City have never done "safe" - not since 2008, not in the transfer market, and lately not in the wardrobe either. Two seasons, two home shirts, two things the club had never done before: a sash in 2025-26, and now a colour that dissolves as it falls. Meanwhile, off the pitch, an independent commission's verdict and a pending sanctions hearing have made this the most scrutinised season in City's modern history. It is a strange, charged autumn at the Etihad - and the shirts have become part of the story.
What is actually new about the 26/27 home shirt?
Everything about the top half is a first. Released on May 20, 2026, the new home shirt abandons the club's single-tone convention entirely: deep sky blue across the shoulders, lightening as it falls, finishing white at the hem. Puma's stated idea is a compressed timeline - every shade of sky blue City have worn, stacked into one shirt. The crest goes monochrome and metallic, the collar and cuffs are white, "CITY" sits on the back collar and "Not Your Typical City" - the campaign line of the whole 26/27 range - is printed inside.
The launch film leaned into the same joke: Pep Guardiola, Erling Haaland and Alex Greenwood fielding calls about odd happenings around Manchester. It is a kit that knows it is a departure.
Sash or gradient? The two-shirt cheat sheet
Because both shirts are sky blue and both are current, this is the question our inbox gets most. The short answer is below - and the longer version is in our six-league sizing guide for fit.
| Detail | 25/26 Home | 26/27 Home |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 13 May 2025 | 20 May 2026 |
| Design first | First sash on a home shirt | First gradient home shirt |
| Colour | Solid sky blue + white sash | Sky blue fading to white |
| Branding | Black logos | Monochrome metallic |
| Collar | Sky blue | White |
The one constant: Etihad Airways on the front, Puma on the chest. If you are buying a gift and cannot check the label, the sash is the tell - 26/27 has none.
The gradient era - the 26/27 home shirt, fan version, adult sizes in stock.
A supporter designed the third kit
This is the one that will be in the history books. City and Puma opened the 26/27 third kit to the public through the PUMA AI Creator, a generative tool that turns a written prompt into a kit design in seconds. The response measured in six figures: more than 180,000 designs from over 200 countries, 1.7 million ratings, a final ten, and then a public vote in January 2025.
The winner was Elliott Lacey, a lifelong City fan who put his entry together on a lunch break. His design: a white base split by a two-tone sash in sky blue and navy, with a gradient treatment that shifts depending on how the light hits it. Revealed on 27 August 2026, it is the first fan-generated, AI-assisted kit worn by a professional club - a shirt that exists because a supporter typed something at lunch.
What is the worker bee doing on the away shirt?
Working, obviously. The 26/27 away kit trades sky blue for black and anthracite lit by burnished gold - and the gold is not decoration. It references the worker bee, Manchester's civic symbol since the Industrial Revolution, rendered as a tonal honeycomb texture that only reveals itself under stadium floodlights. Gold piping runs the raglan sleeves, the shorts stay black, and the socks fade from gold to black. It was unveiled on the pre-season tour in Hong Kong against Inter Milan - a Manchester shirt, modelled 9,000 kilometres from Manchester, which is exactly the point of a symbol like that.
What does the off-field verdict mean for this season?
The facts, without the noise. An independent commission found City guilty on 114 of the 115 charges brought by the Premier League - covering inflated commercial revenue between 2009 and 2018 and a failure to co-operate with the investigation. City called the ruling "disappointing and surprising", maintain their innocence and have lodged an appeal; sanctions are being handled in a separate hearing with no date set, and the possible outcomes range from a fine to a points deduction or worse. There have also been reports of Etihad Airways considering legal action and of HMRC being urged to examine the tax implications.
For supporters, the practical upshot is uncertainty stretching across the season - and a squad that has answered it by winning five from five. Guardiola, who left in the summer after a decade and six titles and stayed on as a club ambassador, posted a message on October 1 that named the owner, the chairman, the chief executive, the players and the new head coach Enzo Maresca: "We will get through this together." The shirt, as ever, is the thing that does not change.
