"Made in Lev": Bayer 04 Leverkusen unveils new alternative kit for the 2026/27 season
Bayer 04 Leverkusen is expanding its kit collection for the 2026/27 season with a new alternative model under the motto "Made in Lev", designed in collaboration with American sportswear manufacturer New Balance. The Leverkusen club has linked the new shirt to the city's visual identity, combining a white base with black and red details and a pattern inspired by the city's coat of arms. At the heart of this motif are lions, a symbol associated in Leverkusen heraldry with the historic Berg region and which has appeared on the modern city coat of arms since 1976. The new shirt therefore goes beyond simply using the club's colours and seeks to connect Bayer 04's football identity with the history of the city in which the club was founded and developed. The unveiling comes in the final phase of preparations for the new season, shortly before the start of official competitions in Germany.
White base, red-and-black details and the city lion motif
According to information published alongside the unveiling of the shirt, its main colour is white, while the contrasting elements are finished in black and red. This combination retains the recognisable connection with Bayer 04's traditional colours while visually distinguishing the alternative model from the home and away kits presented earlier in the summer. The most distinctive design element is a subtle pattern inspired by Leverkusen's coat of arms, spread across the surface of the shirt so that it remains in the background while still being prominent enough to give the model its own identity. Lion motifs are used in the pattern, directly transferring the city's symbolism onto the first team's sportswear. In doing so, the club continues a design approach in which individual shirts are not conceived merely as different colour combinations, but as separate stories linked to the city, the stadium and Bayer's history.
The Leverkusen city administration states that the official coat of arms depicts a red, double-tailed "Berg lion" on a silver background, with a blue crown, tongue and claws, as well as a black so-called counter-embattled band across the middle. The lion is a historic symbol of the former Duchy of Berg, whose heraldic influence can still be seen today in several cities in the Rhine region. The black band in the coat of arms is connected with the history of Opladen and the former coat of arms of the Counts of Berg, and it was incorporated into today's Leverkusen coat of arms following the city's territorial reorganisation in the mid-1970s. This is precisely why the lion motif on the new shirt has a specific local background and is not merely a decorative addition. From the club's perspective, it is another way of linking contemporary design with the identity of the place Bayer 04 represents on the German and European football stage.
A third visual identity after the home and away shirts
The alternative shirt arrives after Bayer 04 unveiled its away shirt for the 2026/27 season on 8 July and its new home kit on 21 July. The away model is inspired by Leverkusen's nickname, the "city of colours", and uses shades that the club associates with Bayer's industrial and innovative history, while the home shirt once again features the classic red-and-black striped look. When presenting the home model, Bayer also highlighted a link to the architecture of the BayArena, as the details of the red surfaces feature a pattern inspired by the structure of the stadium roof. The alternative model therefore brings a third, conceptually different layer of identity: instead of industrial history or stadium architecture, the emphasis is placed on the city coat of arms and its recognisable lion symbol. The common denominator of all these models remains the idea that the equipment for the 2026/27 season should be linked to Leverkusen as a place, not just to the club's colours.
This approach fits into the broader partnership between Bayer 04 and New Balance, which began with the 2025/26 season. In February 2025, the club announced that it had entered into a long-term partnership with the American manufacturer under which New Balance supplies the professional men's team, the women's Bundesliga team, the youth teams and other parts of Bayer's sporting structure. Bayer 04 described the collaboration at the time as a strategic partnership intended to combine sporting performance, product development and the club's global reach. New Balance, meanwhile, emphasised its intention to preserve Leverkusen's tradition through design while transferring it into a contemporary visual and technological framework. The 2026/27 season is the second full season of the partnership, and the new collection shows how, after the initial phase, the collaboration is increasingly relying on local motifs.
