Football Shirt Buying Guides UK — Sizing, Fakes & Kit Care

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Your eight-step shirt check

Buy with confidence

Football shirt buying guides

Start with fit and authenticity if you already know the shirt you want. If you are still deciding, use the price and kids guides to choose the right version before visiting a retailer.

Choose the edition

Authentic vs replica: which shirt should you buy?

Use verified Nike, adidas and PUMA product pairs to separate the licensed supporter shirt from the player-focused edition before comparing fit and value.

Choose your edition →

Fit & shirt type

Football shirt sizing: replica or authentic?

Compare UK size charts for Nike, Adidas, Puma and other major makers, then decide whether a roomier replica or closer-cut player shirt suits you.

Check your size →

Names, numbers & patches

Personalise a shirt without a costly mistake

Check fit, spelling, squad-number risk, print style, patch compatibility and UK return rights before the shirt is customised.

Use the pre-print checks →

Authenticity

How to spot a fake football shirt

Check the badge, fabric, stitching, labels, product code, seller and returns policy before trusting a suspicious listing.

Run the checks →

Price & value

Why football shirts cost so much

Understand what sits behind the retail price and when the extra cost of an authentic shirt is—or is not—useful to you.

Understand the price →

Buying for children

Kids football kits and sizing

Find junior shirts, compare manufacturer sizing and check the practical details before ordering a personalised kit that may not be returnable.

Find kids kits →

Care

How to wash a football shirt safely

Protect names, numbers, badges and technical fabric with a simple low-temperature washing and air-drying routine.

Read the care guide →

Retro shirts

Buy retro shirts without getting ripped off

Learn the difference between an original, an official reissue and a counterfeit, plus the details to request from a resale seller.

Read the retro guide →

Discover and compare

Find current club kits

Use the finder when you want to browse across clubs. Use the release trackers when you need to know whether a specific 2026–27 shirt is official and ready to buy.

All major clubs

Club Kit Finder

Search and filter current club shirts, compare selected kits and save the ones you want to revisit.

Open the kit finder →

Release status

New football kits tracker

See which 2026–27 shirts are official, which are still being watched and where a concept image should not be mistaken for a release.

Check new releases →

English clubs

Premier League kits 2026–27

Use the league-wide tracker for current shirt status, club-by-club buying advice and links to detailed kit pages.

Browse Premier League kits →

Rankings

Best Premier League kits ranked

Compare the designs, buying value and fake-shirt risk before deciding which new-season shirt deserves your money.

See the ranking →

If you are buying now

Do these checks before checkout

Version: use the replica and authentic comparison before paying for a player-spec shirt.
Seller: run the fake-shirt checklist when the price or product photography raises doubts.
Size: measure first, and double-check returns terms before adding personalisation.
Status: check the current release tracker so a concept or rumour is not mistaken for an official shirt.

After checkout

Keep the shirt in good condition

Read the football shirt care guide before the first wash, especially if the shirt has a printed name, number or sponsor. Collectors can also browse the club kit-history archive and use the retro buyer’s guide before moving into older shirts.

Tournament and travel

World Cup 2026 guides

National-team kit tracking remains part of FootyKitsBattle. These resources cover tournament shirts, family buying, matchday planning and travel across the host cities.

Tournament shirts