On has spent 16 years making running shoes look different, and now it's taking this same playbook to football with Kylian Mbappé leading the charge.
The Swiss sportswear brand announced its entry into football alongside the Real Madrid star, who becomes its newest global ambassador and co-creator.
Mbappé takes equity in the company and will work directly with On's engineers in Zurich, where its LightSpray robotic manufacturing gets adapted for the pitch.
Thierry Henry, meanwhile, takes the title of Director of Football, a job he has been doing quietly since late 2025.
Henry advised the brand on football and product strategy before anyone outside the company knew he was involved.
"Football doesn’t need another sportswear brand to do more of the same," On Founder and co-CEO David Allemann said in a press release.
"Football needs new ideas and a challenge to what is possible."
Mbappé will contribute his experience directly to product development and testing.
His work with On also covers movement, performance, and contemporary design outside football.
"From the beginning, what drew me to On was the opportunity to build something entirely new together that will help shape tomorrow’s game," Mbappé said.
This product-first setup gives On something to talk about while it still has nothing to sell.
The company is adapting LightSpray, its robotic manufacturing technology introduced in 2024, to football's specific demands.
On says the process can create a performance upper from a continuously sprayed filament.
The goal is a boot that sits light and close to the foot.
On's first football products reach shoppers in 2027, though Mbappé is expected to debut a version on the pitch within weeks.
Mbappé signed with On after a two-decade run with Nike, which put him under contract in 2006 as a child.
His Nike deal expired after the 2026 World Cup and never got extended.
On gave Mbappé equity in the company, the same structure it used with Roger Federer in tennis.
Its shares jumped 5.6% in premarket trading before giving the gain back by mid-morning. Nike slipped 0.8% and Adidas 1%.
This movement means investors like the name and are eager to see the boots.
On Labs as the Campaign Set
The launch campaign puts that development process front and center.
Photographer Juergen Teller shot Mbappé, Henry, and Sydney Schertenleib inside On Labs.
Mbappé, Henry, and Schertenleib stand among prototypes, machinery, and the LightSpray robot.
The set is a factory floor in Zurich.
Schertenleib, a Swiss international and FC Barcelona player, is also moving from her existing On training and lifestyle role into football product development.
Her focus will be on the future of the women's game.
"Having the opportunity to work directly with On and bring my perspective into the development process is something really special," Schertenleib said.
The audience that On is buying into is enormous.
FIFA put the 2025 Club World Cup at an estimated 2.7 billion viewers across all media, based on preliminary Nielsen Sports analysis.
On's real marketing move is putting its manufacturing story next to the athletes who can vouch for it.
An Outsider's Credibility Problem
Walking into an established category creates a credibility problem straight away.
Football fans already know the incumbents, their boots, and their athletes.
On can keep the story going through testing, athlete feedback, prototypes, and the 2027 launch.
The football entry gets a story that runs for a year before anything goes on sale.
A few lessons stand out here:
- Give athletes a role in the work: Mbappé and Schertenleib contribute to product development rather than appearing only as campaign talent.
- Put innovation on camera: Showing LightSpray and On Labs gives the technology a visible role in the launch.
- Carry existing equity into new categories: On uses its engineering and design credentials from running as the foundation for its football entry.
A launch with no product can still hold attention when the audience gets a seat inside product development.
Our Take: Can On Sell Football Boots?
Apart from star power, what's interesting to us is how On made the waiting period part of the product story.
There is no boot to buy yet, but it gave us the promise of something being built alongside some of the world's biggest football stars.
We would keep this thread running all the way to launch, because the audience has already been invited behind the curtain.
We also think the equity stake is doing more work here than LightSpray.
Mbappé picked ownership, and Nike, Adidas, and Puma had no equivalent to offer him.
Federer had a racket the day he signed with On, while Mbappé has a prototype and a promise.
Looking to build campaigns that don’t rely on starting from scratch?
Explore these top brand strategy agencies in our directory to turn existing equity into something that still lands.