Prices from 69.90 euros, Elite version 139.90 euros
According to information from the unveiling of the new alternative shirt, the children's replica is available in sizes JS to JXL for 69.90 euros, while the adult version in sizes S to 5XL is priced at 94.90 euros. For supporters who want the same version that will be used by the professional team, an Elite version is also offered, available in sizes S to 3XL for 139.90 euros. Bayer 04 is therefore maintaining the pricing structure it also used when unveiling the home and away shirts for the 2026/27 season. The official club fan shop also listed a regular price of 94.90 euros for adult replicas and 139.90 euros for Elite versions of those models. The difference between the replica and Elite model concerns not only the cut but also the choice of materials and a construction designed for more intense sporting demands.
Bayer 04 members are entitled to a ten percent discount on the new shirts, a benefit the club applies throughout the collection for the 2026/27 season. For children's shirts and mini-kits, the club has set a special member price of 49.90 euros, meaning the difference compared with the regular price of individual items can reach 25 euros. This model particularly reduces costs for families buying several pieces of official equipment, and the member price is already clearly displayed alongside the home and away products in the club's fan shop. For adult shirts, the standard ten percent discount means that the price of the basic model at 94.90 euros falls to 85.41 euros for members, while the Elite model at 139.90 euros is shown in the club's existing offer with a member price of 125.91 euros. In the announcement for the alternative shirt, the club emphasises the same system of member benefits.
Personalisation for the men's and women's teams
The new shirt can also be personalised with the official printing of the name and number of a male or female player, as well as with the buyer's own name and chosen number within the fan shop's rules. According to information published alongside the unveiling, the official "flock" for the men's or women's team, as well as the version dedicated to honorary captains, costs 19.90 euros. Fully individual personalisation is charged at 24.90 euros. Members also receive the regular ten percent discount on this service, while the price of personalisation on children's shirts is reduced to ten euros for members. In this way, the club positions the new equipment not only as sportswear but also as a personalised supporter product that can be connected with the men's or women's team.
For current shirts, Bayer 04's official fan shop additionally warns that personalised products are generally not covered by the standard return or exchange policy unless the product is defective. This also applies in situations where a player subsequently leaves the club or changes number during their time with the team. Buyers should therefore bear in mind when selecting a name, number and competition badges that a personalised shirt is a product made to their order. Competition badges can also be selected for official kits, depending on the model and the fan shop's offer. Such details have become an important part of the football shirt market, particularly for clubs competing simultaneously in domestic and European competitions.
Replica made from recycled polyester, Elite with a different construction
The material construction of the new alternative shirt differs between the replica and the model intended for players. According to the specification published alongside the unveiling, the replica is made from 100 percent recycled polyester. The Elite version uses a blend of 60 percent recycled polyester, 37 percent polyester and three percent elastane, with the aim of providing better fit, elasticity and functionality during sporting exertion. This difference in construction also explains part of the price gap between the standard and professional versions. In its football products, New Balance also places an emphasis on moisture management and breathability, and in the official descriptions of Bayer's current shirts it uses the NB DRY designation for its fast moisture-wicking technology.
For the supporter replica, the priority is a combination of the appearance of the official shirt and practicality for everyday wear, while the Elite model is constructed for professional football conditions. Bayer 04 and New Balance thus maintain two clearly separated product categories, as is common among leading European clubs: one aimed at the broad supporter market and another designed to reproduce as faithfully as possible the shirt worn by the players. In the case of the new alternative model, the difference is further emphasised by the higher proportion of elastic components in the Elite version. Regardless of the version, the central visual element remains the same - a white background with black and red details and motifs taken from the city's heraldry.
Leverkusen as the central theme of the collection
The use of the city coat of arms as inspiration is particularly interesting because Leverkusen's history is closely intertwined with industry, local identity and Bayer's development. According to the city's official history, the name Leverkusen derives from the factory settlement that chemist and industrialist Carl Leverkus developed in the 19th century beside his ultramarine factory. The city of Leverkusen was officially founded in 1930 and acquired its present territorial form through the 1975 reform, when Opladen, Bergisch Neukirchen and Hitdorf were incorporated into it. A year later, today's city coat of arms was introduced, combining the Berg lion with the symbolism of Opladen. This context helps explain why the lion appears as one of the elements of the new alternative shirt.
