Editor’s note: This article was first published on Jan. 27, 2026 and has been updated
In what is fast becoming a club tradition, Manchester City have once again released a special-edition jersey to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
The latest iteration, heralding the imminent onset of the Year of the Fire Horse, which begins on Feb. 17 this year, is perhaps the most eye-catching design yet.
The prematch shirt is covered in hand-drawn horse motifs in a traditional Chinese ink and watercolour style. The result is a dense, almost camouflage-like pattern made up of multiple equine forms.
Manufacturers Puma say that the Fire Horse artwork embodies power, movement and relentless drive — three essential qualities that City will need to summon if they intend on usurping leaders Arsenal at the summit of the Premier League this season. If in doubt, just use more horsepower.
The badges and logos appear in beige with metallic gold detailing to add an extra air of luxe to the equation, fitting for a lunar year which only occurs once every 60 years.
The wider “Horse Capsule” collection from Manchester City also includes an anthem jacket in a much more restrained design, a t-shirt featuring a galloping blue steed and a baseball cap.
City unveiled their first Lunar New Year kit in 2023 — the Year of the Rabbit — with a special shirt inspired by the surface of the moon itself. Which was fitting, given the song “Blue Moon” is such a club anthem.
The Year of the Dragon kit followed in 2024, for which the club released a pale grey design that featured hand-drawn wood carvings of said mythical beast wound around the wearer’s torso.
We can’t wait to see what City produce for the next year of the lunisolar calendar — the Year of the Goat, which begins on Feb. 6, 2027. But they are not the only club to release Lunar New Year kit in 2026.
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham have also released a special edition kit to mark the year of the horse. The warm-up shirt features a deep blue and gold colourway along with a zodiac design created by Chinese artist Luna (a particularly apt name) who is based in Shanghai.
The ornate line drawing is inspired by a horse’s mane and is intended to symbolise freedom, energy and determination. Sadly, those attributes were in short supply when Spurs wore the warm-up top ahead of last week’s 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United which cost manager Thomas Frank his job.
There are also four hidden references to Tottenham including a monogram of the club initials, the N17 London postcode they call home and a QR code that fans can use to access an associated video.
Paris Saint-Germain
PSG have collaborated with Chinese streetwear label Team Wang to create a couple of special shirts to ring in the Lunar New Year. The prematch shirt is white with a red graphic inspired by traditional watercolour painting whereas the home shirt features PSG’s iconic livery overlaid with Chinese calligraphy.
Both jerseys are to be worn by the first team when they face Metz at the Parc des Princes on Feb. 21.
Hearts
Scottish club Heart of Midlothian created an eye-catching range of Lunar New Year garb including a rather splendid Fire Horse-inspired prematch jersey that is covered in an ornate golden cloud motif.
Sheffield United
Sheffield United have also created a limited edition prematch shirt to celebrate the Year of the Horse. The white and gold design features equine forms alongside splashes of pink blossom in a watercolour style.
This isn’t the first time that the Championship side have released a Lunar New Year kit, with 2025 seeing the Blades celebrate the Year of the Snake by rolling out a range of interesting red and black pre-match attire.
