Capelli Sport, an American sports equipment brand founded in 2011 by George Altirs in New Jersey, has experienced months of great visibility in 2026. From a supplier originally linked to youth football, the company has established itself as an international reference in sports equipment, and recent events clearly demonstrate this growth.
Historic debut with Cape Verde at the World Cup
The most recent highlight is the partnership with the Cape Verdean Football Federation. After a four-year agreement signed at the beginning of the year, Capelli Sport now supplies the men's and women's national teams of Cape Verde, a country that made its unprecedented debut in a World Cup. The "Blue Sharks" surprised by drawing with Spain in the opening group stage match and then secured a thrilling result against Uruguay, which further boosted the brand's global exposure.
Third kit with exclusive numbering
To celebrate the historic moment, Capelli Sport and the Cape Verdean federation launched a third kit with exclusively numbered pieces, each associated with one of the country's ten islands. The initiative transformed the jerseys into unique collectible items, reinforcing the emotional connection between the brand and the fans.
On-field success generates commercial dispute
The Cape Verdean national team's strong performance boosted sales of jerseys and official products, which also created market friction. A rival brand, linked to previous national team collections, began selling old models at much lower prices, leading Capelli Sport to seek legal measures to protect the exclusivity of the official line for this World Cup cycle.
Other national teams and clubs dressed by the brand
Cape Verde is not the only national team to wear Capelli Sport. The brand is also the official supplier for Lebanon — the home country of founder George Altirs —, Trinidad and Tobago since 2024, the American Samoa national team, and Serbia, a team that competed in four of the last five World Cups, although they did not qualify for the current edition. Capelli Sport is also the official uniform supplier for Major League Soccer (MLS) referees in the United States. In the club world, the brand outfits Austria Salzburg in Austria and Górnik Zabrze in Poland, and has previously supplied Greek club AEK Athens in earlier seasons.
The brand's strength in Chilean football
In Chile, Capelli Sport has established itself as one of the leading brands in national football. Currently, it outfits three First Division clubs — Coquimbo Unido, Ñublense, and Palestino —, in addition to Athletic Club Barnechea and Universidad de Concepción, the current champions of Ascenso (Chilean Primera B). Coquimbo Unido, the reigning Chilean football champion, debuted a new collection of uniforms in 2026 inspired by the art and murals of the city's port, including an all-black third kit in tribute to the fans.
According to Ernesto Álvarez, commercial manager of Capelli Sport in Latin America, Palestino was the first Chilean club to associate with the brand and is currently the club that generates the most international sales among the country's clubs, driven by the team's strong connection with the Palestinian community worldwide.
Palestino and Capelli: a partnership with identity
The link between Capelli Sport and Palestino has existed since 2019, when the club — founded in 1920 by immigrants and home to the largest Palestinian community outside the Middle East — stopped using uniforms from the Chilean brand Training Professional, its supplier between 2007 and 2018. It is Capelli Sport's oldest partnership in Chilean football, and has already resulted in special editions with strong social appeal, such as the "Kufiye" line, inspired by the traditional Palestinian scarf, whose proceeds were donated to the Aida refugee camp in the West Bank. For the 2026 season, the brand launched a new collection for the club: the home kit maintains the green, red, white, and black colors in vertical stripes, while the away kit features a deep black base with pixelated patterns reminiscent of the colors of the Palestinian flag.
New partnership with NFCA in softball
Outside of football fields, Capelli Sport also announced a multi-year agreement as an official sponsor of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA), a leading organization in college and amateur softball in the United States. The brand will become the title sponsor of one of the association's main events, reinforcing its expansion strategy beyond football, which had already been happening with recent partnerships in lacrosse and field hockey.
From local problem to global brand
Capelli Sport's trajectory is remarkable: it was born to meet the need for uniforms for a youth football program and, fifteen years later, it reaches the biggest showcase in world sports by outfitting a national team in the World Cup. Today, the company claims to equip more than 400,000 young athletes and over 100 professional teams worldwide, in addition to holding stakes in football clubs in Europe.
With the World Cup's repercussions, renewed interest in the softball sector, growth in South American football — with Chile standing out — and international expansion, 2026 is consolidating as a decisive year for the brand — and promises even more news ahead.