3 Stocks to Watch for the Euro 2012 Championship Match

As Italy and Spain deal with their respective financial crises, the citizens of these debt-laden nations will have something to cheer about. The two nations are set to meet in the championship match of the 2012 UEFA European Cup, the largest international soccer (or football) tournament in Europe. With the match upcoming, here are three stocks to watch.

McDonald's MCD is the sponsor of the official online fantasy game of the European Cup and could be set to benefit from the association with this prestigious tournament. McDonald's shares have fallen since the beginning of 2012 but are higher over the last twelve months. The stock has recently fallen on fears of growth in emerging markets, including China. Jim Cramer, on Monday, June 25, was positive on the stock, saying that "[McDonald's] has a strong franchise with tremendous staying power. [It] also has a juicy dividend yield of 3.2 percent." Cramer does highlight that recently IPO'd Burger King BKW may be a better short-term trade, but due to the dividend yield of McDonald's, he likes it better over the longer term.

Adidas ADDDF is the maker of the official uniform of the Spanish national team. If Spain were to win the tournament, the country's team would become the first national team ever to win three consecutive, major international tournaments (Spain won the 2008 European Championship and the 2010 World Cup). A Spanish victory would probably lead to further sales of uniforms, which would benefit Adidas. The Spanish team consists of some of the world's most popular players, and these uniforms could be in large demand should Spain make history on Sunday, July 1. On a side note, Adidas also owns TaylorMade Golf, and the upcoming July 4th holiday could boost sales of golf equipment in the U.S.

Puma PMMAF, the European athletic wear and clothing maker, is in a similar position as Adidas. As the official maker of the Italian uniform, should Italy win the championship in Kiev, Puma could see an increase in sales. With the passing skills of Andrea Pirlo and the goal scoring prowess of Mario Balotelli, the 2012 Italian squad could upset the reigning champions. If this were to happen, the fans of the Italian team could purchase Azzurri shirts of their new favorite players (Azzurri is the nickname for the Italian national team). Should this be the case, Puma would likely see increased sales and thus greater profits.

Disclosure: I am long MCD