As the 2026 FIFA World Cup heats up, sportswear giant Adidas has faced an unusual logistical bottleneck. The company confirmed on Wednesday that replica shirts for several key German national team players were temporarily unavailable due to an unexpected shortage of the letter “V” following a massive surge in fan demand.
The shortage directly impacted supporters looking to customize kits for high-profile stars Kai Havertz, Deniz Undav, and Aleksandar Pavlović, whose surnames all share the elusive consonant.
Early on Wednesday, fans attempting to purchase a Havertz jersey on the official Adidas online store were met with an error message stating: “Sorry, we’re currently out of stock of the following characters: V.”
An Adidas spokesperson confirmed the short-term supply blip to AFP but noted that the issue was “quickly resolved.” The premium tournament jerseys, which retail at €170 ($198), were made available for online orders again later in the day.
Adidas is currently supplying kits for 14 of the 48 nations competing at this year’s expanded World Cup, capitalizing heavily on tournament merchandise sales.
However, this tournament carries deep sentimental and historic weight for the brand. The German Football Association (DFB) is set to drop Adidas as its kit supplier starting in 2027, bringing an end to a legendary partnership spanning more than 70 years and four World Cup triumphs. With Germany transitioning to US rival Nike next year, the 2026 kit represents Adidas’s final World Cup showcase with the home nation, further driving its collector’s appeal among fans.