New Balance Reclaims Spot in Kit Market
May 4, 2025, by Phan Tich Giay
Update: New Balance are making a strong return to the football kit market. After a few years of limited activity, the American sportswear brand is expanding its presence in Europe once again.
New Balance Back in the Kit Game
New Balance have recently announced two major kit deals with European clubs:
- Atalanta (Serie A) – from the 2025-26 season, replacing Joma
Atalanta's current kit contract with Joma runs until the end of the 24-25 season. Atalanta B.C. has decided to choose New Balance as their kit supplier for the next phase, starting with the 25-26 season.
No More Joma: Atalanta Announces New Balance Kit Deal
- Bayer Leverkusen (Bundesliga) – from the 2025-26 season, replacing Castore
The new Bayer Leverkusen New Balance kit deal is expected to run for five seasons (2025-26 to 2029-30) and is worth around €7 million per season.
Official: Leverkusen Announces New Balance Kit Deal - No More Castore
Both Atalanta and Leverkusen are regular participants in European competitions, and their addition marks a significant comeback for New Balance into top-flight football.
New Balance has five major teams for the 25-26 season, including two newcomers, Bayer Leverkusen and Atalanta, and 3 current teams: Porto, Lille, and Sao Paulo.
Even more notably, New Balance are set to replace Umbro as West Ham United's kit supplier from the 2026-27 season, according to reports by SportBusiness. This deal would mark a return to the Premier League market for the brand, which has been absent since the end of their Liverpool deal in 2020.
The deal with West Ham is expected to run for five seasons, and highlights New Balance’s ambition to rebuild their football portfolio with high-profile clubs across Europe's top leagues.
West Ham to Sign New Balance Kit Deal From 2026-27
West Ham has reportedly agreed a five-year deal with New Balance, marking the end of a decade-long association with Umbro, which began in the 2015-16 season. The current contract with Umbro will expire at the conclusion of the 2025-26 campaign.
No More Umbro: West Ham to Sign New Balance Kit Deal From 2026-27
After losing Liverpool in 2020, New Balance took a step back from football. Now, with a growing presence in Serie A, the Bundesliga, and a return to the Premier League, the brand is clearly positioning itself as a serious player in the kit supplier market once again.
Do you like New Balance’s return to football? Which club should they sign next?
Real Madrid 26-27 New Shirt Number Owners
Real Madrid have officially confirmed their squad numbers for the 2026-27 season. Thanks to @jersey_story for the design visuals.
Raúl Asencio steps into the No. 2 shirt previously worn by Dani Carvajal, while new signing Dean Huijsen takes over No. 4 from David Alaba. Endrick also returns to the No. 9 after his loan spell at Marseille.
Among the new arrivals, Ibrahima Konaté will wear No. 16, Marc Cucurella No. 17, Carlos Espí No. 19, Denzel Dumfries No. 24 and Yan Diomande No. 25. Meanwhile, Bernardo Silva will continue wearing No. 20 following Fran García's departure. The number is closely associated with the Portuguese midfielder's most successful years at Manchester City.
Which new number catches your eye the most? Let us know your answer in the comments below.
Paris Saint-Germain Debut 26-27 Kits Featuring Two Stars
PSG debuted a two-star version of their 26-27 kits during recent friendly matches, commemorating their pair of UEFA Champions League titles. This special detail will be used exclusively in international competitions.
Despite Ligue 1 placing no restriction on star crests, PSG announced they will not feature the stars on their domestic league kits. Special thanks to @jerseystory_vn for the spot and graphic.
No More Nike: Adidas Croatia 2026 Training Kits Revealed
Following their switch from Nike to Adidas, Croatia's new training kit set for 2026 have been unveiled in the latest training camp for youth teams' goalkeepers.
However from what we've seen, both of the new jerseys are simply from Adidas Tiro 26 League template range, using default black and grey color choices. These are very likely just temporary options for the mean time, until the actual designs with probably bespoke colorways are officially released.
What do you think of the new Adidas Croatia 2026 training kits? Let us know in the comments below.
