Nike Brings Back 2010s Barcelona Designs for 2026-27 Season
- Nike's Design Strategy for 2026-27: Nike is reusing classic kit templates from the 2010s, reminiscent of old Barcelona designs, for the upcoming 2026-27 season, which has caused puzzlement and disappointment among fans.
- Besiktas Kit Release: The trend became evident with Nike's new partnership with Turkish club Besiktas, whose 2026-27 away kit features a stripe pattern identical to the iconic Barcelona 2011-12 home kit.
- SC Freiburg Kit Designs: The recycling of old templates continued with SC Freiburg's 2026-27 kits, where the home kit shares the same irregular stripe template as the Besiktas away kit, and the away kit directly copies the distinct gradient look of the Barcelona 2012-13 away kit.
Nike appears to be showing a bit of laziness for the upcoming campaign, digging into its archives to bring back kit templates from over 15 years ago. The decision to reuse these classic designs for the new 2026-27 season has left a portion of fans and kit enthusiasts feeling both puzzled and disappointed with the Swoosh.
Nike Brings Back 2010s Barcelona Designs for 2026-27 Season
The trend became obvious with Nike's new partnership with Turkish club Besiktas. Having recently replaced Adidas as the team's official kit supplier, Nike released the new Besiktas 26-27 home, away, and third jerseys.
Shirt collectors immediately spotted that the Besiktas 2026-27 away kit features a stripe pattern that is completely identical to the iconic Barcelona 2011-12 home kit. The only actual modification is the shift from Barça's Blaugrana to Besiktas's black and white corporate identity.
The recycling of old templates didn't stop in Turkey. A few days ago, Nike launched the new SC Freiburg 2026-27 home and away kits, and both jerseys rely heavily on old design frameworks.
- Home Kit: The Freiburg 26-27 home kit utilizes the exact same irregular stripe template seen on the Besiktas away kit, meaning multiple clubs are now sharing a design that is over a decade and a half old.
- Away Kit: The Freiburg 26-27 away kit features a distinct gradient look that is a direct copy of the famous Barcelona 2012-13 away kit. Nike simply swapped out the original orange and yellow look for two deep gradient tones that match the German club's traditional DNA.
With the 2026-27 kit release calendar still in full swing, it is highly likely that we will see even more teams receiving kits based on these exact same throwback templates over the coming weeks.
What do you think of Nike recycling these classic 2010s Barcelona templates for Besiktas and Freiburg? Is it a lazy copy-paste job by the Swoosh, or do you enjoy seeing these old designs make a comeback? Let us know in the comments below.