New Balance Reclaims Spot in Kit Market
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.
- 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.
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.
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?
