Manchester City and PUMA have unveiled the club’s 2026/27 away kit, revealed during the men’s preseason tour of Hong Kong. The jersey made its on-field debut in a preseason friendly against Inter Milan in Hong Kong on August 1, giving supporters their first look at the design in a competitive setting.
Manchester City will wear the away kit across the 2026/27 season, including fixtures in the Premier League, EFL Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League. The release centers on a black-and-yellow design finished with a pattern of worker bees across the fabric.
The 2026/27 away kit’s design is built around the Manchester bee, a symbol widely recognized within the city. Rather than appearing as a small detail, the bee forms a repeated pattern across the jersey, described as a swarm of worker bees. The black-and-yellow colorway serves as the backdrop for that pattern, making the bee the central visual element of the away kit rather than a secondary addition to a more conventional design.
The bee predates its use on a football shirt, having already been present across Manchester before its adoption by the club. It is tied to the graft, unity and resilience associated with the city. The Manchester City 2026/27 away kit is designed to carry that connection onto the jersey, linking the design to the identity of the club’s away support as well as to the wider city the bee represents.
Because the Manchester bee holds protected status as a symbol of the city, its use on the kit involved close coordination between PUMA, Manchester City and Manchester City Council. That collaboration was intended to ensure the bee was represented with the significance it carries locally, rather than being used purely as a design motif.
The involvement of the council reflects a broader effort tied to the kit’s release, aimed at reinforcing the club’s connection to the city and the communities surrounding it, beyond the jersey itself.
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