On is developing football products as the Swiss brand looks to move beyond its racing origins and sustain its rapid pace of growth.
The company is “absolutely” interested in entering the football sector and believes its robotic shoe-making technology, called LightSpray, could be an advantage, co-founder Olivier Bernhard said in an interview at the company’s headquarters in Zurich.
The Roger Federer-backed company has grown rapidly since its founding in 2010, starting with innovative, comfortable running shoes and then expanding into tennis, training and outdoor sports. Now, it is also seeking to increase revenue with clothing products, both sports and lifestyle.
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While football has long been the world’s most popular sport, the segment has gained even more traction in recent years as a source of fashion and lifestyle items for competitors such as Adidas, Nike and Puma. These brands are currently experiencing a peak in sales with shirts from the teams they sponsor in the World Cup.
On’s first foray into football came in December, when the company signed a contract with young Swiss star Sydney Schertenleib, a Barcelona player, to collaborate on the development of training and lifestyle products.
“We have already shown the world that we are interested in entering this sport,” Bernhard said on Thursday. “The only secret is who will come next”, he stated, when talking about possible new contracts for the brand.
Thierry Henry, former star of the French national team and Premier League Arsenal, has repeatedly posted images on social media wearing On clothing over the last year.
The company is also expanding its robotic production with LightSpray technology, with the aim of expanding the platform’s use beyond high-performance marathon shoes and into more mass products.
The company plans to open a new factory in Vietnam later this year and is also evaluating possible units in the United States and then Europe, Caspar Coppetti, the company’s co-CEO, said in a separate interview. Earlier this year, On opened a factory in South Korea.
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LightSpray technology also “makes sense in a football boot,” Bernhard said.
© 2026 Bloomberg L.P.
