Manchester City have released their third kit for the 2026/27 season, a strip that was designed by a fan using AI. The club asked supporters to design their own third kits using Puma's AI Creator ahead of the new campaign, with fans encouraged to enter written prompts for how they wanted their shirt to look. The AI tool then combined those ideas and created a shirt.
180,000 designs submitted by fans
According to City, fans from over 200 countries created 180,000 unique designs for the third kit. Fans were then given the chance to rate the designs, with 1.7 million ratings submitted in total. From that information, City and Puma shortlisted ten designs.
Teasing the launch on their website, City said the ten shortlisted designs 'reflected the spirit of creativity, passion and City culture'. Those ten kits were then put to a public vote, with fans across the world having their say on which design they preferred.
Winner designed kit on lunch break
Blues fan Elliott designed the kit that will now be City's third shirt for the new campaign. He said: "City has been part of my life for as long as I can remember, so to have designed a kit that will now be worn by the players is a genuine honour."
"I've always loved football shirts and design, and I created mine using Puma AI Creator on my lunch break, never imagining it could actually become a City kit. The whole experience has been incredible, from seeing people react to the design to seeing it on the players for the first time when I was invited to the kit shoot. It still feels surreal to know I've played a small part in the club's history, and I hope it becomes a kit that City fans love and look back on for years to come."
Kit design and club reaction
The kit is predominantly white with a central two-tone sash, half sky blue, half navy, running the length of the shirt. Discussing the new kit and the initiative behind it, Nuria Tarre, chief marketing and fan experience officer, said: "The relationship between the club and our fans is at the core of everything we do, and innovation is at the heart of our partnership with Puma."
"To be able to give fans the unique opportunity to be designers for a day and create one of our on-pitch kits this season, using the power of AI, is an extension of the deep connection that we have with our global fanbase."
"We're delighted with the result, and we thank all the fans that submitted creative kit designs and voted for the winner – it's the first of its kind, and we look forward to seeing it worn by our players and fans around the world."
