Teams Need to Stop Creating Kit Images With AI: Al-Nassr Latest to Blunder
- AI Adoption by Football Clubs: Football clubs like Al-Nassr and Como 1907 are increasingly using AI-generated imagery for commercial rollouts of their kits, replacing traditional studio photography.
- Inaccuracies in AI-Generated Kit Images: AI-generated images often contain glaring inaccuracies, such as incorrect stripe designs, missing ventilation holes, and outdated branding tags like "Aeroready" instead of "Climacool+", which distort the true characteristics of the garments.
- Misleading Consumers and Club Carelessness: The reliance on AI for product images leads to misleading representations for consumers and highlights a worrying level of carelessness in club marketing, as algorithms fail to understand technical garment specifications.
The rapid boom of artificial intelligence in recent years has led several football clubs to become overly reliant on generative tools for their commercial rollouts. Just days after Como 1907 was spotted using artificial product photos on their digital store, Saudi Pro League giants Al-Nassr have become the latest side caught substituting real studio photography with AI-generated imagery.
The synthetic renders of their new 2026-27 third kit feature numerous glaring inaccuracies that directly distort the true characteristics of the garment.
Al-Nassr Creates Product Images With AI for 26-27 Third Kit
Rather than carrying out a standard physical photoshoot for their new white and gold third shirt, Al-Nassr relied on an AI model to recreate the kit for their e-commerce platform. The shortcut resulted in immediate visual contradictions.
The authentic 2026-27 third kit features the brand's new, bold, oversized Three Stripes on the shoulders, a signature design evolution introduced around the 2026 World Cup.
However, the AI-generated graphics on Al-Nassr's storefront render standard, thinner stripes and completely omit the distinct engineered ventilation holes present throughout the actual fabric.
The "Aeroready" Technology Blunder
The most egregious error sits along the lower hem of the jersey. The artificial image generated for Al-Nassr displays an "Aeroready" branding tag on the lower left side, whereas the genuine authentic player-issue shirt carries the modern "Climacool+" designation.
Adidas officially retired the Aeroready nameplate on its main kits following the 2026 World Cup, replacing the tech line with updated Climacool materials.
Even worse, Aeroready was historically confined to replica fan shirts and was never applied to authentic match-spec jerseys, making its presence on a high-end shirt an embarrassing technical impossibility.
A Careless Shortcut That Misleads Consumers
These continuous mistakes shine a light on a worrying level of carelessness across club marketing and retail departments. While generating artificial mockups may cut photography budgets and save time, algorithms simply do not understand technical garment specifications, proper fabric weights, or official template updates.
When clubs rely on AI rather than genuine photography, they end up delivering misleading representations of the physical items supporters are paying top dollar to purchase.
What do you think of clubs like Al-Nassr and Como using AI-generated kit imagery with so many mistakes? Is it time for football teams to ban AI on their official retail stores? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.