Ranking the best new Premier League kits for 2025-26

If you love soccer jerseys as much as we do, this is your time to shine. These weeks leading up to the English Premier League kickoff on August 15 feel like Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa rolled into one, with new drops coming fast and furious. So which shirts are already leaping ahead of the competition and becoming must-haves for kit collectors? Below we break down the five hippest looks from among the jerseys released so far.

5. Everton away

Everton have a new home, the Hill Dickinson Stadium; new owners in The Friedkin Group; and a new manager (who is actually their old manager): David Moyes. So there is a ray of hope for the Toffees following their 13th-place league finish last season and pitiable results in the FA Cup and League Cup.

So why not start this near era with the clean slate that is the 2025-26 away kit? Well, almost a clean slate. The new Castore shirt pays homage to the 2010-11 jersey worn by Moyes’ first squad at Everton. Back then, the Toffees finished seventh in the league. A similar result this season would have them dancing a jig on Bramley-Moore Dock.

The new jersey’s cream body is just so fresh feeling, making the dark blue details truly pop. The geometric design on the cuffs is particularly eye catching.  Also, we’re suckers for polo-style collars. Not only does this feature one, but the squared-off neckline adds an extra touch of class. 

4. Brentford home

You might be wondering how Brentford made this list. After all, their jerseys have featured vertical red-and-white stripes since the Paleozoic Era – which does not give designers many options when it comes to creativity.

But that’s exactly the point. Brentford have found a new way to honor the club’s tradition while adding just enough innovation to make this kit a massive winner. 

In fact, the new jersey pays tribute to the 100th anniversary of the Bees donning red and white for the first time. The neckline hints at the lace-up collar featured on those original shirts, with a similar designed repeated at the bottoms of the two side panels.

Joma has also added a “100” on the back of the neck and the words “red & white 1925-2025” on the inner collar. Both of these are artful touches. Now if only we could get Brentford to ditch their horrific Hollywood Bets kit sponsor, this jersey would be an all-time classic.

3. Man City home

We love, love, love jerseys with sashes. We’re thinking of starting a club called Diagonal United or maybe Sashquatch FC to celebrate all things sashy. We’ve always treasured the Peru national jersey, and we lie awake at night picturing Ibra galloping around Los Angeles in his 2018 L.A. Galaxy kit. 

That’s why we’re vibing on the new Man City home shirt. Known for sporting a sash on the occasional away kit or third kit, the Cityzens now debut a home jersey with a sash for the first time in the club’s 145-year history.

The deconstructed slash on the jersey gives it a futuristic look, while immediately drawing the eye to exactly where it should go: the Man City crest over the heart. The kit also features “CITY” on the back neck, a subtle yet powerful addition. 

This is the perfect jersey for a club that’s fighting to re-establish its dominance atop the league table: bold yet understated.

2. Nottingham Forest home

Forest and their fans have suffered for years with horribly uninspiring jerseys. Think cheap red t-shirts from Teemu with a white shrub stuck to the chest.

But for 2025-26, Forest seem to have taken a deep breath and let their creativity flow. It’s as if the club said, “Okay, this is our fourth season back in the Premier League. I think we’re here to stay. Let’s create something special.”

Like we said before, we stan polo-style collars – and this one looks sharp. Although there might be just a bit too much fabric, offering a tempting handhold for Casemiro to grab onto when Chris Wood sprints past him again and again.

1. Sunderland away

The shirt’s alternating dark red and white pinstripes hit hard. But perhaps the best thing about this new kit is the shield around the Forest badge deftly integrated into one of the pinstripes. Add the phrase “A new history…” inside the collar, and this shirt has all the feels. 

The best soccer shirts tell a story. Sunderland’s new away shirt tells an epic tale of love for a club and a community that returns to the Premier League this season after eight years away.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DLr2J0pqv2s/?hl=en

Shirt supplier Hummel has always held a special place in the souls of true soccer fans. Some of their inimitable designs include the 2023 Denmark special  jersey and the 1985 Tottenham home  jersey. For Sunderland, Hummel has taken their game to another level. 

The main body of this sea-blue beauty sports iconography of Sunderland’s famous Roker Pier lighthouse  as seen through  Andrew Small’s "C" art installation on the local promenade. The phrase “City by the Sea" can be found inside the collar, above song lyrics by The Lake Poets  that begin with, “Yes, I come from a city by the sea….”

Poetry in motion, indeed.

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