Manchester United risk Adidas payment cuts if relegated
The club sits 18th after 10 league matches. Its sponsorship agreement also allows Adidas to end the partnership with one full season’s notice following relegation.
Adidas could cut its annual payments to Manchester United by 50% if the men’s team drops out of the Premier League, according to the club’s financial disclosures. United entered the November international break in 18th place, having collected eight points from 10 matches.
The annual report covering the financial year ended June 30, 2026 sets out the sportswear company’s contractual rights. Adidas can halve the applicable payment for any year United are outside the Premier League. Relegation would not automatically wipe out the £900 million minimum guarantee attached to the extended agreement.
Adidas also has the option to end the partnership following relegation or another form of exclusion from the division, provided it gives one full season’s notice. There is no indication that the company has acted over United’s current league position.
United agreed to extend the Adidas partnership by 10 years in July 2023, running through June 2035. A separate clause imposes a £10 million deduction for each season without Champions League participation from 2025-26 onward. United have already incurred that deduction for missing the 2025-26 competition.
Michael Carrick’s team has recorded just one league victory this season. A 4-4 draw against Aston Villa extended its winless league sequence to eight games, matching the club’s longest such run in the competition. United next visit Liverpool on November 22.
