It’s an homage to something special…
Many Bayern Munich fans were probably taken aback by the sudden release of the away kit for the 2025/26 season. Not just because it was completely unexpected, but also because it is normal protocol to release the following season’s home kit, as has been the case for many years now.
According to Bild, the away kit was released first because it pays homage to a special place – Bayern’s own Allianz Arena. While it may be difficult to make out the connection between the rather abstract pattern on the shirt to the stadium, one can just make out that the dashes of color represent the shadows and curves created by the stadium’s bulbous outer shell.
This year just so happens to be the 20th anniversary of the Allianz Arena, so the club deliberately put out the homage away kit before the home kit this time around. The reason they released it so soon is also because of a special occasion – Bayern’s first ever Bundesliga game at the new stadium was against their next opponents Borussia Mönchengladbach, who lost 3-0 to the home side back then. Bayern clearly wants to recreate that day and result the coming weekend.
Bayern will hence suit up in the new away kit for the final home match of the season against Gladbach, and more importantly, the Meisterschale celebration that follows. While it might be jarring to see the team lift the trophy in a color other than red, it is actually not as alien a concept as one might think. In fact, the only time Bayern lifted the Meisterschale wearing red in the past four years was in 2022. In 2021, they also debuted the black and gold away kit on trophy day, while in 2023, they were wearing their black and red third kit when they wrested the title away from Borussia Dortmund in Cologne.
Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images
On a slightly related note, the new kit comes with a special print just for Thomas Müller, who will be playing his final official home game. The flocking costs a couple of euros more than the regular flock.
