Ajax Forced to Wear Third Kit at Home vs Benfica Due to Benfica's Bad Kit Lineup
- Kit Clash: Ajax is forced to wear their third kit at home against Benfica due to Benfica's away and third kits being too similar to Ajax's home kit, causing a clash under UEFA regulations.
- Benfica's Kit Issues: Benfica's current set of kits, including a red home kit, white away kit, and off-white third kit, do not provide enough contrast to Ajax's home colors, preventing Ajax from wearing their traditional kit.
- Historical Context: This isn't the first time this has occurred, as Ajax had to switch kits in a previous home fixture against Benfica in 2018-19, and the Ajax U19s will also wear their blue away kit due to kit issues.
Update: Ajax were forced to wear their third kit instead of their usual home kit in their own stadium because Benfica's badly chosen cream away and white third kits clashed with Ajax's home kit.
Ajax will take to the pitch in their third kit on Tuesday when they host Benfica in the Champions League. UEFA’s colour-clash regulations leave no room for Ajax to use their traditional white-red-white home kit.
Benfica's 25-26 kit lineup
Benfica's 3 Kits of the 25-26 Season Are Too Similar to Ajax's Home Kit
Benfica’s set of shirts offers no acceptable contrast: the home is red, the away is white, and the third is an off-white tone that comes too close to Ajax’s own colours. Ajax pushed to wear their home strip but were told it wasn’t possible. Benfica also stated they no longer hold previous-season kits, ruling out a workaround like Ajax once used in the 2016-17 Europa League run with a bright green away shirt.
This isn’t new between the clubs. Ajax also had to switch kits in the 2018-19 home fixture. They did wear home colours in 2022, though that match ended in a 1-0 loss.
Ajax’s U19s will face Benfica earlier in the day in the Youth League, wearing the blue away kit since no third kit with the appropriate sponsor logo exists for the academy teams.
What do you think of Ajax being forced out of their home colours at the Johan Cruijff Arena due to Benfica having no suitable kit? Let us know in the comments.
