For their new Champions League kits, VfB Stuttgart draw on a pattern that's almost 40 years old. The story behind it leads to a European match in Hungary, hundreds of fans from East Germany – and an unusual gesture after the final whistle.
In the autumn of 1988, VfB Stuttgart faced Bányász Tatabánya in the UEFA Cup. The first-round second leg was lost 1-2, but after a 2-0 win in the first leg, the result was still enough to go through.
After the final whistle, the Stuttgart players walked over to the away end and handed their red shirts to the fans. By the end, the entire set of shirts had been given away.
Almost 38 years later, its pattern is back.
Why VfB Stuttgart Gave Away Their Shirts in 1988
Among the spectators in Hungary, alongside the supporters who had travelled from Cannstatt, were several hundred football fans from what was then East Germany. According to the club, they cheered the team on loudly alongside the Stuttgart fans.
The players thanked them by giving away their shirts. Guido Buchwald, Günther Schäfer and their teammates handed the shirts out in the away end. Even long-serving kit manager Jochen Seitz helped until the entire set had been handed out. The red away kit was not worn again after that.
Tatabánya was followed by a long UEFA Cup run. VfB ultimately reached the final against SSC Napoli, where Diego Maradona's side won 5-4 on aggregate, after a 2-1 first-leg win and a 3-3 draw in Stuttgart.
The Tatabánya Pattern Returns in the Champions League
For the 2026/27 Champions League season, VfB and JAKO are revisiting this chapter of the club's history.
It shows most clearly on the new away kit. The red shirt from 1988 provided the template, its distinctive fabric pattern reinterpreted for today. The classic white-and-red Champions League home kit also carries the “Tatabánya pattern” in its fabric. Retro squad numbers were designed for both kits too, matching JAKO's retro logo.
38 years after Tatabánya, VfB are wearing the pattern again in Europe. In the league phase, VfB will host Viking FK, Atlético Madrid, LOSC Lille and Club Brugge. Away, Stuttgart travel to Slovan Bratislava, Galatasaray, Inter Milan and PSV Eindhoven. The campaign kicks off at home against Viking on September 9.
Both Champions League kits are available now via VfB Stuttgart's online store.
VfB had already unveiled their home, away and third kits for the 2026/27 season earlier.
