January 29 – Football clubs and their kits are big business, however the fans rarely have an input into what these kits look like. Manchester City and their kit provider, German sportswear giant, Puma, have turned that concept around by announcing a ‘fan vote’ to decide the club’s official 2026/27 Third kit.
In December Puma announced the Puma AI Creator kit design competition. With 1.6 million ratings, Puma and City have shortlisted ten designs that reflect the spirit of creativity, passion and culture of the club.
At the centre of this concept is the Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform DEEPOBJECTS. The creator tool saw more than 180,000 dream kits designed by City supporters all over the world, using text prompting, customisation tools, and intuitive sliders.
The designs are now available for City fans from all over the world to have their say on which top ten fan designs will be worn on-pitch by City stars in the 2026/27 season.
Manchester City goalkeepers showcased the bespoke Puma AI Creator goalkeeper kit on-pitch during last weekend’s win against Chelsea and at Women’s away clash against Aston Villa.
Inspired by the net of a goal and designed by City players Ederson, Stefan Ortega, and Rico Lewis, Ederson said: “It’s the first time I’ve designed a shirt together with Stefan and Rico and I’m so happy I’ll get to see our shirt on the pitch. It looks amazing – the colours are so nice, they remind me of the colours of Brazil.”
Director of Integrated Fan Experience and Retail & Licensing, Serena Gosling said: “We know how passionate fans are about kits, and how important the kits we wear each season are. It’s been so exciting to allow fans to design their dream City kit thanks to the power of AI, and we’ve been blown away by the levels of participation – we can’t wait to see what’s voted for as our 2026/27 Third Kit.”
“We are delighted to have the Puma AI Creator goalkeeper kit on-pitch this weekend in a first for world football, and to offer fans the chance to own a piece of history with this limited-edition shirt.”
The winning Puma AI Creator fan design will be revealed in the summer of 2026. Fans can keep up to date with all Puma Manchester City kit launches via official club and Puma channels.
Contact the writer of this story, Nick Webster, at oc.ll1738223436abtoo1738223436fdlro1738223436wedis1738223436ni@of1738223436ni1738223436,