“Without the German team, experience shows that interest in fan merchandise and other World Cup items drops rapidly,” HDE spokesperson Stefan Hertel said.

Four-time champions Germany crashed out of the World Cup despite a 4-2 victory over Costa Rica in their last Group E match on Thursday, tumbling out at the first hurdle for the second consecutive time.

Football shirts for the German team, which was eliminated as Japan and Spain advanced to the knockout stages of the competition, were on sale by the following day with a 50% discount on Adidas’s online shop.

But the company spokesperson in Qatar, which is hosting this year’s competition, remained upbeat.
“As much as we’re hurt by Germany’s elimination, we’re benefiting from the international enthusiasm in Qatar,” the spokesperson said.

Adidas, one of FIFA’s seven global partners, will still be represented in the tournament on the strips of Spain, Argentina and Japan.

World leader Nike has taken nine of its 13 national teams into the next round, and one more could join. Of Puma