Adidas expands esports sponsorship, signs with Lyon EDG

German sportswear brand adidas has inked a new sponsorship deal with Lyon EDG, the esports wing of Ligue 1 club Olympique Lyonnais.

As part of the deal, adidas will become Lyon EDG’s exclusive supplier of apparel and accessories.

The team wore its first adidas kit last week when it competed in the Fifa Online 4 Professional Champion Cup in Shanghai.

Founded in 2017, Lyon EDG is a merger of Olympique Lyonnais and Chinese esports organisation Edward Gaming (EDG).

The merger was the first time a European football club had partnered with a Chinese esports organisation in order to compete in the region.

Rival Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain followed suit shortly afterwards, partnering with Chinese esports organisation LGD Gaming to form PSG.LGD.

Adidas’s main rival Nike is also poised to enter esports sponsorship. The US sportswear brand is currently negotiating a deal with the Chinese League of Legends Pro League (LPL).