FC Barcelona Officially Unveil Long-Rumoured 2022-23 Home Kits

FC Barcelona officially let the worst-kept secret among summer kit unveilings out of the bag on Friday, launching their new home kit for the 2022-23 season after months of leaks and rumours.

The Spanish La Liga powerhouses are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the 1992 Summer Olympic Games with the kits, including the tagline “The Flame Lives On.”

“30 years ago, the city took a huge leap forward into modernity by hosting the Olympic Games, but at the same time conserving its spirit and roots. As the present era is also one of such major changes to the first team squad, the club has decided to draw on and share that Olympic spirit at a time when its efforts are very much focused on the future.”
— FCBarcelona.com

The kit uses Nike’s newest Vaporknit template, which is also being also used for Liverpool FC’s 2022-23 home kit, unveiled on May 5. The front and back of the shirt contain red, navy blue and light blue vertical stripes, all with a tonal rectangular pattern within. The sleeves are navy blue, again with the tonal rectangles.

“The Olympic Games brought about social and cultural change for all Barcelona residents, as well as urban development. The creation of the Port Olímpic and the remodelling of what is now the Vila Olímpica connected the city with the sea. Barcelona also gained new infrastructures and installations that have gone on to become iconic landmarks, such as the Palau Sant Jordi, Norman Foster’s Torre de Collserola, and Santiago Calatrava’s Montjuïc Communications Tower,” the club’s website reads. “At the same time, new green spaces and urban networks were opened up. The Olympic spirit flooded the city’s streets with a sense of pride that has endured to this day.

“The design of home strip evokes the new light introduced to the city of Barcelona with the creation of new spaces and most especially new connections to the sea, an idea that is represented by the different coloured stripes on the shirt, where red alternates with two different shades of blue, one navy and the other lighter.”

This is also the club’s first shirt with streaming music giant Spotify as the sponsor on the front. The company’s logo will appear on the front of both the men’s and women’s first-team kits. The sponsorship deal was announced on March 15 and also includes the naming rights to the Camp Nou stadium.

The back of the kit features the logo of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. In the past, Barça has included other UN agency logos on its shirts to raise awareness and funds, including UNICEF.

Names and numbers on the back of the shirt will be printed in a pale yellow colour (“a sesame tone,” as the club puts it). A custom font will be used for domestic cup and European competitions, while the standard La Liga font will be used for league matches.

*FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta holds a shirt with the club’s custom name and number font on the back. Behind him is a shirt with the standard La Liga font. (Courtesy **FC Barcelona**)*

The shorts and socks that go with the shirt are both navy blue. The shorts have a small light blue insert on each side, and the socks have narrow red and light blue stripes around the middle, above a Nike logo and the word “CULERS,” a nickname for Barça players and fans.

As part of the new kit launch, Barça are holding a contest where a lucky fan could win every year’s new home kit for the rest of their life. Anyone who buys the 2022-23 home shirt through an official Barça store, either physical or online, will be entered into the draw.