Where does the start leave the kit?
Top of the table, five wins from five, 13 goals scored and 5 conceded. Bournemouth beaten 2-1 on opening day, Crystal Palace 4-1 at Selhurst Park, Coventry 1-0, the derby won 1-0 at Old Trafford, and a 5-3 thriller against Sunderland at the Etihad. Erling Haaland leads the scoring, with Antoine Semenyo, Rayan Cherki and Jeremy Doku all on five. The run after the international break is where it gets interesting: Liverpool away on October 11, then PSG at home in Europe, then Ipswich at home.
Six vault picks across the whole 26/27 range - the gradient home, the worker-bee away, the fan-designed third in the women's cut, and the Haaland home shirt. Every one a fan version with free custom name-and-number:
The full shelf lives in our Manchester City collection, and everything number nine sits in the Erling Haaland collection. Sizing questions go to the six-league sizing guide; the tier logic is in the price guide.
When to order for the October run
Honest vault policy: we dispatch in 1-3 working days and ship at 7-15 days standard or 5-7 days express. Liverpool away on October 11 is already a stretch - express only, and only if you are reading this the day it publishes. Everything after that is comfortable. Work backwards from the night you are dressing for:
| Fixture | Date | Standard (7-15d) | Express (5-7d) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool vs City, Anfield | Oct 11 | Passed | Today only |
| City vs Ipswich, Etihad | Oct 17 | By Oct 6 | By Oct 10 |
| Aston Villa vs City | Oct 24 | By Oct 13 | By Oct 17 |
| City vs Brighton, Etihad | Oct 31 | By Oct 20 | By Oct 24 |
| Nottingham Forest vs City | Nov 7 | By Oct 27 | By Oct 31 |
Frequently asked questions
What is new about Manchester City's 2026-27 home kit?
It is the first gradient home shirt in the club's history. Puma fades deep sky blue at the shoulders down to white at the hem, replaces the multi-colour crest with a metallic monochrome badge, and finishes it with a white collar and cuffs. Printed inside the collar is the campaign line that runs across the whole range: "Not Your Typical City."
How do I tell the 25/26 and 26/27 City home shirts apart?
Two ways. The sash: 2025-26 was the first home shirt in club history to carry the diagonal sash, and 2026-27 has no diagonal element at all. The branding: 25/26 uses black logos, 26/27 uses monochrome metallic branding. Etihad Airways is the front sponsor on both.
Who designed Manchester City's 2026-27 third kit?
A supporter. Lifelong City fan Elliott Lacey entered Puma's generative AI Creator tool - more than 180,000 designs arrived from over 200 countries, drew 1.7 million ratings, and a public vote in January 2025 picked his: a white base split by a two-tone sky blue and navy sash with a gradient sheen. It was revealed on 27 August 2026 and is the first fan AI-designed kit worn by a professional club.
What does the worker bee on the away kit mean?
It is Manchester's civic emblem, dating to the Industrial Revolution. The 26/27 away shirt is black and anthracite with burnished gold accents, a tonal honeycomb texture that only shows up under stadium light, and gold piping along the raglan sleeves - with socks that fade from gold to black. It was unveiled in a pre-season friendly against Inter Milan in Hong Kong.
Where are Manchester City in the 2026-27 Premier League?
Top. City have won all five league games - Bournemouth 2-1, Crystal Palace 4-1 away, Coventry 1-0, Manchester United 1-0 away in the derby, Sunderland 5-3 - for 15 points and a goal difference of +8 under Enzo Maresca. Erling Haaland leads the scoring.
When should I order a City shirt for the next home game?
We dispatch in 1-3 working days, with delivery at 7-15 days standard or 5-7 express. For the Ipswich home game on October 17, order standard by October 6 or express by October 10; for Brighton at home on October 31, standard by October 20. Custom name-and-number is free and adds 3-7 workshop days.
Two seasons, two firsts. Pick your era.
The gradient home, the worker-bee away, the shirt a supporter designed - and the number nine who keeps scoring in all of them.
