Why Barcelona Are Wearing 2025–26 Third Kit Against PSG in Champions League

Barcelona will bring back their 2025–26 neon orange third kit when they visit Paris Saint-Germain in a gargantuan Champions League bout on Tuesday night.

The meeting between the Catalans and the Parisians was instantly circled as arguably the best game of the 2026–27 Champions League league phase following August’s draw. That sentiment has only intensified since as the reigning back-to-back champions welcome the most in-form team in Europe since the start of the campaign.

Although the stakes aren’t as high, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain are expected to deliver fireworks in a match many consider a potential preview of the 2026–27 Champions League final.

But even though Nike manufactured three different Barcelona kits for the new season, the Catalans will wear the “bright mango” 2025–26 third kit that paid homage to the club’s iconic “sextuple” triumph in the winter of 2009.

Why Barcelona Will Use 2025–26 Third Kit vs. PSG

Despite notable differences between all three of Barcelona’s kits this season, UEFA believes none of them differ sufficiently from PSG’s home blue and red jersey. UEFA’s decision is also influenced by television broadcasters that have the rights to the match, per SPORT.

Barcelona’s home Blaugrana jersey clearly clashes with PSG’s home kit. Barça’s second kit, the black and purple Kobe Bryant-inspired get-ups, were also discarded. Even the teal 2026–27 third kit the Catalans wore for the first and only time in the win against Levante didn’t get the green light from UEFA.

“In order to minimize color clashes,” Article 9 of UEFA’s equipment regulations says. “There must be a clear contrast between each team’s first-choice and second-choice outfield player attires, to the extent that they could be worn by opposing teams in a match.

“If one playing attire comprises predominantly dark colors, the other must comprise predominantly light colors, or if one of the playing attires is hooped, banded, striped or checked, the other must not contain either of the colors of the hoops/bands/stripes/checks.”

PSG’s home kit this season has a lighter shade of blue than their traditional navy base from previous seasons. Although Barcelona’s teal jersey is lighter, UEFA and television broadcasters wanted to avoid any confusion and discarded that option as well.

Last week, PSG were allowed to use their home kit against Manchester City despite Enzo Maresca’s men wearing their traditional sky blue jersey. However, City’s sky blue is lighter than Barcelona’s teal jersey. Plus, the Premier League giants wear white shorts and socks, further adding contrast to the kit-clash to avoid any confusion.

Not the First Time Barcelona Wear Previous Season’s Kit

Barcelona’s “bright mango” kit made its last appearance when Hansi Flick’s side defeated Basel 5–2 in its second-to-last preseason game before the start of the term. At that point, though, this season’s third kit had yet to be unveiled.

Still, you don’t have to go far into the past to find the last time Barcelona were forced to wear a kit from the previous season.

Last year, Flick’s side played their opening two matches of the 2025–26 season donning the bright, lemon-green third kit from the 2024–25 term—famously used when Barcelona fell out of the Champions League in the semifinals against Inter Milan in Flick’s debut campaign.

Like UEFA, it was the powers that be at La Liga who didn’t allow Barcelona to wear any of their new kits in the first two games of last term.

Fast forward to the present and Barcelona have run into the same problem. Still, donning their neon orange kit from last season, the Catalans will hope to make it 12 wins from 12 games across all competitions to start the campaign in a mouthwatering clash against the reigning European champions.