Atlético Nacional to part ways with Nike, contract ends in 2026

While the entire country had its eyes on James Rodríguez's debut in the green shirt, another story was brewing in Atlético Nacional's offices, one that will also shape the club's future. The Antioquia institution announced that it will not renew its contract with Nike, the brand that has outfitted the first team for the last 14 years.

The official statement leaves little room for ambiguity: the partnership will remain in place through December 2026, but after that date, Nacional and Nike will go their separate ways. Fourteen years is no small thing. It's a relationship that spanned titles, players and several generations of fans who grew up watching that brand on their team's chest.

Why now? The club itself explains it with a line that sounds more like long-term strategy than a sudden split:

The decision reflects a new strategic direction for the club, the details of which we will share with our fans in due course.Atlético Nacional

A club brand in the works?

What stands out most about the announcement is what it doesn't say. At no point does the statement confirm which brand will outfit the team starting in 2027, and that has opened the door to all kinds of speculation among fans. According to what has leaked out of Medellín, the plan isn't to sign another sportswear giant to replace Nike, but something more ambitious: for Nacional to develop its own apparel brand.

It's a trend that has already taken hold at other major clubs across the continent, and if confirmed, it would completely change how the club manages its commercial identity. It wouldn't just be a matter of swapping one logo for another, but of building something of its own from scratch, with everything that entails in terms of production, distribution and brand management.

The announcement comes at a particular moment for the institution. Nacional is in the middle of a busy week off the field, with the arrival of James Rodríguez as a new signing, who has already made his debut against Internacional de Bogotá. The timing of both stories, the signing of one of the most recognized figures in Colombian soccer and the end of a historic partnership with Nike, makes clear that the club is rearranging several pieces at once, both on and off the field.

For now, fans will have to wait. The club has promised to share details of this new strategic direction as things develop, so there are still several months, and likely several announcements, to go before anyone knows exactly what Atlético Nacional's uniform will look like starting in 2027.