For their 2026/27 carnival shirt, Mainz 05 took inspiration from the jacket of the Schwellkopp Schnorres – in the season the city’s Schwellköpp celebrate their centenary.
Schnorres is easy to recognise by his magnificent moustache, which also gives him his name. He is one of the Schwellköpp, the oversized papier-mâché heads of Mainz’s Fastnacht carnival. His trademark, however, does not feature on Mainz 05’s new carnival shirt. The club and kit supplier JAKO revealed it at 11:11 on 11 November on Schillerplatz, as the city’s carnival season traditionally gets under way.
Thin red and white vertical stripes run the length of the shirt. The blue collar of Schnorres’ jacket returns as a dark blue polo collar, while blue contrast panels run down the sides.
The Details of Mainz 05’s Carnival Shirts
The four traditional carnival colours – red, white, blue and yellow – appear as thin trims inside the collar and on the cuffs. A small fool’s cap sits at the back of the neck and, as on the 2024/25 carnival shirt, the name and number printing takes its cue from party streamers.
There is also a goalkeeper version, modelled on Schnorres’ cap: stripes in several shades of dark blue, a red collar, red side panels and the four carnival colours as accents.
100 Years of Schwellköpp and Mainz 05’s Carnival Shirt Series
The Schwellköpp first appeared in Mainz’s Rose Monday parade in 1927, which makes the 2027 carnival season their centenary. Its motto, written in local dialect, declares that the Schwellköpp belong to Mainz as much as singing and laughter.
For their 2023/24 carnival shirt, Mainz 05 still looked to the uniforms of the Klepper-Garde. Since 2024/25, the Schwellköpp have served as the models: first Karlche, whose checked jacket supplied a diamond pattern, then in 2025/26 his wife Lisbetche, with the black and pastel chequerboard of her blouse. Schnorres is the third Schwellkopp in a row – and his shirt arrives in the centenary season.
Mainz 05’s Limited-Edition Carnival Shirt
The outfield shirt is limited to 1,905 pieces, matching the year the club was founded. The goalkeeper version is capped at 505.
Pre-sales for club members opened with the unveiling, via the club’s German-language online shop. The shirt is available from 11 January 2027, once again in a collector’s box with additional carnival extras.
