Why is Crystal Palace's home kit white?

Crystal Palace will be donning a white home kit for the 2026-27 Premier League season, marking the first time in nearly two decades they'll wear this color. While traditionally associated with the Eagles, white has been a secondary tone in their home shirts over the past four decades and appears frequently on away and alternate jerseys.

The new white strip features a blue and red sash diagonally across the chest, echoing the club's traditional colors. This particular design was first used in 1976 when Crystal Palace reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup; the following season, they wore the shirt for the entire campaign. The strip also incorporates the club's former circular badge, worn between 1973 and 1987.

Palace donned the shirt for the opening fixture of the 2026-27 season, a 2-0 away defeat to Everton. The Eagles will wear the white home kit at Selhurst Park for the first time on Friday when they host Manchester City in their season's inaugural home match. The last instance of Crystal Palace wearing a white kit as their home shirt was during the 2008-09 season, when the club was in the Championship.