Why Man Utd’s 2026–27 Home Jersey Launch Marks a First for the Club

Manchester United’s new red home jersey for the 2026–27 season has been released, a look that marks and pays tribute to the club’s FA Cup triumph in 1977.

It will be the 50th anniversary of that landmark success next May. Beating fierce rivals Liverpool 2–1 in the final at original Wembley Stadium secured United’s first trophy since creating history as the first-ever English team to lift the European Cup nine years earlier in 1968.

The new red jersey for next season features the return of a collar for the first time since 2022–23. Although made by adidas, the striped detailing on the collar and sleeve cuffs is a direct not to the look of the shirt worn in 1977 when nostalgic English brand Admiral supplied the jerseys.

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In the 1977 final, Tommy Docherty’s United team was the considerable underdog. An all-powerful Liverpool had just been crowned English league champions and later went on to claim a maiden European Cup with victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach in Rome.

United’s FA Cup victory, secured by Stuart Pearson and Jimmy Greenhoff goals either side of a Liverpool equalizer in a frantic start to the second half, denied the Merseysiders a league, FA Cup and European Cup treble, which no English club at that time had ever done. It was finally achieved 22 years in 1998–99, ironically by Manchester United, under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson.

Why 2026–27 Kit Launch Is Unprecedented for Man Utd

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The Red Devils have already worn the 2025–26 home uniform for the last time, fittingly getting its final outing in the recent 3–2 win over Liverpool that guaranteed a return to the Champions League.

The new 2026–27 shirt will be worn for the first time by Michael Carrick’s team on Sunday, in the penultimate Premier League fixture of the season against Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford. United will also finish the campaign wearing it on the road against Brighton & Hove Albion on May 24.

But this Sunday won’t actually be the kit’s overall debut. United’s women will get that honor as they wrap the Women’s Super League season with a visit to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge 24 hours earlier. Unfortunately for Marc Skinner’s team, what has been a historic campaign marked by a run to the Women’s Champions League quarterfinal is ending with nothing to play for, as fourth place in the final standings—meaning no WCL qualification for 2026–27—is already locked in.

Manchester United’s Under-18 team plays in the FA Youth Cup against Manchester City on Thursday night but will take to the field in 2025–26’s home jersey.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Man Utd’s 2026–27 Home Jersey Launch Marks a First for the Club.

That was also the club’s first silverware since an astonishing relegation from the top flight at the end of the 1973–74 campaign—still their worst season in almost a century. The Red Devils secured immediate promotion back to the First Division (as it was known before the Premier League era) and finished third in the top flight the year after, whilst also reaching the FA Cup final, only to lose against Second Division Southampton in one of the all-time great Wembley shocks.Although it’s not uncommon for Premier League clubs to launch new kits for the following campaign in the final month of the season and then immediately switch over to wearing the new threads, never have … until now.

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