In recent seasons, Bayer 04 has increasingly used local history as part of the visual language of its equipment. For the 2026/27 away shirt, the club referred to Leverkusen's reputation as the "city of colours" and the history of chemical production, including graphic elements symbolising chemical reactions. The home shirt draws on the traditional red-and-black combination and details of the BayArena. The alternative model now introduces the city coat of arms and lion as a third motif from the same local story. The collection therefore does not rely on a single retro element, but on several layers of identity: industrial history, club colours, the stadium and the city's heraldic heritage.
New shirt arrives ahead of the first official matches
The timing of the unveiling coincides with the final phase of Bayer 04's preparations for the 2026/27 season. According to the official schedules of the DFB and Bayer 04, the club's first competitive match is scheduled for 22 August, when Leverkusen visit third-division side SV Wehen Wiesbaden in the first round of the DFB-Pokal. The match will be played at the BRITA-Arena in Wiesbaden and will mark the official start of the new season for the team. The Bundesliga then begins on 29 August, with Bayer 04 visiting SV Elversberg in the first round, a club competing in the top tier of German football for the first time in the 2026/27 season. UEFA, meanwhile, lists Leverkusen among the participants in the 2026/27 Europa League, meaning the club enters the new season with commitments on three competitive fronts.
In such a schedule, the alternative shirt also has a practical function, as it gives clubs playing in multiple competitions an additional option when the colours of their home and away kits are too similar to those of their opponents. However, Bayer 04 has clearly also used the unveiling as another identity project. Instead of a neutral third kit, it has chosen a model that visually communicates Leverkusen and the city's symbol. The "Made in Lev" slogan therefore fits into the broader marketing and design strategy of the current collection without moving away from the club's fundamental red-and-black characteristics. The white background gives the model sufficient visual distinction, while the red and black elements preserve Bayer 04's recognisability.
New Balance's second season in Leverkusen
For New Balance, this is its second season as Bayer 04's technical partner after the collaboration began in the summer of 2025. When the agreement was signed, Bayer 04 emphasised that this was New Balance's first partnership of this kind in German professional football, giving the relationship additional strategic significance for both sides. The American company gained a club with regular European ambitions and a strong international profile, while Leverkusen gained a partner that announced the development of individualised products based on the club's and city's traditions. The 2025/26 and 2026/27 collections already show that the emphasis is being placed on motifs that cannot simply be transferred to another club. The new alternative shirt featuring lions from the city coat of arms is one of the most direct examples of this approach so far.
For supporters, practical questions will probably remain just as important as the design story: price, available sizes, the difference between the replica and Elite versions and the possibility of personalisation. The club's announcement for the new model lists children's sizes JS-JXL, adult sizes S-5XL and Elite sizes S-3XL, with prices of 69.90, 94.90 and 139.90 euros. Members receive a ten percent discount, while children's shirts and mini-kits in the 2026/27 season have a special member price of 49.90 euros. All of this places the new "Made in Lev" model within the same commercial framework as the rest of the collection, but with a recognisable visual identity based on the city. Bayer 04 therefore begins the season with three different stories on its shirts, and the latest of them brings the focus back to one of Leverkusen's oldest symbols - the Berg lion.
Sources:
- Bayer 04 Leverkusen - official announcement of the away shirt for the 2026/27 season, its design, prices, materials and member benefits (link)
- Bayer 04 Leverkusen - official announcement of the home shirt for the 2026/27 season and the design's connection with the BayArena (link)
- Bayer 04 Leverkusen - official announcement of the long-term partnership with New Balance from the 2025/26 season (link)
- City of Leverkusen - official information on the city coat of arms, the Berg lion and the meaning of the heraldic elements (link)
- City of Leverkusen - official overview of the city's history, the origin of the name Leverkusen and the development of the present city coat of arms (link)
- DFB - official schedule for the SV Wehen Wiesbaden - Bayer Leverkusen match in the first round of the 2026/27 DFB-Pokal (link)
- Bundesliga - official schedule for the first matchday of the 2026/27 season and the SV Elversberg - Bayer 04 Leverkusen match (link)
- UEFA - official Bayer 04 Leverkusen page in the 2026/27 Europa League (link)