• Loading stock data...
Sunday, July 13, 2025

FC Barcelona Unveils Modernized Jerseys

A new look and a new sponsor headline the jersey change.

FC Barcelona’s home jersey for the 2017–2018 season (photo via @FCBarcelona)

On Monday, FC Barcelona, the newly crowned Copa del Rey champions, unveiled a new home kit for the 2017–2018 season. The new kit is a modern take on the classic Barça uniform and features the most significant updates, to the shirt in particular, in recent history.

Gone are the traditional thick red and deep blue stripes that have historically been a prominent feature of the club’s jersey and in their place is a pattern that Nike, the kit designer, refers to as “an updated interpretation of the traditional Blaugrana stripes.”

The loss of the thick stripes is not the only significant change. The shirt sponsor has changed as well. Rakuten, Japan’s largest e-commerce firm, has taken the place of Qatar Airways, which held the main spot the chests of world-class players Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez since 2013.

https://frontofficesports.com/fc-bayern-munich-and-audi-stun-with-hologram-press-conference-b8caf2cf5702

Barely a decade ago, Barcelona entered into the shirt sponsorship space for the first time, after resisting the trend that had been growing in soccer for years.

The club’s first shirt sponsor, Unicef, was revealed in 2006 as a part of a unique deal that required Barcelona to donate $2 million annually to the charity — a spin on the traditional sponsorship model.

More recently, though, the club entered into the traditional sponsorship space and its jersey fronts have displayed the name Qatar, first through a partnership with the Qatar Foundation in 2010 followed by a switch to the more recent Qatar Airways in 2013.

Since its debut, the Qatar sponsorship has been a controversial subject. Many felt the country’s name on the Barcelona players’ chests made the legendary La Liga club look like Qatar’s national team rather than a top Spanish team.

Now, however, that concern will be null as Rakuten is officially set to take over the shirtfront from the embattled Qatar Airways on July 1.

The partnership with Rakuten, which was announced in mid-November 2016, was somewhat of a surprise. Rakuten is a dominant company in Asia, a continent where La Liga teams, despite popularity, have always struggled to gain traction with due to the traditionally late broadcasts of its games.

The Premier League, whose game times are generally earlier in the day, has always held more clout in the Eastern continent. That being said, Rakuten felt the investment worthy and thus committed to a four-year, $188 million deal.

https://frontofficesports.com/fc-bayern-munich-and-audi-stun-with-hologram-press-conference-b8caf2cf5702

Rakuten, already a household name and large sports sponsor in Japan, is likely looking to push forward its brand globally.

Increased brand recognition is an all but guaranteed consequence of this deal due to Barcelona’s presence as a top-tier soccer club around the world.

Next year, Rakuten’s name will enter households across the world through television, and traditional and social media platforms as it is displayed on the chests of some of the most well known soccer players in the world.

Photo via @FCBarcelona

As for Qatar, the loss of the Barcelona sponsorship could have interesting side effects as the country gears up to host the 2022 World Cup. No longer will Barcelona be mistaken for the country’s national team, as former players and fans once feared, instead, Qatar will need to work to cultivate its own soccer identity outside of its association with the Spanish club in the five years leading up to the World Cup.

While the unveiling of the new kit closes one chapter of Barcelona’s history, it opens up another. For the players, in particular, that is exciting.

“Pulling on the new Barça kit for the first time creates a mixture of pride and optimism for the season ahead. It looks and feels like a modern uniform of sport,” Neymar Jr. commented on the new uniforms.

Pride and optimism are two perfect words to summarize what the jersey’s mean to Barcelona.

These words are reflected in the state of the art design and revolutionary Aeroswift technology behind the new kits. Outside of the technological advancements, however, is the sentiment behind the change and what it means for the club going forward.

The words “Força” and “Barça” are detailed into each sleeve, a constant reminder of the club’s power.

More important, though, is the neck collar, which serves as a canvas for part of the Catalan flag, the Senyera, a hugely important symbol to Catalonia, Barcelona’s region in Spain.

Yet the biggest thing newly unveiled jersey represents is change and a willingness to modernize and evolve. For Barcelona, a team with a storied past and unwritten future, that is a necessity.

What are your thoughts on the new Barcelona kits?


Front Office Sports is a leading multi-platform publication and industry resource that covers the intersection of business and sports.

Want to learn more, or have a story featured about you or your organization? Contact us today.

https://upscri.be/f32ae1

If you liked this, click the???? below so other people will see this here on Medium.


Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

NFL

30 NFL Second-Rounders Still Unsigned With Camps Set to Open

Saturday is the earliest rookie report date for training camp.
Cobh Ramblers
exclusive

Ireland’s Ramblers Latest Soccer Club to Gain U.S. Owner

The Ramblers play in the League of Ireland First Division.

Najee Harris Contract Situation Unclear Following Fireworks Injury

The running back signed a one-year, $5.25 million contract with the Chargers in March.

Featured Today

May 31, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Sydney McLaughin-Levrone (USA) reacts before the women's 100m hurdles during the Grand Slam Track Philadelphia at Franklin Field
exclusive

Track’s New Money Is Running Into Old Problems

The sport’s big-money era has hit some speed bumps in 2025.
Bobbleheads are seen at Vintage Indy Sports, Tuesday, April 29, 2025 in Speedway. The local sports memorabilia store opened recently.
July 12, 2025

Baseball’s Bobbleheads Are the Center of the Collectibles Universe

Baseball’s most important keepsake drives long lines—and big business.
Rimouski, QC - JUNE 1: Final Game of the 2025 Memorial Cup between the Medicine Hats Tigers and the London Knights on June 1, 2025, at the Colisée Financière Sun Life in Rimouski, Qc.
July 11, 2025

CHL Is Facing a ‘Pandora’s Box’ of Questions Amid NCAA Talent Departure

As players defect to college, the Canadian Hockey League won’t cede ground.
Jun 28, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) bats during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field.
July 9, 2025

The Torpedo Bat Business Is Still Going Strong: ‘Here to Stay’

Demand for the oddly shaped bats has stayed strong across the sport.

What Rolapp’s NFL Exit Means—and the Top Candidates to Replace Him

NFL media boss Brian Rolapp leaves; the league hunts for his replacement.
May 23, 2025

New LPGA Commissioner: Women’s Golf ‘Really Hard’ to Find on TV

Former PGA of America COO Craig Kessler will lead the tour.
Gabby Thomas
exclusive
June 12, 2025

Grand Slam Track Cancels Los Angeles Meet As $30 Million Track Start-Up..

Sources close to Grand Slam insist money is not an issue.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
Donald Trump, Nick Saban
May 22, 2025

Proposed Trump College Sports Commission May Never Happen

The White House is not sure of its plans.
May 15, 2025

PGA Championship Tees Off With Free Food, Record Hospitality Sales

General admission includes unlimited food and non-alcoholic beverages.
Jun 12, 2019; Boston, MA, USA; St. Louis Blues center Ivan Barbashev (49) and right wing Vladimir Tarasenko (91) hoists the Stanley Cup after defeating the Boston Bruins in game seven of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden
May 15, 2025

The 10 Biggest Stanley Cup Upsets of All Time

Since the 1984–1985 NHL season, 10 squads have defied the odds.
Allyson Felix
May 1, 2025

Allyson Felix on Olympic Pay, Nike, and Track’s Big-Money Era

Felix talked to FOS about her push to help Olympic parents and more.