Two of London’s biggest clubs both launched home kits for the forthcoming Premier League season, before the current Premier League season has even ended.
Well, Arsenal have launched a kit. Chelsea have just launched their home jersey. Not really the same thing, but we’re gonna cover both for you!
Arsenal
The pulse of our club.
Our new 25/26 @adidasFootball home kit is available now on Arsenal Direct and in-store 🛒
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) May 15, 2025
I know what you’re thinking. “Wow, Arsenal’s home jersey is red with white sleeves. Quelle surprise.”
Indeed, Arsenal are a team that rarely mixes it up when it comes to their kits (though the one time they did it was spectacular), but the Gunners and Adidas have collaborated to produce a very classy, definitively Arsenal home kit for 2025-26.
The jersey has a white crewneck collar, which honestly looks a little tight on the players. The full Arsenal badge returns — this season’s jersey features just the cannon, which is actually my preferred look due to its historical connotations. Interestingly, the badge is monochrome rather than full color.
The centerpiece of the design, however, is the gothic A, sublimated onto the red torso of the jersey. Taken from the club’s previous crest design before it was massively (and controversially) simplified in the early 2000s, the gothic A had been a mainstay in Arsenal merchandise and its return to matchwear is welcome. The same gothic A appears on the socks, and the full gothic “Arsenal” script is on the back neckline.
Chelsea
London, it’s our house. 😉
Introducing your @NikeFootball Chelsea 25/26 Home Kit. #LondonItsOurHouse pic.twitter.com/8ZobOBNmsV
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) May 16, 2025
Nike has sort of gone a little crazy with Chelsea in recent years, with the bizarre checker pattern in 2021-22, iridescent crest in 2023-24, and whatever’s going on this season. Compared to those high-concept designs, the inspiration behind Nike’s offering for the Blues for this coming season is decidedly more grounded.
The various angular patterns in the fabric are (according to the club’s press release) “inspired by the capital’s iconic landmarks and creative culture.” The club alleges that Chelsea Town Hall is the main inspiration.
To be honest, I don’t really see it, but I still dig the look of the jersey overall.
There are some elements I don’t like — the photos do a good job of hiding the red-and-white underarm elements, which are going to annoy me every time I watch Chelsea, and I’m not sure what’s going on with the collar. However, I do think that this is the best-looking Chelsea home kit Nike have put out for a minute.
There is an elephant in the room with this jersey, however — the advertiser. Ever since the telecom company Three cut ties with Chelsea due to then-owner Roman Abramovich’s ties to Vladimir Putin following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Chelsea have often started seasons without a kit advertiser in place. A bad sponsor logo can ruin a kit, and regardless, this jersey will never look as good with one as it does without one.
With that being said, what are your thoughts on the Gunners’ and Blues’ home looks for next season? Comment down below.
Thank you for not calling both of them kits! It’s one of those things people do all the time that annoys me. I really like the sublimated pattern on Arsenal’s jersey. I don’t get Nike not being able in recent years to make a proper Chelsea jersey when all they have to do is make it blue without weird designs. At least they came a lot closer to getting it right on next year’s jerseys.
The cannon on it’s own looks a lot better than the now long in the tooth full crest, and the Arse should go back to just the cannon on at least their home – The red shirt with white sleeves is so strongly associated with the Gunners that pretty much everyone will know it’s Arsenal. A cannon with the level of detail somewhere between the current one and the classic one would be perfect.
I do hope that Arsenal get a yellow/gold navy kit soon enough. It is the definative Gooners change scheme, and one season without one is too long.
Out of curiosity (and not passing judgement in the least), why does it bother you when people call them kits?
Because kit means more than just jersey. When people call a jersey a kit I think it leads to confusion because you never know if people are talking about the jersey or the full kit
“Thank you for not calling both of them kits”
Guess you didn’t read the hed
Honestly, I used to love the unveiling of new kits, but changing kits every year has just led to kit fatigue. 1 year doesn’t give time for a look to settle and breathe, and then its already time for another one. And don’t get me started about wearing the next season’s kit before the current season has finished!
So, yeah, its another Arsenal & another Chelsea kit.
That said, Arsenal’s looks very clean, and that badge looks so much better with the white cannon, no words and no blue. I remember the controversy of them putting navy on the badge.
Interesting point is that Leicester Tigers rugby had a good tiger head as a logo, but then had to put it in a shield to give them something discrete that they could register under UK copyright laws. Could be a similar thing here as to why they don’t just have a cannon on its own.
There’s nothing wrong with Chelsea having a bit of red in their kits; it’s a nod to the Chelsea Pensioners:
link
Off topic, but Cincinnati wore their city connects on Friday, and they’re just brutal. Even worse than Toronto’s.
It’s true that Arsenal do not deviate from the red jersey with the white sleeves (with the exception, as noted, of the 2005/06 redcurrant jersey to mark the final season at Highbury. Outstanding choice for an example photo, Anthony).
The club tried a solid red jersey in the mid-’60s, but it made them look no different from the waist up than Liverpool or Manchester United. I presume Arsenal sensed it should return to, and stick with, a look that makes its teams distinctive.
Also: COYG!
It’s always puzzling when a club or team switches from a distinctive uniform to one that makes it resemble another team in its league, as when the Padres ditched brown and gold to become Mets West (blue and orange, pinstripes).
Like the simplicity of the Arsenal kit, wish Adidas would stop with the raglan sleeves. GOYG.
The Arsenal kit is a massive improvement from this season, but Arsenal with raglan sleeves just feels wrong to me.
I hate the collar on the Chelsea jersey, but overall, it’s another upgrade from this season. Not sure why Nike have such a hard time with Chelsea’s home kits, but at least they’ve had some decent change kits
The Gooners in raglan sleeves is fine. Michael Thomas scored the title winning goal against Liverpool in a raglan sleeved change jersey.
Arsenal could be so much better without the stupid ad. Chelsea looks great. Simple, no stupid ad.
I can’t member the last Nike template I liked. It’s been some years now.
Arsenal look decent enough but I prefer the loose cannon with 3 cannonballs with the letters A, F and C from 1978-79, the cannon facing left. Chelsea: this shirt looks nice without the ad but the collar is all wrong.