credit: Shutterstock
credit: Shutterstock
Manchester City fans will be able to design the club’s official third kit for the 2026/27 season due to a new innovative AI platform provided by sponsor Puma.
The Puma AI Creator will leverage Generative AI to enable fans to design the Manchester City 2026/27 third kit using text prompting, customisation tools and intuitive sliders to design a kit from their creation.
This means that the winning design will be used as the official Manchester City 2026/27 third kit for that season, worn by its players in what is a first for the Premier League football club.
Man City fan and Oasis frontman Noel Gallagher was able to design the club’s official fourth kit for the current 2024/25 season in a similar vein to Puma’s latest fan engagement campaign.
Nuria Tarre, Chief Marketing and Fan Experience Officer for City Football Group, said: “Through the power of AI, we are delighted to offer fans this special opportunity to be a part of Manchester City history and design a kit that could one day be worn by their heroes on the pitch.
“Each City kit plays a fundamental role in connecting fans around the world to our club and we’re excited to see how they engage with this truly unique initiative.”
“Our enthusiasm for creating innovative and unique fan experiences is shared by PUMA, who continue to work with us to create memorable kits that represent our City, our club and our fans.
Upon signing up, fans will receive 15 free design credits and 2 entries with the ability to unlock more credits and entries through rating other fan designs or being registered as Cityzens or Puma NFT holders.
Fans can submit designs to the competition until 20 December 2024 when, along with fan ratings, Puma and Man City kit experts will shortlist their top ten designs. Public voting will then open the following January, as fans can vote on the official third kit.
Puma AI Creator was first used by players Ederson, Stefan Ortega and Rico Lewis who together designed a goalkeeper kit. This became the first-ever AI manufactured football kit to be worn on-pitch and will be seen on the pitch later this season.
Ivan Dashkov, Head of Emerging Marketing Tech at Puma, added: “PUMA AI Creator is one of the ways we see emerging technology bringing fans closer to the game they love.
“As Manchester City continues to be one of the most successful football clubs globally, both on and off the pitch, and they have been the perfect partner for Puma to work with to introduce this groundbreaking AI platform.
“Together, we are intentionally creating innovative and inclusive ways to engage with fans. Puma AI Creator is a creative outlet that anyone can use – regardless of their past design experience, location, or background – to make a huge cultural impact, in this case designing the official 2026/27 third kit for Manchester City.”