Germany Teams Wear 3 Different Kits
- Kit Differences: Germany's senior, U21, and U20 teams wore different Adidas kits during the international window due to Adidas prioritizing kit distribution to senior teams over youth teams.
- Adidas's Kit Management: Adidas provides new kits to youth teams at a slower pace, resulting in them using older kits for longer periods, and this is common practice among nations.
- Nike Takeover: Nike will replace Adidas as the kit provider for Germany in 2027, ending a 70+ year partnership, with potential changes in kit consistency across age groups.
If you watched some German national team football in the international window, you might have seen three different home kits worn by different German teams.
Germany's U20, U21 & Senior Teams All Wear Different Kits - Here's Why
Germany's senior team, U21s, and U20s were kitted out in different shirts. All made by Adidas. All representing the same nation. But all different.
The senior squad wore the brand-new 2026 World Cup home kit, inspired by the legendary 1990 & 2014 World Cup jerseys. Drop down to the U21s and you'll find the Germany 125th anniversary: a clean off-white template with simple black trim around the collar and cuffs. The U20s, meanwhile, still sport the Euro 2024 kit.
Why the Inconsistency?
This comes down to how Adidas manages its national team portfolio. Youth teams receive fewer and slower deliveries of new kits from Adidas compared to flagship senior squads, so they often use old kits longer and switch to new ones later. They get the 2026 kits ... only in 2026.
It's not unique to Germany - all nations have had a disparity between senior and youth team kits, with the U21 not getting the new authentic kit. But it is rare that three different designs are in the runout, due to the special 125th anniversary kit.
UAE's senior team has not worn the new 2026 kit at all yet.
The Nike Era Looms
The Germany-Adidas partnership is coming to an end. The American sportswear giant Nike will take over from 2027, ending over 70 years of Adidas producing shirts for the German national team. Whether Nike will bring more consistency across Germany's age groups remains to be seen, but for now, the three-kit situation offers a fascinating snapshot of how kit priorities work in modern football.
Check out all Germany kits on Football Kit Archive
Did you spot other nations with different kits for the U teams this international window? Let us know in the comments!
