Clubs Switching Kit Manufacturers in 2025-26 | OneFootball

We take a look at some of the most notable clubs that’ll have new kit brands next season.

Before every new season, the latest kit designs are often a massive talking point amongst fans and kit collectors alike. But in addition the the designs themselves, the manufacturers are an important part of the conversation. Whether one of the giants like Nike and adidas or an if-you-know-you-know favorite like Kappa and Meyba, the brands that work with the biggest clubs in the world come under constant scrutiny.

When a club switches manufacturers, it makes news in the football shirt world. But why does this matter? A kit brand can impact the club’s identity, fan merchandise, sponsorship revenue and the direction the club’s brand heads in.

For example, since switching back to adidas in 2019, Arsenal have seen a massive shift in their brand direction. The creative output from the club since has been incredible, highlighting Arsenal as a forward-thinking club with a creative spark off the pitch. At the heart of it all is the brand with the Three Stripes.

Ahead of the 2025-26 season, we’ve had some major shifts when it comes to kit manufacturers. Perhaps the largest is Liverpool moving away from Nike in favor of adidas, with whom they released classic upon classic, most notably throughout the ’80s and ’90s.

Bayer Leverkusen played in Castore kits last season and have switched to New Balance, who also claimed Serie A side Atalanta. Others that have or are set to change brands include Frankfurt, Fenerbahce, and Club America to adidas, OGC Nice to Kappa, and Monaco to Mizuno. On the national team front, we’ve also witnessed the end of a significant era as Portugal moves away from the Swoosh to PUMA.

Clive Brunskill/ALLSPORT

A key move is Liverpool. They leave Nike after five years and 15 kits to move back to adidas, the brand they left in 2012 for Warrior, an American company owned by New Balance. In 2015, the parent company took over all soccer deals from Warrior, leading to five years of New Balance and Liverpool before Nike took over. The significance of this new deal between Liverpool and adidas is that it marks the third stint of their relationship, which will ultimately mean adidas will tap into the archive.

It’s safe to expect a ton of retro-inspired releases in the near future. (See: Newcastle.) Whatever happens, it’s a big deal for kit nerds and Liverpool fans for this iconic partnership to return.

Another one to keep an eye on is Eintracht Frankfurt, another club moving from Nike to adidas. Eleven years of Frankfurt and the Swoosh end as adidas swoop in, delivering their new kits for the 2025-26. With this partnership comes a club-specific color called ‘SGE Red’, designed by adidas for the club.

Bayer Leverkusen are leaving Castore as well, following in the footsteps of Newcastle and Wolves, who’ve also recently separated from the British brand. They make the switch to New Balance, which will see a change in design process and brand strategy. New Balance works with the likes of Porto and Modena already, doing some fantastic work with both and these two case studies should generate excitement among Bayer Leverkusen fans.

Multiple reasons fuel a manufacturer switch for a club, but the biggest is obviously money. Bigger brands are able to offer bigger deals, especially for clubs that they feel can give them a solid return via sales and exposure. A well-designed kit and solid marketing strategy can go a long way for both brand and club.

Alongside that, brand positioning is something to consider when working with a manufacturer. Does their brand ethos align with the clubs? What’s their identity? Harnessing that power, similar to how Arsenal have, can help with a club’s positioning as a brand. Away from a brand strategy is the performance reasoning. A club may look elsewhere for performance-based factors, depending on what tech the brand is using, too.

Clubs must consider the fans when looking at changing kit manufacturers. How does the move affect a fan’s reception to new kits? When the new season’s shirts are revealed, it causes a big stir among fans. It’s a significant part of football fan culture and every year creates a large amount of discussion. So, when switching from one brand to another, this can seriously impact the reception and thus, commercial revenue. For example, when Newcastle switched from Castore to adidas, it was seismic in terms of the connection between club and the people.

An interesting situation we have in the kit world is that some clubs are moving towards an in-house production or away from the typical big brands. The corporate giants are typically partial to their cash cow clubs, often leaving their “non-elite” teams with severely templated designs and lesser off-pitch wear. On the contrast, smaller brands can give more bespoke options, which can not only lead to bigger buy-in from fans, but can also generate interest from those outside the club’s circle.

Perhaps the best example of this model, Venezia now partners with Nocta, a first for Drake’s brand. Wolves moved from Castore to Sudu. Napoli switched from Kappa to EA7 following a phone call between friends Aurelio De Laurentiis and Giorgio Armani, which has proven very commercially fruitful for the Southern Italian club.

Looking forward to 2026-27, more kit switches are rumored. Fiorentina are supposed to be moving from Kappa towards Spanish brand, Joma. Germany is going from adidas to Nike, a massive coup for the American brand.

But mostly, it’s a lot of question marks moving forward. Will Nocta widen their scope? Who else will switch from Nike to adidas? Will Umbro make a small resurgence? Time will tell. What I can say, though, is that the kit industry is regularly evolving and more changes focused on brand identity and commerciality will come to light.

Will fans remain a part of this evolution? They seem to be considered less and less as time moves forward. Global commercialization is key for clubs, and tapping into big, lucrative kit deals that can be marketed through nostalgia and to a worldwide market is the way to drive those revenues. Keep an eye on more changes in the industry as clubs look to increase revenue streams wherever they can.