Man City 26-27 Third Kit Debuts: The AI-Designed Shirt

TL;DR

• Manchester City wore their Puma 2026-27 third kit for the first time in a Premier League match against Aston Villa, and lost 2-1.
• The shirt is white with sky blue and navy vertical stripes. It was designed by a fan using Puma’s AI Creator tool, and the stripes nod to City’s 2013-14 third kit.
• The kit was unveiled in late August. 433FC does not stock the 26-27 third kit, but we carry other current City shirts.

The Debut

City’s AI-designed third kit made its first appearance on the pitch in the Premier League match against Aston Villa. Footy Headlines reported the debut on 25 October 2026, and its Manchester City debut report is the source for the match details here.

The result did not go to plan. Villa won 2-1, which was City’s first league defeat of the 2026-27 campaign. The long-sleeve version was worn, and our hero photo shows Erling Haaland celebrating in it, with navy shorts completing the look.

The shirt itself was revealed back in late August, when beIN Sports covered the launch. So this was a first outing rather than a first look. If you follow the striker closely, see our guide to Erling Haaland’s shirt number for 2026-27.

Design Breakdown

Shop Manchester City Jerseys

Mens Manchester City 2026/27 Goalkeeper Jersey$ 43,99Mens Manchester City 2024/25 Away Kit$ 37,99Mens Manchester City 2024/25 Third Kit$ 37,99

Colours and stripes

The base is white. Down the left of the front run two vertical stripes, one sky blue and one navy. Etihad Airways is the front sponsor, printed in navy, with the Puma logo and City crest on the chest.

Collar, cuff and fabric details have not been reported, so we will not guess at them.

The AI process

The design came out of a contest Puma ran through its AI Creator platform. The tool turns written prompts into artwork. According to Inside World Football, the competition was announced in December 2024, with entries closing on 20 December 2024. Puma and the club then picked a shortlist of ten, and fans voted in January 2025. The software behind it was powered by DeepObjects.

beIN Sports says more than 180,000 designs came in from fans in over 200 countries, and about 1.7 million votes were cast. The winner was a lifelong City supporter named Elliott, who put the design together in his lunch break. Puma describes it as the first kit to combine fan creativity and AI that has been worn on the pitch.

It is not City’s first brush with AI design. Ederson, Stefan Ortega and Rico Lewis earlier worked on a goalkeeper kit inspired by a goal net, which was worn in a win over Chelsea. Our Mens Manchester City 2026/27 Goalkeeper Jersey page covers the current keeper shirt.

How It Compares

The stripes are partly inspired by the 2013-14 third kit, from the Nike era.

For the rest of the 2026-27 range, read our Manchester City 2026-27 home kit leak, the 26-27 away kit release and the fourth kit leak. Third kits from other clubs are collected in our third kits revealed in late August 2026 round-up.

When Can You Buy It?

The third kit has now been worn in a match. 433FC is an independent retailer of replica supporter shirts, not affiliated with any club, league or manufacturer. We do not carry this shirt.

We do carry other City shirts. These are good places to start:

• Kids Manchester City 2026/27 Away Kit
• Baby Manchester City 2026/27 Home Jersey
• Retro Manchester City 2013/14 Away Jersey, the away shirt from the same season as the third kit that inspired this design, not the third kit itself

Browse everything in our Manchester City category, or see our guide to Manchester City player version shirts if you prefer the closer cut.

FAQ

Is this the real kit?

Yes. This is not a leak: City wore it in the Premier League match against Aston Villa, and it was revealed in late August 2026.

When was it released?

The reveal came in late August 2026, with the first match appearance against Aston Villa, reported on 25 October 2026.

Where can I buy Manchester City jerseys?

433FC is an independent retailer of replica supporter shirts. We do not stock the 26-27 third kit, but you can browse current City shirts in our Manchester City category.

Related

• Manchester City 26-27 away kit released
• Manchester City 2026-27 home kit leaked
• Third kits revealed, 26-29 August 2026
• Best 2027-28 leaked kits ranked