It is an irrefutable law of nature that for every achingly gorgeous football kit released around the world, an equal and opposite reaction is triggered in the form of a uniquely wild jersey design being produced to maintain the universal balance.
With that in mind, having already rounded up a collection of the sharpest, most stylish shirts on offer this season, it's only right that we now turn the spotlight on some of the weirdest, quirkiest and honestly most downright hideous shirts to have dropped over the summer and into the early weeks of the 2025-26 campaign.
While some clubs are content rigidly sticking to templates or refreshing tried and true classic designs from yesteryear, some have gone all out in a bid to spark reaction, gain traction and/or seemingly horrify their own fans with a wide array of unorthodox and in some cases, unprecedented design choices.
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Some may become cult classics in years to come; some may become staples of "worst kits" lists forevermore, and some may simply be buried in landfill and forgotten about for the sake of humankind.
Here is a selection of kits whose designers were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should. But nevertheless you have to stand back and applaud the effort, however misguided.
Bahia special edition (Puma)
Coinciding with the summer release of a certain blockbuster superhero movie, Brazilian club Bahia went all out to create this truly remarkable Superman-themed kit that comes with a blue base, a yellow shield logo and even a red "cape" draped down the back. A shirt of steel, if you will.
Borussia Dortmund away (Puma)
No strangers to an eccentric kit, Dortmund have outdone themselves this season with a truly grotesque fluorescent yellow-and-gray away jersey. It marks the first time in 18 years the German club's away kit isn't black with yellow trim and honestly, the sudden departure is a little too drastic for our taste.
Exeter City
While there's nothing remotely wild about Exeter's regulation 2025-26 kits, the League One club has offered fans the unusual optional extra of having masses of Grecian-themed graffiti added to the front and back of their shirts for an additional fee. We'll let you decide whether or not that makes any improvement to the overall aesthetic.
Forest Green Rovers home (Reflo)
Forest Green Rovers take pride in their eco credentials and as such, have managed to create the world's first fully Vegan-certified kit, made from recycled materials and plant-based dyes. Why they also had to make it look like the world's most poisonous tree frog is another matter entirely.
Oh, and if you think Rovers' home shirt is luminous, you should see the neon pink away variant.
Forward Madison FC third (Hummel)
If you've ever wondered what it might look like if a flamboyance of flamingos -- yes, that is the correct collective noun! -- formed a football team, then Forward Madison are here to help via a pink, feathered football shirt designed in collaboration with the USL League One club's supporters group -- known as "The Flock."
Madison's rosy plumage isn't the only zany kit in their arsenal this season either, with their away kit featuring tartan shorts. Yes, actual tartan shorts.
Latina home (Ezeta)
Italian brand Ezeta seems to specialize in extravagant kit designs, as witnessed by the new batch of jerseys for Latina, based in a city of the same name near the capital Rome. All three of the ensembles are fairly garish, but the blue home shirt is especially notable for having an enormous lion's head slapped directly in the center.
Lifofane FC away (Umbro)
We've spent a good while poring over it and quite honestly, we can't think of a single other football shirt in the entire history of association football that has helicopters on it. Fantastic work from the Lesotho Premier League stalwarts.
Lugo special edition (CDLU)
Produced by the Spanish third-tier club's in-house manufacturer and released back in May, these special edition shirts were designed to mark the historical Arde Lucus festival, in which the whole city of Lugo recreates its Roman origins over the course of three days. Available in two distinct flavors, the "Castro" and "Roman" shirts are each modeled on historical armor variants of the period -- both leather and iron.
Sacramento Republic FC "Attack" kit (Hummel)
Not a throwback but a "faux-back" jersey, imagining what Republic's kit would look like had the club existed in the 1990s (they were actually founded in 2012). The result is a crazy "bear attack" design that features giant jagged claw marks on the shirt and shorts, rendered in the golden colors of the Sacramento tower bridge. The retro feel is completed by an oversized folding collar and a suitably baggy silhouette.
Samsunspor third (Hummel)
There are two sources of inspiration when it comes to Samsunspor's new third kit and, quite honestly, they may just be the most exquisitely esoteric jumping-off points we've ever stumbled across. The first -- and most obvious -- is the rolling waves of the Black Sea, and the second is the bright blue eye color of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder and first president of modern-day Turkey, as seen in portraits of the country's former leader.
Look closely, and you can actually make out his eyes looking at you from the background of the design.
Slavia Prague away (Castore)
There haven't been many football kits produced over the years that have been directly inspired by the infinite expanse of the cosmos, but that is precisely the creative stimulus that Slavia used for their new purple half-and-half away strip.
"When we die, you will continue to live here, you are eternal," reads the highbrow launch blurb. "Just like Slavia, time, space, and the universe are eternal."
Who are we to disagree?
Sorrento away (Ezeta)
While Sorrento's wood art-inspired home kit managed to find its way onto our rundown of 2025-26's most stylish kits, there is nowhere other than a list of wild strips to place the Italian club's corresponding away kit. Inspired by the lush Mediterranean coast, the white jersey is adorned with citrus fruit, floral motifs and undoubtedly looks best when dappled in Neapolitan sunlight.
Telstar third (Robey)
Telstar have gone truly above and beyond with their 2025-26 third kit, with an eccentric white design inspired by traditional sailor tattoos including lighthouses, galleons and mermaids. Continuing the nautical theme, the club's away kit has been designed to look like a chunky cable-knit sweater. Shiver me timbers!
TSV Hartberg home (Adidas)
Austrian side Hartberg have made a name for themselves in recent seasons by repeatedly going viral due to the sheer number of sponsorship logos they have affixed to their kits. Having managed to squeeze 15 sponsors onto their 2024-25 kits, the club have upped the stakes this season by cramming a whopping 23 brands onto their shirt, shorts and socks -- which is said to be a world record at professional level. It's an utter mess, but a fairly lucrative one.
Whitby Town away (Hummel)
The Seasiders have enjoyed record sales of their new away kit, and it's not hard to see why. The brilliant novelty design is inspired by Bram Stoker's classic gothic-horror novel "Dracula" which is partially set in the English coastal town of Whitby. That being the case, it's probably not wise to expose the jersey to full sunlight.