In Germany, a shirt can carry the weight of a tournament, a city and a generation. The national team’s new black-and-gold strip does more than introduce another change of colours: it marks the closing chapter of Adidas’s 72-year association with the German Football Association, a partnership that began with the country’s first World Cup triumph.
The kit appeared earlier than expected in the 1-1 UEFA Nations League draw with the Netherlands, rather than waiting for its planned November release. The occasion also coincided with Jürgen Klopp’s first match in charge of Germany.
Designed with deliberate references to earlier eras, the final Germany shirt supplied by Adidas is predominantly black, with gold detailing. Its familiar stripes are made up of small diamond shapes, intended as a tribute to the more than 24,000 clubs that form the foundation of German football.
White is used across the three sleeve lines and sections of the collar. On the chest sit a historic version of the German FA crest and Adidas’s Trefoil emblem, rather than the company’s modern performance logo.
The bond between Germany and Adidas stretches back to 1954, when West Germany won the World Cup in the “Miracle of Bern”. The manufacturer was also present for the World Cup successes of 1974, 1990 and 2014, as well as throughout numerous European Championship campaigns.
An earlier concept had been to revive Germany’s green kit from the 1990 World Cup in Italy. That proposal could not proceed because parts of the design did not meet UEFA’s equipment regulations, prompting the eventual black-and-gold alternative.
Adidas will leave at the end of this year. From 1 January 2027, Nike will become Germany’s kit supplier under a deal running until 2034, reportedly worth about €100 million per year, or roughly 590 million Brazilian reais.
