Risk of confusion? Bayern and Schalke get the same jersey design | OneFootball

On Monday, FC Bayern unveiled its new away jersey for the 2026–27 season. A few hours later, Fortuna Düsseldorf also unveiled its new jersey—and in doing so, provided a curious surprise. That’s because both jerseys appear to be based on the same Adidas design. And a similar pattern is emerging at FC Schalke 04 as well.

Reactions to the new Bayern jersey were overwhelmingly positive. The white shirt with red and blue accents channels the retro look of the late 1990s and early 2000s and is rounded out by the historic “e.V.” club crest and the classic Adidas trefoil logo.

But Munich isn’t the only club embracing this nostalgic style for the upcoming season.

Fortuna Düsseldorf has already officially unveiled its new away jersey—and at first glance, quite a few Bayern fans probably rubbed their eyes in surprise. The basic design is nearly identical.

The only differences lie in the club colors: While FC Bayern features red and blue accents, Fortuna combines the white jersey with red and white. Otherwise, the collar, Adidas stripes, cut, the Trefoil logo, and the retro club crest are nearly identical.

Schalke is also expected to adopt the same design

FC Schalke 04 could also unveil a nearly identical away jersey soon. Although the Royal Blues have not yet officially unveiled their new away kit, consistent jersey leaks suggest that Schalke is also using the same Adidas template—albeit with blue and white accents.

The jersey news site Footy Headlines has already picked up on the striking parallels: “These are basically the same jerseys, just for different clubs,” the site commented on X. At the same time, the site raised the question of whether the iconic Trefoil logo will still hold the same special significance if multiple clubs receive nearly the same retro design.

The story is particularly intriguing because of a prominent Fortuna fan. Campino, frontman of the band Die Toten Hosen, has been one of the most well-known supporters of the historic club for decades and has never made a secret of his dislike for FC Bayern.

In 1999, the band even released the song “Bayern,” whose chorus—with the lyrics “We’d never go to FC Bayern Munich!”—still enjoys cult status today. The rest of the lyrics also sharply criticize the record champions.

Whether Adidas intentionally designed the retro look as a uniform style for multiple clubs or whether the similarities are meant to appear more coincidental remains unclear. One thing is certain, however: The new Bayern jersey is a hot topic of conversation not only in Munich—but also because of its striking resemblance to the designs of other Adidas-sponsored clubs.