Special Kits for German National Team Mark 125th Anniversary of DFB’s Founding

The Deutscher Fussball-Bund (DFB) may be celebrating its 125th anniversary, but it gave the German national soccer team and its fans a gift in the form of a special kit.

The DFB and partner Adidas launched the new kits on Monday, March 17, to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the association’s founding, which occurred on January 28, 1900. It invokes the kits worn by the West Germany team that hosted and won the 1974 FIFA World Cup, beating the Netherlands 2-1 in the final at the Olympiastadion in Munich.

The shirt is white with pinstripes woven into the fabric, along with a black crew neck collar and sleeve cuffs. A black retro Adidas trefoil logo sits on the right chest, while the DFB crest on the left chest mimics the one found on a commemorative plaque in the building in Leipzig where the association was established. A tonal eagle sits behind the crest as a nod to the crest worn by the 1974 squad.

Courtesy **Germany Football Team** / Facebook and **Adidas**

The shirt symbolises the emotion invoked by the special moments experienced by both the team and the fans during this period, with both short- and long-sleeved versions of the anniversary shirt available, along with shorts and socks, as well as a special clothing range entitled ‘Culture Wear.’
— DFB press release

Photos accompanying the kit launch showed the jersey paired with black shorts and black socks with white cuffs. Some photos on both Adidas’s and the DFB’s online shops, though, included a white shorts option.

Along with black-cuffed version, a “limited edition” kit was also released Monday with a white collar, white sleeve cuffs and tonal embroidery for the Adidas logo and DFB crest. It’s unclear if this is a retail-only version or if it will be worn in future matches.

A light blue goalkeeper jersey was also part of Monday’s launch, also mirroring what the West German team wore in 1974. Accents on this jersey remain black.

The kits will make their on-field debut on Thursday, March 20, when the German men’s national team takes on Italy in the first leg of their UEFA Nations League quarterfinal at the San Siro in Milan. The women’s national team will wear the kits later in April.

Along with the kits, Adidas and the DFB produced a short film called “The Fabric of Legends,” which features “significant figures, both past and present, in the DFB’s 125-year history. Names include Jule Brand, Nia Künzer, Thomas Müller, Manuel Neuer, Rudi Völler and Florian Wirtz.”