Manchester City Goes Way Back for Away Kit Inspiration — Plus More European Unveilings

English Premier League giants Manchester City have reached waaaaay back into the archives for the inspiration for their new away kits for 2025-26, made by PUMA.

The kits were unveiled on Friday, July 18 — just days after a 10-year, £1 billion extension of Man City’s kit deal with PUMA was announced — and will make their on-field debut in a preseason friendly against Italian Serie B side Palermo. The all-black design is inspired by Man City’s oldest known kit, dating back to 1884, four years after the club was founded by members of St. Mark’s Church of England in the Gorton area of Manchester.

The black base is adorned with white trim on the collar and a metallic silver club crest on the left chest. Sponsor logos are also silver. Man City says on their website that the design “merges classic and contemporary,” and the contrasting details give the kit “a stunning aesthetic and [create] a truly special Away jersey.”

“It’s fantastic to see Manchester City reference the earliest-known kit in the Club’s history in the new Away kit for the 2025/26 season. The black shirt design is a respectful nod to City’s early years, a significant symbol of the Club’s origin story, and it is fitting to see that legacy honoured through a modern interpretation that reminds us all how far we’ve come.”
— Dr. Gary James, Manchester football historian

Manchester City travel to the Renzo Barbera Stadium to take on Palermo on Saturday, August 9. Palermo is almost 95% owned by City Football Group, which also owns Man City.

EVERTON FC – Away

After unveiling a home kit earlier this summer that honours their new home grounds, Premier League side Everton FC honour the dockland heritage surrounding the stadium with their 2025-26 away kit, made by Castore. The shirt is mainly pastel yellow, with a navy blue pattern on the sleeve cuffs that “represents the railway line that served the Liverpool docklands during a time when they were at the centre of maritime connectivity during the mid-to-late 1800s.” The club crest and other logos on the shirt are rendered in monochromatic blue.

WEST HAM UNITED – Away

Meanwhile, fellow Premier League side West Ham United has gone with a similar aesthetic — minus the railway motif — for their 2025-26 away kit, made by Umbro. West Ham’s shirt is off-white, or “ecru” as they’re calling it, with navy blue logos, including crossed hammers on the back collar. The crew neck collar and sleeve cuffs are navy blue with a wide claret stripe and a narrower white stripe. West Ham last wore these away colours in 1996-97.

LEEDS UNITED – Away

Recently promoted back into the Premier League, Leeds United’s away kit for 2025-26, made by adidas, celebrates the club’s history in European competitions. The royal blue base is reminiscent of what Leeds wore on the road from 2001 to 2003, but adds embossed horizontal stripes for a “sophisticated texture.” Tapering panels under the arms and down the sides are yellow, as are the adidas and sponsor logos on the chest. The outside adidas shoulder stripes are yellow while the inside one is white.

🇪🇸 SEVILLA FC – Away

Over in Spain, La Liga side Sevilla FC are keeping it classy with their away kit for 2025-26, made by adidas. The shirt is predominantly red with vertical pinstripes woven into the fabric on the front. It’s set off by a contrasting white polo collar and adidas shoulder stripes. “A sober, classic, and elegant design, a nod to the 1970s and 1980s when adidas first landed in Nervión,” the club says on its website. “At the same time, it’s a vibrant design that will make the team’s mark in matches played away from the Seville Bombonera.”

🇪🇸 RC CELTA DE VIGO – Third

Elsewhere in La Liga, RC Celta de Vigo crank up the volume on their new third kit for 2025-26, made by Hummel. The kit — which will be the third kit for the men’s team and the away kit for the women’s team — is bright pink with sky blue accents, including the club crest, piping along the collarbones and Hummel chevrons in the side panels. The design “results in a vibrant jersey that reflects the team’s brave and renewed spirit for a campaign that promises to be full of emotions,” according to the club’s website.

🇪🇸 GIRONA FC – Third

La Liga side Girona FC aims to “go beyond sport to connect with the sense of belonging to a region with a unique essence and identity” with their 2025-26 third kit, made by PUMA. The shirt is entirely navy blue, including the sponsor logos and secondary ‘G’ crest on the chest, with the only contrasting elements being white stripes in the collar and sleeve cuffs. “With a completely navy blue design, the new shirt is inspired by the Costa Brava, evoking the strength and beauty of our territory,” Girona says on its website. “All elements of the kit are in the same navy blue for a very clean and elegant tonal design, perfect for casual wear beyond match days.”

🇪🇸 RCD ESPANYOL – Third

La Liga side RCD Espanyol completes their triad of 2025-26 kits with the release of their new third kit, made by Kelme. The base of the kit is navy blue, but the upper chest has a yellow panel with four red stripes that fade out toward the centre. This panel is meant to evoke the senyera, the flag of Catalonia, which is the region the club calls home. The V-neck collar is white with blue trim at the front, while the sleeve cuffs are light blue with white stripes through the middle.

🇮🇹 ATALANTA BC – Home

Meanwhile in Italy, Serie A side Atalanta BC has unveiled their first home kit under their new kit deal with New Balance. The 2025-26 home kit doesn’t deviate from Atalanta’s traditional blue and black stripes, but does feature a panel on the back where the stripes are switched up. The stripes also bleed into each other somewhat thanks to diagonal slashes at the edges. The collar and sleeve cuffs are black with gold and blue stripes running through them.

🇮🇹 US SASSUOLO – Home

Back in Serie A for 2025-26, US Sassuolo aims to unite the past and future with their new home kit, made by PUMA. The kit puts a modern twist on the club’s traditional green and black vertical stripes by using sets of two narrow black stripes across the green base to “celebrate 105 years of history, passion, and emotion, while looking to the future.” Black panels run down the sides and under the arms, while a white polo collar features a black stripe and a black insert at the front.

🇮🇹 PARMA CALCIO 1913 – Away

Serie A side Parma are letting their fans sound off on their 2025-26 away kit, made by PUMA. While the club has worn yellow and blue hoops on the road for many years now, this season’s version features a soundwave graphic inside the blue stripes of fans cheering. “It is an impactful graphical statement, because it is the visual representation of the Tardini’s voice in a show of the emotional bond between the team and its supporters,” Parma says on its website. The V-neck collar and sleeve cuffs feature narrow yellow and blue stripes, while blue panels appear on the sides and under the arms. The back has a solid yellow panel for names and numbers.

🇫🇷 AS MONACO – Away

With Japanese sportswear company Mizuno as their new kit supplier, Ligue 1 side AS Monaco celebrates their ties to Japan in their new away kit for 2025-26. The main inspiration for the kit comes from the Japanese Garden in Monaco, which was commissioned in 1994. The blue base of the kit is inspired by the blue kits traditionally worn by Japanese national teams, while an embossed pattern of geometric shapes covers the shirt. The club crest, sponsor logos and trim on the collar and sleeves is rendered in gold.