Puma Kicks Gen AI Into Gear, Letting Fans Design Manchester City’s 2026 Kit

Puma is giving Manchester City fans the chance to design the team’s third kit for the 2026 season, using artificial intelligence to bring their creative visions to life.

The initiative lets fans generate custom designs, with the final kit selected through a mix of fan votes and expert judging. The winning design will be worn by the team.

“AI has become a little bit of a buzzword but [there’s] not a lot of examples of how AI is being used,” said Ivan Dashkov, head of emerging marketing tech, Puma. “The way that we think about AI is how we get it in the hands of consumers and let them co-create [jerseys] with us.” 

Despite a fair share of AI efforts in 2024 being met with backlash, brands are increasingly tapping into AI and fan engagement to reshape the future of sports merchandising.

The contest kicks off today and runs through December 20^th. In January 2025, the top 10 designs will be revealed, followed by another round of voting. The final winners will be announced in 2026, with the winning jersey becoming Manchester City’s official third kit for that season. This AI-designed kit will join the home and away kits.

This isn’t Puma’s first foray into gen AI. In September, the German sportswear brand used the tech for branding and online sales, focusing on enhancing its “AI-driven customization capabilities,” CEO Arne Freundt told The Wall Street Journal.

A YouGov survey conducted in July across 17 markets, with sample sizes ranging from 505 to 2,001 per market, revealed that 32% of consumers now have a more positive view of gen AI tools like ChatGPT compared to last year. However, this sentiment varies significantly by region, with only 17% of Americans reporting a more favorable opinion.

Still, consumer-facing AI in marketing can be unpredictable, biased, and prone to hallucinations.

Kit creation gets an AI makeover

Once people enter a prompt, the AI generates a kit in 60 seconds, offering four variations to choose from. Users can customize further by adjusting patterns, collars, and the Manchester City logo.