With 75 per cent of Brazil 2014 games now completed - (even if the most important are still to come - the company, which expects to sell more than eight million World Cup team replica shirts and 14 million "Brazuca" footballs, has taken a grip on the World Cup Battle of the Brands.

With all group matches played, the nine Brazil 2014 teams supplied by Adidas have amassed 55.6 per cent of points theoretically available to them.

This compares with 44.4 per cent for Nike and 40.3 per cent for Puma, five of whose eight World Cup teams lost their final group matches.

The five Brazil 2014 teams supplied by smaller brands secured a creditable 46.7 per cent of the points available to them, with Lotto's Costa Rica proving the surprise package of the tournament so far.

Adidas, which expects to sell 14 million Brazuca footballs, has seen its sponsored World Cup teams amass 55.6 per cent of available points in the group stage ©Getty Images for adidas



The 10 Nike teams have so far outscored Adidas by 49 goals to 41, with Puma sides scoring 33 times and those supplied by other brands 13.

Focus will now switch to whose teams can stay in Brazil the longest, with the knockout phase poised to begin today.

The balance between the brands remains remarkably even.

Nike supply five of the squads who have fought through to the last 16 (Brazil, France, Greece, The Netherlands and the United States); Adidas also have five (Argentina, Colombia, Germany, Mexico and Nigeria); Puma supply four survivors (Algeria, Chile, Switzerland and Uruguay); and Lotto and Burrda Sport one each (Costa Rica and Belgium).

Adidas said its replica German shirt has attained record sales of two million units, while Argentina, Mexico and Colombia had run up sales of more than one million units each.