The Ranking of Football Kit Brands
Dec 3, 2024, by Chris
- Top Brands: Macron is ranked as the top football kit brand for 2024, followed by Adidas and then Kappa, based on factors like quality, design, and number of teams sponsored.
- Mid-Tier Brands: Nike, despite recent disinvestment in men's football, is still ranked as fourth due to tech and innovation, with Hummel and Mizuno following with strong designs and craftsmanship respectively.
- Bottom Brands: Lotto, Joma, and Castore are identified as brands that need to improve, with Castore being the lowest-ranked due to consistent quality problems.
Which are the leading brands for football kits in 2024? Competition in the kit supplier market is strong - Footy Headlines tries to rank all important football kit brands in Europe's top leagues.
Top Football Brands
We have chosen 15 brands that supply kits in the top European leagues for our 2024 Football Kit Brand Ranking. Of course, it is not a definitive ranking, and you certainly rank brands at least slightly different than us.
To rank each brand against each other, we considered the number of teams sponsored by each brand, the designs, the quality, and the pricing of the kits.
You can check out the football kits and their ratings on the Football Kit Archive, which features virtually every kit of every brand. We have taken into account the votes of Football Kit Archive users for this ranking.
Top Three Brands: Macron > Adidas > Kappa
Macron has risen to the top thanks to its high quality and unique kits for virtually every club the Italian brand sponsors. No other brand takes as much care about football kits as Macron.
Adidas comes second. The 3 Stripes brand is currently the favorite brand of many people in the football sphere, thanks to the number of top teams and designs. However, we rank Adidas below Macron as Adidas provides generic kits for many teams, which shows Adidas' lack of interest in the wider kit market.
Macron makes bespoke kits for every club
Kappa takes the third place. Why? Regarding designs, Kappa surely has made some of the best kits of the year. Meanwhile, Kappa failed to deliver great kits for its bigger clubs this season, such as the current season Monaco and awful Kaizer Chiefs kits. Kappa is great, but Adidas and Macron are better overall.
Mid-Tier Brands: Nike > Hummel > Mizuno > Umbro > New Balance > Puma > Le Coq Sportif > Jako > Kelme
Nike's disinvestment in Men's football has been heavy in recent years, causing the brand to lose several of its top clubs. Still, Nike makes it to the fourth place in our ranking. Why? Tech- and innovation-wise, Nike's kits are the best in the market. However, some ideas, like the upside-down Swoosh, were just horrific. We are sure that for many, Nike's 4th place is way too high. However, Nike is still a great choice for big clubs, who get bespoke kits with great quality.
Hummel comes fifth, thanks to their fantastic designs and top quality for teams like Bremen, Malaga, and Betis. We did not rank Hummel higher because many kits of smaller teams fail to meet Hummel's high standard, both in terms of design and, more importantly, quality. Mizuno is known for its quality craftsmanship. The Japanese brand is gaining traction in Europe, but does not supply enough teams to rank them higher.
Getting Castore as a kit supplier is a nightmare for many fans
Place seven, eight, and nine are taken by bigger brands - Umbro, New Balance, and Puma. These brands fail to create big interest in their products - Umbro has no real identity that matches the glorious past, while New Balance lacks a top team after the brand lost Liverpool. Puma currently seems to have no real plan of what they are doing. The brand has very inconsistent designs and has released a few awful kits in 2024 - e.g., the Man City fourth kit and two horrific yellow BVB home kits.
Smaller brands like Jako, Kelme, Le Coq Sportif are only active in niche markets currently. They are not bad but rarely have any presence.
Brands That Need to Improve: Lotto > Joma > Castore
Can you name a team that is sponsored by Lotto? Chances are high that you can't. Lotto's only important team is Monza, and the Monza kits are awful. Joma has a solid number of European Top 5 league teams but consistently manages to release some horror kits. Castore takes the last place. Why? Castore is faced with quality problems again and again. Therefore, the brand lost several teams. It is a brand that many fans fear to become their favorite team's new kit maker.
Which kit brand is your favorite, and why? Let us know!
Mantova 1911 26-27 Away Kit Released
Italian club Mantova 1911 and Adidas have officially unveiled the club's new away shirt for the 26-27 season. The new kit introduces a refined design that will be worn throughout their upcoming campaign.
The Adidas Mantova 1911 26-27 away jersey is predominantly red, featuring a classic polo collar with white contrast detailing. White accents are applied to the collar trim, sleeve cuffs, and the Adidas logo on the right chest, offering a clean contrast against the base color. The club crest sits prominently on the left chest, accompanied by sponsor logos across the front.
