The Best Lunar New Year Football Shirts 2026: Celebrating the Year of the Horse

Lunar New Year football shirts are a collector's obsession.

With new designs every year from some of the world’s biggest teams, it’s a great way to pick up unique worn & signed football shirts from your favourite players. Think delicate calligraphy, gold detailing, and hidden easter eggs. Hyped yet?

And 2026 is no different. Clubs from the Premier League to Ligue 1 and the SPFL released special-edition match warm-up jerseys to celebrate the Year of the Horse.

With that said, here are a few of our favourite Lunar New Year releases that you can own, match-worn & signed via auction for a limited time. 

What is Lunar New Year and why do football clubs celebrate it?

Also known as the Spring Festival, Lunar New Year is one of the most important celebrations in many Asian cultures, marking the beginning of a new year on the lunisolar calendar.

Key things to know about Lunar New Year:

• Falls every year between late January and mid-February

• Each year represented by one of 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac

• Celebrates themes of renewal, family, prosperity and good fortune

• Symbolised by the colour red, intricate patterns and zodiac-inspired artwork

Since the mid-2010s, football clubs around the world have embraced Lunar New Year by releasing stunning special-edition shirts, honouring the celebration and their global fanbases. 

The designs often incorporate zodiac animals, calligraphy, gold accents and culturally significant motifs, blending club identity with festive symbolism. You can really see why fans and collectors are mad for match-worn Lunar New Year football shirts!

PSG Lunar New Year Shirt 2026

Parisiens mark Year of the Horse

When it comes to special-edition football shirts, PSG are elite. From limited-edition runs and collabs with fashion houses, every season has multiple drops to look forward to.

Over the years, Messi, Mbappe, Neymar, Dembélé have all donned stunning shirts on the pitch at Parc des Princes as the club took their Rouge et Bleu brand worldwide. And now shirts from the stars of now are available. 

In 2026, PSG celebrate with special home and warm-up shirts featuring bespoke detailing for the Year of the Horse. Both designs incorporated the Chinese character “Horse” (馬), with the home shirt using exclusive name and number printing, while the white warm-up top introduced a red design inspired by traditional Chinese ink art. Just look at these!

This one was worn for one match only, at home in a dominant 3-0 win over Metz at Parc des Princes. Desire Doué, Bradley Barcola and Goncalo Ramos all netted for the Parisiens as they went back top of Ligue 1. A memorable match for a memorable shirt! 

Shirt details:

• The Match: Warm-up and match worn vs. Metz (Ligue 1)

• The Players: Ousmane Dembélé, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Achraf Hakimi and more. 

• The Auctions: PSG Lunar New Year shirts | PSG Lunar New Year warm-up shirts

Hearts Lunar New Year shirt 2026

Newcomers to the LNY shirt community

You weren’t expecting to see Edinburgh’s finest on this list? Hearts are on fire on and off the pitch it seems: As we write, the Jambos sit top of the SPFL going into the final stretch and they’re also winning with their first Lunar New Year warm-up shirt. 

This fire horse inspired shirt features the club’s iconic maroon with gold details in a wraparound “lucky cloud” design.

The retail version flew off the digital shelves, meaning the match-worn shirts have even more significance. 

The shirt and a beautiful warm-up jacket were worn pre-match in a 1-0 win over Falkirk that sent Hearts four points clear in their fight for what would be a historic SPFL title. 

Shirt details:

• The Match: Warm-up vs. Falkirk (SPFL)

• The Players: Cláudio Braga, Islam Chesnokov, Harry Milne. 

• The Auction: Hearts Lunar New Year shirts 

Chelsea Lunar New Year shirt 2026

Spring Festival at Stamford Bridge

The Year of the Horse galloped into west London in style. 

For their Premier League clash with Leeds United at Stamford Bridge and the Women’s Super League fixture against Liverpool at Kingsmeadow, Chelsea marked Lunar New Year with a limited-edition warm-up shirt full of history.

The design reintroduced the club’s original Eton blue – a nod to the horse racing colours of Earl Cadogan, Chelsea’s first president back in 1905 – paired with white and black detailing inspired by that very first kit.

On the back is how fans address Chelsea in Mandarin, 車, making a proper collector’s item for Blues fans. These warm-up shirts aren’t just a tribute to the Year of the Horse, but also the club’s equestrian roots. What a combination!

Men’s shirt details:

• The Match: Squad-signed warm-up shirts vs. Leeds (Premier League)

• The Auction: Chelsea Lunar New Year shirts

Women’s shirt details

• The Match: Warm-up worn vs. Liverpool (WSL)

• The Players: Lauren James, Keira Walsh, Hannah Hampton

• The Auction: Chelsea Women Lunar New Year shirts

Spurs Lunar New Year shirt 2026

Tottenham honour global fanbase

North London honours Lunar New Year with a special-edition pre-match shirt, worn by the men’s team ahead of their clash with Newcastle and by the women’s side before a crushing 7-3 victory over Aston Villa. 

The shirt was imagined by Shanghai-based artist Luna, and celebrates the Year of the Horse with intricate linework inspired by a horse in full sprint, symbolising “freedom, momentum and determination”.  

A large silhouette of the club crest dominates the back, while gold sponsor detailing stood out on the front. Subtle nods to Spurs’ identity were woven throughout, including references to THFC monogram and ‘N17’, blending Lunar New Year symbolism with unmistakable North London DNA.

Men’s shirt details:

• The Match: Warm-up worn vs. Newcastle (Premier League)

• The Players: Xavi Simons, Archie Gray, Micky van de Ven

• The Auction: Tottenham Lunar New Year shirts

Women’s shirt details

• The Match: Warm-up worn vs. Liverpool (WSL)

• The Players: Toko Koga, Bethany England, Maite Oroz

• The Auction: Tottenham Women Lunar New Year shirts 

More Lunar New Year football shirts for 2026

You can see the full line-up of auctions via the Lunar New Year page, and as soon as additional match-worn & signed shirts come in, they’ll be mentioned right here.

Follow your team for the latest updates on special-edition shirts and new partnership announcements!