Corinthians unveil blue third kit to honour Tobias and 1976 Invasion | OneFootball

Corinthians officially unveiled, on the morning of this Friday (18), its third kit for the 2026 season. Developed by Nike, the new shirt is predominantly blue and pays tribute to former goalkeeper Tobias, one of the central figures of the historic Corinthians Invasion of 1976, which turns 50.

The piece continues the collection created to celebrate the episode that took tens of thousands of Corinthians fans to Rio de Janeiro to follow the 1976 Brazilian Championship semifinal. After the home and away kits highlighted the mobilization of the Fiel, the third shirt shifts the tribute onto the pitch and brings back the blue worn by Tobias in that decider.

Photo: Disclosure / Corinthians

Although it was developed as an outfield players’ kit, the new shirt will make a different debut. The first to wear it in official matches will be the goalkeepers of Corinthians’ men’s and women’s teams.

For the men’s team, the new kit will be used next Sunday (20), when Timão hosts Fluminense at 4 p.m. (Brasília time) at Neo Química Arena, in the 28th round of the Brazilian Championship. The Brabas, meanwhile, take the field on Monday (21), at 9:30 p.m., also in Itaquera, against Bahia, in the second leg of the Brasileirão Feminino semifinal.

Blue brings back the image immortalized by Tobias

The inspiration for the launch is directly linked to December 5, 1976. On that occasion, Corinthians and Fluminense faced off at the Maracanã in the semifinal of the Brazilian Championship, in a match marked by the massive presence of black-and-white supporters in Rio de Janeiro and by heavy rain.

After a 1-1 draw in regular time and extra time, qualification had to be decided on penalties. Wearing blue, Tobias took center stage by saving two spot kicks. Corinthians won the shootout 4-1 and secured a place in the final.

Half a century later, the color worn by the goalkeeper that night has become the main element of the new shirt. According to the club, the idea is to turn the kit into a tribute both to Tobias’ performance and to the historic chapter led by the Corinthians supporters.

Tobias played for Corinthians between 1975 and 1978. In addition to his decisive role in the 1976 Invasion, the goalkeeper was part of the squad that won the 1977 Paulista Championship, a title that ended a stretch of nearly 23 years without a major trophy for the club.

Shirt features references to the 1970s and special options

Besides the choice of blue, Corinthians and Nike included other elements tied to that era. The typography used for the numbers features a texture reminiscent of the embroidery found on kits from the 1970s.

Inside the collar appears the inscription “INVA5Ã0 1976 – SÃO PAULO – RIO DE JANEIRO – 2026”. The replacement of the letters “S” and “O” with the numbers 5 and 0 is a direct reference to the 50th anniversary of the Corinthians Invasion.

Fans will also be able to add special elements when customizing the piece. One option is choosing the number 1 accompanied by Tobias’ face. Another is applying a patch dedicated to the former goalkeeper on the hem of the shirt. These details are optional and therefore are not permanently included in the version sold commercially.

The club also said there is a patch version with NFC technology. Through this feature, fans will be able to access special content dedicated to Tobias’ story and the 1976 Invasion.

For the version worn by the athletes, Nike adopted Aero-Fit technology, presented as an evolution of Dri-FIT ADV. The material is intended to improve ventilation and temperature regulation during matches.

Corinthians explains tribute to former goalkeeper

Renato Aguiar, marketing director at Fisia, Nike’s official distributor in Brazil, said the new piece closes a sequence of tributes built from different perspectives of the Corinthians Invasion.

“The 1976 Invasion is one of the most emblematic episodes in world football. In shirts 1 and 2, we celebrated the passion of the Fiel in the stands; now, in Shirt 3, we honor the one who personified that bravery on the pitch. Tobias showed that the greatest heroes are not driven by the search for glory, but by pure devotion. Bringing back the iconic blue shirt worn by Tobias is recovering a symbol that shaped history to inspire today’s fans with the same pride of the past”, he said.

Vinicius Azevedo, Corinthians’ marketing superintendent, also highlighted the decision to initially use the third kit with the club’s goalkeepers.

“The 1976 Corinthians Invasion is one of the great chapters in the club’s history. Off the pitch, the Fiel, which is our greatest asset, led the largest peacetime human movement for a sporting reason in history. On the pitch, Tobias was the great hero and left his name forever. This new Shirt 3 is more than a match kit: it is a living tribute to the memory of someone who honored Corinthians to the very end and a way to ensure that his legacy remains immortal in the heart of the entire Fiel”, he said.

“Debuting the third outfield shirt with our goalkeepers, something unprecedented at the club, is another way of recognizing Tobias’ importance. To round out the list of initiatives, there is a special image of Tobias for those who choose to print the number 1 on the shirt, and there is also an unprecedented NFC patch available, through which fans will be able to access special content and learn more about his story and about 1976”, he added.

New kit is already on sale

Corinthians’ third shirt is already available for purchase through Nike’s and the club’s official channels, as well as selected stores of the supplier, Centauro, and Poderoso Timão.

With the launch, Corinthians completes its 2026 collection dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Corinthians Invasion. This time, the tribute leaves the Maracanã stands and reaches the pitch through the blue that marked one of Tobias’ most memorable performances in the black-and-white shirt.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.