“Needs sacking” and “absolute horror” – Manchester City fans horrified by ‘atrocious’ leaked 2025/26 third kit

Manchester City’s rumoured 2025/26 third kit caused quite a stir among fans on Tuesday as it appeared on social media.

It is the third, albeit unreleased, uniform handed to supporters ahead of the start of the new season, following the launch of the club’s brand new home shirt and a special version for the ongoing FIFA Club World Cup.

The new home shirt features a striking design aspect, which has been a regular theme for Puma releases from the commencement of their Manchester City association and sponsorship in 2019.

For the first time in club history, the classic sky blue and white home strip includes a sash motif on the front of the shirt worn by all Manchester City men’s, women’s, and junior teams.

The special edition kit, which was worn for the first time against Al Ain at the FIFA Club World Cup on Sunday night, is predominantly white with a black and red sash and a ‘Poznan’ inspired logo discreetly embedded across the front of the shirt.

The third shirt, however, will undoubtedly be the most talked-about item on the kit front, and leaked photographs of the design have already caused quite a stir online among Manchester City fans and football lovers in general.

After new photographs surfaced on Tuesday, one user posted on X, “Whoever created them signed off this uniform deserves sacking,” followed by numerous replies from City supporters, including, “That shirt is absolute misery. Surely the designers could have done better,” and “so terrible.”

New images of the 2025/26 #ManCity third kit, courtesy of @opaleak. 🌧️🟢

📸 @grhaer9 pic.twitter.com/Q6tXYojF6d

— City Xtra (@City_Xtra) June 24, 2025

Steven Mcinerney, a Manchester City fan and multimedia developer, wrote in response to the recent photographs, “It feels awful to make anyone wear this. “By far the worst City kit I’ve ever seen.”

Amos Murphy, a sports writer, podcaster, and Manchester City fan, also reacted with a harsh evaluation of the yet-to-be-released jersey, saying, “City once had a shirt that didn’t have the badge on it and it still wasn’t as bad as this”.

For the time being, it is unclear when Manchester City will unveil the new third kit, but it is expected to be the final release when a new away jersey is revealed to supporters later this summer.