The most interesting pre match jerseys from Champions League's opening matches Where football and design meet
The 2026/27 Champions League season has officially begun. The opening matches of the league phase lived up to expectations, delivering goals, entertainment and a few unexpected results. The competition has also made an impression from an aesthetic perspective, with clubs and their respective kit suppliers unveiling a selection of particularly interesting pre-match jerseys. These are our favourites from the opening matchday.
Inter
At the Bernabéu, Inter stepped out in an unexpected pre-match jersey: an all-black design with a sleek cut and a crew neck that flows seamlessly into the armholes, both finished with a subtle blue trim. The same shade outlines the crest and the Swoosh, while yellow takes centre stage across both elements. Completing the look is a tonal graphic covering the entire jersey, with circular motifs coming together to form the words “INTER MILANO”.
Arsenal
Arsenal and adidas are building on the aesthetic introduced last season, bringing another colourful pre-match jersey to the 2026/27 season. The design has been slightly reworked, with diagonal stripes repeated across the shirt in subtly different shapes, alternating between red and blue. The two shades blend into one another while remaining clearly defined at either end of the jersey, creating an almost seamless transition from warm to cool tones.
Barcelona
Echoing the aesthetic of the Home jersey, Barcelona’s pre-match jersey, created by Nike to complement the first kit, draws on the club’s iconic colour palette and reinterprets it through a contemporary lens. The result is a shirt built around colour blocks in different shades of blue and red, creating a dynamic design with a creative, modern feel that remains unmistakably blaugrana.
Napoli
We celebrated it when it was first unveiled at the start of the season, and its Champions League debut has only reinforced our initial take. Napoli’s new pre-match jersey is arguably one of the best in Europe. At the heart of the creative direction is a distinctly ’90s aesthetic, brought to life through off-white and Centenary Blue tones and elevated by an all-over geometric texture celebrating the club’s centenary. The decision to render the Coca-Cola sponsor logo in white completes the look perfectly.
PSG
For the Champions League, Nike and PSG have opted for a pre-match jersey built around a white base, covered by an all-over graphic in a very subtle shade of gold. The pattern combines thin lines, curves and overlapping geometric shapes, creating a motif that recalls trajectories, technical sketches and architectural drawings. The layered design gives the surface a three-dimensional effect while keeping the overall look clean and understated.
Manchester United
The shirt is defined by a motif inspired by the Lancashire rose, reworked into a dark and intricate pattern that covers the entire surface. adidas uses the design for Manchester United’s pre-match jersey, with a final colour detail appearing on the long-sleeve version, where a small solid-red section breaks up the pattern.