Aston Villa 2026-27 home kit: adidas goes back to the 1960s

adidas revealed Aston Villa's home shirt for 2026-27 on 27 May 2026, accompanied by a short film shot in the style of a Pathé newsreel. The design looks backward to move forward: the brief was the club's kits from the 1960s, and the result is one of the more considered retro-influenced shirts in recent Premier League history.

The design

The base is claret, as it always has been. What changes from last season is the construction: set-in sleeves replace the previous raglan cut, bringing the shirt closer in silhouette to how Villa kits looked before the synthetic era. The collar is a fold-over polo with a central insert detail, again a direct reference to the 1960s originals.

The trim colour throughout is Glow Blue, a light sky blue that sits on the collar edge, sleeve cuffs and adidas logo on the right chest. The Three Stripes on the shoulders are white. A tonal textured graphic runs across the front panel, adding surface detail without disturbing the overall claret read of the shirt.

For match use, the shirt pairs with Glow Blue shorts and matching socks across both the Premier League and UEFA Champions League. Two versions are available: an authentic edition with slim fit, jacquard fabric and Climacool+ technology, and a replica in interlock fabric with standard Climacool breathability.

The background

Aston Villa's 1960s were the years of Joe Mercer and then Dick Taylor, a period before the club's greatest run of success but one that produced some of their most visually distinctive shirts. The polo collar and tighter sleeve line of that era have a natural timelessness that works well as a reference point.

Villa enter 2026-27 as an established Champions League club after consecutive top-four finishes in the Premier League. The kit arrives as the club continues to grow commercially and on the pitch under Unai Emery, and the 1960s framing adds a sense of continuity across a club history that stretches back to 1874.