño, the superstar striker was still donning his trusty Mercurial Superflys – with the branding covered, of course.
On’s football boots are set to see a debut on the pitch during the 2026-2027 football season, but a retail release won’t land until 2027.
Keep up to date with the latest from On here!