Kit day: Cardiff ditch New Balance, Hibs go Reebok

Cardiff City: New Balance out, Castore in

Cardiff City's 2026-27 home kit — reported by Footy Headlines — marks the end of the club's New Balance era and the beginning of life with Castore. The British sportswear brand has been steadily building its football portfolio over recent years, and landing a Championship club with Cardiff's fanbase is a meaningful addition to that roster.

Castore's aesthetic tends toward the clean and technical — less fuss, more structure — and that approach should suit a club whose identity is built on the blue shirt rather than anything draped over it. Whether the Bluebirds' supporters warm to the new supplier will depend entirely on the product, but the commercial logic is straightforward enough: Castore wants Championship-level visibility, Cardiff wants a kit partner willing to invest at that level.

Note: this switch is currently reported via Footy Headlines. We're seeking confirmation from Cardiff City or a second independent source before treating this as fully verified.

Hibernian: Reebok's Scottish Premiership foothold

The more eyebrow-raising move of the day, arguably, is Hibernian's switch from Joma to Reebok. The American brand — enjoying a broader football revival after years on the periphery — now has a Scottish Premiership club on its books, and Easter Road is a decent stage for it.

Joma had been a reliable if unspectacular presence at Hibs. Reebok brings a different kind of cultural weight — nostalgia, streetwear crossover, the faint memory of early-2000s kits that people are currently paying silly money for on Depop. Whether the 26-27 home kit leans into that heritage or goes its own way, the switch is reported as confirmed and the shirts are out.

Reebok did not need to try very hard to make this feel like news.

Note: as with Cardiff, this is currently single-sourced via Footy Headlines. Independent confirmation from Hibernian or a second outlet is being sought.

The rest of the drop

Elsewhere on the same day, Livingston FC and Partick Thistle both released their 26-27 home kits — Livingston staying with Joma, Partick Thistle dropping their own new look. In Spain, CD Numancia unveiled a full set of home, away and third kits with Erreà, while Real Unión released their home and away strips via Macron. Over in Germany, Dynamo Dresden dropped a goalkeeper kit and Chemnitzer FC revealed their away shirt.

And crossing the Atlantic: New Mexico United unveiled what they're calling the 'Bottle Rocket' kit — a limited-edition release that leans hard into local identity and the kind of USL storytelling that's quietly become one of the more interesting corners of kit culture. It's a long way from Easter Road, but the instinct is the same: use the shirt to say something.

None of those moves carry the same commercial weight as the Cardiff and Hibernian switches, but collectively they paint a picture: mid-June is when clubs at every level finalise their commercial arrangements for the season ahead, and this particular Thursday was a busy one.