Red shorts and red socks complete the full kit. Mantova's new away uniform has already debuted on the pitch during pre-season action and is available via official club outlets.
FC Barcelona 26-27 Third Kit Leaked - Long-Sleeve Version
Official studio images of the long-sleeve version of FC Barcelona's 26-27 third kit have surfaced online via Barca shirt collector @memorabilia1899, giving fans a complete look at the retro-inspired shirt ahead of its upcoming official presentation.
Designed by Nike, the FC Barcelona 26-27 third shirt pays homage to the classic 1996-97 Kappa away kit. It features a light teal base with a distinctive vertical zigzag split down the center. Navy accents appear on the collar and cuffs, complemented by subtle red piping along the shoulder seams. The design is completed with a traditional full-color Barcelona crest, a navy Spotify sponsor emblem, and a pink Nike Swoosh.
Xerez Deportivo 26-27 Away Kit Released
Spanish club Xerez Deportivo FC has officially unveiled its new away kit for the 26-27 season, made by technical sponsor Macron. The new design introduces a refined and elegant color scheme for the team's upcoming campaign.
The Macron Xerez Deportivo 26-27 away shirt features a deep maroon base, complemented by golden accents throughout. A monochrome version of the club crest, along with the Macron logo and front sponsors, are all applied in matching gold. The shirt is framed by gold and cream trim along the crew-neck collar and sleeve cuffs, while a subtle tonal pattern adorns the front panel to add texture to the overall aesthetic.
Maroon shorts and socks with gold detailing complete the new Xerez DFC 26-27 away strip.
Al-Ittihad 26-27 Away Kit Released
Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad and Nike have officially launched the club's new away kit for the 26-27 season. Following the reveal of their home strip last month, the new away uniform introduces a refined design deeply rooted in local culture and heritage.
The Nike Al-Ittihad 26-27 away jersey features a light grey base paired with contrasting black trim on the collar, sleeve cuffs, and side panels. A subtle tonal pattern flows across the body, taking inspiration from traditional Arabic calligraphy and the historic architecture of Jeddah's Al-Balad district. Gold accents complete the look, highlighting the Nike Swoosh and the framing around the club crest. The strip is complemented by black sponsor branding, including Al Balad Development Co across the chest.
The new Al-Ittihad 26-27 away kit is now available through official club outlets and select retail stores.
Al Rayyan SC 26-27 Away Kit Released
Qatari club Al Rayyan SC and technical sponsor Joma have officially launched the new away kit for the 26-27 season. The new strip introduces a sleek blackout design for the upcoming campaign.
The Joma Al Rayyan 26-27 away jersey is predominantly black with dark metallic grey detailing throughout. A subtle checkered pattern is applied to the round collar and sleeve cuffs, along with faint vertical checkered bands running down the body. All logos, including the club crest, Joma branding, and sponsor graphics, appear in tonal dark grey to maintain the stealth look.
The club's founding year, 1967, is printed on the upper back just below the collar. Matching black shorts and socks complete the full Al Rayyan SC 26-27 away strip.
Atlético Sanluqueño 26-27 Home, Away & Third Kits Released
Spanish side Atlético Sanluqueño and Italian brand Macron have officially revealed the club's new home, away, and third kits for the 26-27 season. The new collection offers a mix of traditional style, retro aesthetics, and a special local tribute.
The Atlético Sanluqueño 26-27 home kit stays true to heritage with classic green and white vertical stripes across the front and lower back, finished with a green crew neck collar and green sleeve cuffs. It is complemented by black shorts and green socks. Meanwhile, the away kit takes on a refined off-white base featuring maroon collar and cuffs, a simplified circular crest, and thin yellow and blue chest stripes.
Completing the set is the dark green 26-27 third kit, which incorporates bright neon green central striping and matching trims. The most notable detail of the third shirt is a printed portrait graphic on the lower front honoring the famous flamenco guitarist Manolo Sanlúcar, who passed away in 2022.
CD Badajoz 26-27 Home, Away & Third Kits Released
Spanish club CD Badajoz and technical partner Macron have officially launched the team's new kit collection for the 26-27 season. Unveiled under the campaign theme "La piel del Gigante," the new kit range pays homage to the history and identity of Badajoz through tailored design elements across every shirt.
The CD Badajoz 26-27 home kit maintains the club's iconic black and white vertical stripes, enhanced by thin gold pinstripe details and an embossed graphic pattern depicting historic city symbols and lions. The away kit adopts a clean gold base color paired with black accents and a monochromatic badge. Completing the lineup, the third kit comes in purple with fine tonal vertical pinstripes and a classic white collar, alongside a vibrant orange goalkeeper kit.