MLS kit release day! Five of the best new jerseys for the 2026 season

With less than two weeks to go until the start of the 2026 MLS season, Adidas have dropped a batch of new jerseys for the upcoming campaign. Typically MLS teams release one new kit each year, alternating between new home and away jerseys.

In the past Adidas - the universal MLS outfitter - has used template designs to serve the league’s teams. Thankfully, that cookie-cutter approach has given way to club-specific designs that reference the history, culture and geography of each team.

The Tuesday kit release did not include all of the new kits, and some teams will get the honor of a third kit to be unveiled at some point later in the year. But, for now, here’s a look at the best MLS jerseys of 2026...

5. San Jose go Grateful Dead

From one Bay Area legend to another. The Grateful Dead were at the forefront of the San Francisco styling of the 1960s and 1970s, despite technically hailing from Palo Alto. This tie-dye San Jose Earthquakes jersey is a nod to the band’s part in the region’s counter-cultural movement. It introduces the team’s blue and black coloring without it feeling too overblown, an impressive feat with such a bold design. It’s still a strange look for a soccer jersey but, in this instance, it works.

4. Sleek and stylish in NYC

At the other end of the psychedelic spectrum, this sleek patterned jersey will be a part of the New York City FC secondary kit for 2026. The kaleidoscopic design is known as the ‘All Nations Kit’ as a tribute to the city’s five boroughs. The pattern gives it a genuinely unique appearance, while the pared-down navy-and-white color pallet prevents it being too garish. A nice idea, done well.

3. Birthday fireworks in New England

MLS has changed a lot since the inaugural season and many of the bold style choices of 90s American soccer are long gone. This jersey from the New England Revolution feels like a throwback to the maximalist, cartoonish designs that defined the original MLS aesthetic. To mark the 250th anniversary of the United States of America the Revs are being tribute to that historic milestone with the ‘Independence Day’ kit, promising "a fresh take on iconic patriotic imagery."

2. LAFC go art deco

Perhaps more than any other team in MLS, LAFC are very image-conscious. The Los Angeles team have tried to evoke the feeling of luxury from the very start, from the big-name signings to the black and gold colorway. This year’s offering adds a bit more design intrigue to the home jersey, with a tasteful art deco pattern to elevate the style. It looks unmistakably like an LAFC jersey, while still offering something different to previous iterations.

1. Natural beauty from Austin FC

Given the frequency with which many soccer teams cycle through jerseys, it is extremely rare to see something genuinely different. But this away shirt from Austin FC delivers a simple, clean but utterly unique design that fits perfectly with the team’s eco-forward ethos. Known as the ‘Rooted Kit,’ it is billed as a nod to “the city’s natural beauty” and the connection between the land and its people.

That’s it for now, the best of the 2026 kits to date. But there are still plenty more to come before the start of the new season. MLS Cup holders Inter Miami are due to release a new away kit this year, moving on from the two-tone black design that the team has had since 2024. The remaining jerseys will likely be released within the next week, with the third kits coming later in the year.

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