The Truth Behind Adidas' New 2026 World Cup 3 Stripes Design
Feb 1, 2025, by Chris
- FIFA Rule: FIFA's Manufacturer Identifier (MI) rule mandates that the total width of manufacturer branding, like Adidas' 3 stripes, must not exceed 8cm.
- Adidas Design Solution: To make the stripes appear larger for the 2026 World Cup, Adidas widened each individual stripe and reduced the spaces between them, keeping the overall width within the 8cm limit.
- Impact of Regulations: FIFA's equipment rules directly influence kit designs, forcing manufacturers like Adidas to innovate within strict parameters.
For the 2026 World Cup, Adidas will introduce new, bigger 3 stripes. However, the overall size of the new 3 stripes trademark is actually the same as before - let's find out why.
FIFA Manufacturer Identifier (MI) Rule - Maximum Width of Manufacturer Bang Must Maintain Width of 8 cm
Adidas could not increase both the width of the bars and the space between - it would have covered more than 8cm
The rule states that an MI Band (Manufacturer Identifier Band) - like Adidas' three stripes - must maintain a total width of 8cm. As a result, Adidas' design evolution for 2026 had to work within this constraint.
The traditional 3 stripes already have a total width of 8cm. See below the Adidas solution.
- Keep the total width of the three stripes area identical (as required by FIFA)
- Make each individual stripe wider for more visual impact
- Reduce the spacing between stripes to compensate
- Result: More prominent stripes while complying with FIFA's width restriction, but harder to recognize as 3 stripes from afar
Of course, we do not know if Adidas would have done this regardless of the FIFA 8cm rule. However, everything indicates that this has been the case.
This showcases how FIFA's equipment regulations directly influence even the most iconic elements of football kit design, with manufacturers like Adidas having to innovate within these established parameters.
Check out the full FIFA Equipment Regulations 2025 for all Manufacturer Identifier requirements. Designs such as giant three stripes, seen in the 1990s, are also forbidden nowadays.
FIFA Has Already Forbidden Player Cutting Socks
Do you like Adidas' bigger 3 stripes solution? Should FIFA allow larger Manufacturer Identifiers? Let us know in the comments below.
Hundreds of New 26-27 Logos & Sponsors Added to Kit Creator Tools
Kit Creator tools, including EA FC Kit Creator and FM Kit Creator, have updated their database and feature sets to incorporate brand new sponsors for the 26-27 season. Designers can now seamlessly integrate newly announced main shirt sponsors, sleeve partners, and back-of-kit brands directly into custom jersey creations.
The update reflects a range of official sponsorship switches ahead of the 26-27 football season. High-profile additions include Swansea City's new main front-of-shirt partnership with AG1, Birmingham City's deal with Coral, and Bournemouth's prominent Vitality integration.
You can create your own kits with the new 2026-27 sponsors now on fifakitcreator.com.
Pisa Sporting Club 26-27 Away Kit Released
Italian side Pisa Sporting Club and Adidas have officially launched the new 26-27 away kit. Featuring a vibrant bright orange base, the shirt stands out with a prominent black and blue diagonal sash across the chest, incorporating the club's iconic Nerazzurro home colors. The jersey is further styled with contrasting black and blue sleeve panels, white Adidas branding, and is paired with matching orange shorts and socks.
T90-Inspired Nike Barclays WSL 26-27 Ball Released
Nike and the Women's Super League have officially revealed the official match ball for the 26-27 Barclays WSL and WSL2 seasons. Built on Nike's Control ball model, the design draws heavy inspiration from Nike's iconic Total 90 era, bringing a retro-infused visual identity to top-tier English women's football.
The design features vibrant multi-coloured rings and graphic lines in red, pink, blue, and black against a white base. These accents are arranged to create a subtle strobe effect when spinning in flight, aiding visibility for players on the pitch. The Barclays WSL version features a gold Nike Swoosh inside the signature circular ring, while the WSL2 edition showcases a silver Swoosh paired with bright pink detailing.
Underneath the graphics, the ball utilizes Nike Control technology with debossed grooves and engineered paneling designed to deliver stable aerodynamics and consistent touch in all conditions. The new ball will be used across all 26-27 WSL, WSL2, and domestic cup matches.
FIFA Kit Creator Adds Dozens of New Old & 26-27 Kit Templates
FIFA Kit Creator has expanded their extensive template library with a large batch of brand-new jersey structures.
The latest update introduces base designs for the upcoming 26-27 season alongside classic retro cuts from iconic past eras. Creators matteuscm and KARAVASHKIN contributed heavily to this release, bringing fresh builds across major manufacturers including Adidas, Nike, Puma, Castore, Hummel, and Umbro. Among the modern additions are official base templates for upcoming club kits such as the Adidas 26-27 AS Roma and Tiro 27 cuts, the Nike 26-27 SC Freiburg template, Castore 26-27 Everton home layout, and new Puma designs for Palmeiras and Fluminense.
Updated national team templates for Ireland, Denmark, Indonesia, and DR Congo are also now available for creators to customize.
Beyond contemporary 26-27 cuts, the update adds several famous historical templates. Users can create concepts using nostalgic patterns like the Adidas 2004 Greece home template, the 05-06 AC Milan and Bayer Leverkusen cuts, Nike 2010 and 2014 Brazil silhouettes, and Puma 2006 Italy away template.
All new template options are live and available on FIFA Kit Creator.