A Tale of Two Sponsors for Borussia Dortmund at FIFA Club World Cup

While they squared off against elite clubs from around the world on the pitch over the past couple of weeks, an unusual situation played out on the front of Borussia Dortmund’s kits.

The German Bundesliga club has been taking part in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the United States this summer. But, for their group stage games, the Black and Yellow sported three unique kits in the span of just eight days, with either the design or the front-of-shirt sponsor changed each time out.

Dortmund was one of seven Puma-outfitted clubs to get a new kit specially designed for the CWC in collaboration with American streetwear clothing brand KidSuper Studios. They wore that kit for their first group stage match against Brazilian side Fluminese on Tuesday, June 17, with the logo of long-time sponsor Evonik on the front.

Courtesy SB Nation – Fear the Wall

But by the time their second group stage match against South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns rolled around on Saturday, June 21, the Evonik logo had been replaced by that of telecommunications company Vodafone. BVB’s sponsorship deal with Vodafone was initially announced in late May, but it was thought it wouldn’t take effect until later in the preseason, ahead of the start of the 2025-26 Bundesliga season in August.

Dortmund wore their “Weiße Wiese” third kit from the 2024-25 season against Mamelodi Sundowns, with the Vodafone logo on the front in red. The club has yet to confirm rumours that this kit will be carried forward and serve as Dortmund’s third kit again in 2025-26.

Courtesy Bundesliga

Then, for their last group stage match against Korean side Ulsan HD FC on Wednesday, June 25, Dortmund went back to their black and yellow Puma x KidSuper kits, but now with the Vodafone logo on the front in black.

Courtesy Borussia Dortmund / Facebook

In a recent issue of Dortmund’s fan magazine, Vodafone Germany CEO Marcel de Groot explained that there was no question the company’s logo — which is usually red, as seen on the white kits worn against Mamelodi Sundowns — would appear in black on the club’s traditional yellow home kits: “This is not a compromise and was not even a question for me. Yellow and red don’t go together visually. But of course we want the new jerseys to look good! That also has something to do with respect for the fans and the club. The Vodafone logo is world-famous. It makes no difference whether it’s red or black.”

Evonik had been Dortmund’s front-of-shirt sponsor in some capacity since 2006, a total of 671 matches. In recent years, though, the company’s logo only appeared on BVB kits in “cup” play (i.e., the DFB-Pokal and UEFA Champions League), while another telecom company, 1&1, sponsored the team in Bundesliga action.

Courtesy Borussia Dortmund

“The way Borussia Dortmund and Evonik have developed their partnership and lived it out with trust over the past 20 years can certainly be seen as a blueprint for successful sponsorship in sports.”
— Carsten Cramer, managing director, Borussia Dortmund (translated to English by Google)

With a 1-0 win over Ulsan, Dortmund finished on top of Group F with two wins and one draw. They’ll play the second-place team from Group E, Liga MX’s Monterrey (another Puma-outfitted club with a KidSuper-designed kit), in the round of 16 on Tuesday, July 1, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. No word yet on which kit they’ll be wearing for that match.