Crystal Palace have long been associated with the bold combination of red and blue, the colours that stripe Selhurst Park and define the Eagles in the popular imagination. Yet supporters arriving for the club's first home match of the 2026-27 Premier League season — a Friday-night fixture against Manchester City — will see their side take to the pitch in something rather different: a white shirt, complete with a diagonal blue and red sash across the chest.

It is not quite as radical a departure as it might first appear. White has threaded through Crystal Palace's visual identity for decades, appearing regularly as a secondary tone in home strips and as the dominant colour on away and alternate kits. What makes this season notable is that white has now been elevated to the principal home colour — something the club has not done since the 2008-09 campaign, a season spent entirely in the Championship rather than the top flight.

A deliberate nod to the past

Palace have been explicit about the reasoning behind the choice. The kit is designed as a tribute to a shirt worn by the club approximately 50 years ago. The diagonal sash first appeared during the club's run to the semi-finals of the FA Cup in 1976, and the following season it was adopted as the standard home strip for the full campaign. That white-and-sash combination then became a recurring feature of Palace kits through the early 1980s, making it a design with genuine roots in the club's heritage rather than a purely commercial exercise in nostalgia.

The detail extends to the badge. The strip carries Palace's former circular crest, the version worn by the club between 1973 and 1987. For supporters of a certain vintage, the combination of the white shirt, the sash and the old badge will evoke a very specific era of the club's history — one predating the Premier League era entirely.

First outing and what comes next

The shirt made its competitive debut in less than ideal circumstances. Palace wore it for the first time in a 2-0 defeat away to Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on the opening day of the season. Pierre Sage's side will be hoping for a rather warmer reception when they debut the strip at Selhurst Park on Friday evening.

The return of the white shirt is, on one level, a straightforward piece of kit design. But it speaks to something clubs increasingly recognise: that supporters respond to a genuine connection with history, not merely a rebranding exercise. When a design can be traced back to an FA Cup run and a specific era in a club's story, it carries weight that a purely modern aesthetic cannot easily replicate.

Whether the kit proves popular in the stands and in replica sales will become clear over the coming weeks. For now, it offers Palace fans something to discuss as a new season gets under way — and a reminder that the club's identity is rather richer and more layered than red, blue and the familiar badge alone.

Frequently asked

Why are Crystal Palace wearing white at home this season?
Crystal Palace have chosen a white home shirt for 2026-27 as a tribute to a kit the club wore around 50 years ago, featuring a diagonal blue and red sash that first appeared during their 1976 FA Cup run.
When did Crystal Palace last wear a white home kit?
The last time Palace wore white as their primary home colour was during the 2008-09 season, when they were playing in the Championship rather than the Premier League.
What is the badge on Crystal Palace's 2026-27 home shirt?
The shirt features Palace's former circular badge, which the club used between 1973 and 1987, adding an extra layer of retro authenticity to the design.