 |
| Borussia Dortmund joked about Kaizer Chiefs' 2026/27 kit similarities, but the comparison may be more about shared design trends than copying. |
Borussia Dortmund Mock Kaizer Chiefs Over Kit Similarities — But Does It Actually Make Sense?
Borussia Dortmund's official Vietnamese media channel recently posted a lighthearted meme comparing their 2026/27 kit collection to Kaizer Chiefs' — complete with a "Mr. Bean copying an exam" reference aimed squarely at the South African club. It's become the latest chapter in a running joke that's followed both clubs for years. Here's the full story, and a closer look at why the comparison, however funny, doesn't quite hold up the way it seems to on the surface.
The Dortmund–Kaizer Chiefs Kit Comparison
- - What happened: Borussia Dortmund's Vietnamese media channel posted a meme mocking the visual similarity between BVB's and Kaizer Chiefs' 2026/27 kit lineups
- - Where the similarities appear: Home kit (yellow with dark detailing), a bold purple alternate kit, and a black third kit — a "triple alignment" across the full collection
- - Sponsor coincidence: Dortmund is sponsored by Vodafone; Kaizer Chiefs by Vodacom — both display an almost identical red speech-mark logo
- - Current kit manufacturers: Dortmund — PUMA; Kaizer Chiefs — Kappa
- - This isn't new: Fans and South African sports media have flagged similar Dortmund-Chiefs comparisons repeatedly since at least August 2025, including comparisons to Chiefs' 2020 50th-anniversary Nike kit
- - Shared traditional colours: Both clubs' historic identities are built around yellow and black
What Dortmund Actually Posted
The latest flashpoint came from Borussia Dortmund's own official Vietnamese media channel, which shared a meme using the well-known "Mr. Bean copying an exam" format to poke fun at the resemblance between the two clubs' full kit collections for the 2026/27 season. The post wasn't hostile — it read as good-natured recognition of something South African football fans have been pointing out for a while, particularly Kaizer Chiefs supporters, who've followed the Dortmund comparisons closely across multiple kit cycles.
Just How Close Is the Resemblance?
According to reporting on the kit lineups, the overlap isn't limited to one shirt — it spans three separate kits:
| Kit | Dortmund | Kaizer Chiefs |
|---|---|---|
| Home | Traditional yellow with dark detailing | Traditional yellow with dark detailing |
| Alternate | Bold purple with vibrant yellow trim | Bold purple with vibrant yellow trim |
| Third | Sleek black design | Sleek black design |
That level of matching across an entire kit set — not just a single shared colour — is what pushed the comparison from a passing observation into something both fanbases, and eventually Dortmund's own media team, couldn't ignore.
The Sponsor Coincidence That Makes It Uncanny
Adding to the resemblance is a genuinely striking coincidence: Dortmund's shirt sponsor is Vodafone, while Kaizer Chiefs wear Vodacom — and both brands use a nearly identical red speech-mark logo on the chest. Vodacom is, in fact, a subsidiary of the Vodafone Group, which explains the shared visual branding language, even though the two sponsorship deals are entirely separate commercial arrangements specific to each club.
This Isn't the First Time
The Dortmund–Chiefs kit comparison has become something of a recurring storyline in South African football media, resurfacing multiple times over the past year:
- - August 2025: Dortmund's 2025/26 Cup kit — a tribute to their 1965/66 European Cup-winning side, featuring an all-yellow look with black detailing — drew immediate comparisons to Chiefs' Nike-era kits, prompting South African outlet Kick Off to run the headline "Dortmund drops Chiefs-esque kit."
- - August 2026: Dortmund's newly released 2026/27 away kit reignited the conversation, with fans specifically noting its resemblance to Kaizer Chiefs' 2020 50th-anniversary jersey — a design still fondly remembered by Amakhosi supporters.
This pattern suggests the resemblance isn't a one-off coincidence tied to a single kit cycle, but something that's shown up consistently across multiple Dortmund releases over at least two consecutive seasons.
Why the Comparison "Makes No Sense" — And Why It Also Kind Of Does
Here's where it's worth pushing past the meme and looking at the actual explanation, because the resemblance is both easier and harder to explain than it first appears.
The Case That It's Coincidental
Dortmund's traditional identity has been built around yellow and black since the club's founding — colours tied to their own history, badge, and iconic "Yellow Wall" stadium culture, entirely independent of South African football. Kaizer Chiefs' association with yellow and black similarly traces back to their own founding history in South Africa in 1970. Two of football's most historically significant clubs sharing a common colour palette isn't inherently suspicious — yellow and black are far from a rare combination in world football.
The Case That It's More Than Coincidence
What makes this specific comparison harder to wave away is the consistency across an entire kit range — not just the shared home colours, but matching purple alternates and matching black thirds in the same season, repeated across multiple years. A single shared colour is coincidence; a full multi-kit collection lining up this closely, year after year, points more plausibly to shared design trends within the broader kit manufacturing industry — template silhouettes, seasonal colour trends, and design inspiration that circulates globally among kit manufacturers — rather than either club directly copying the other.
Why "It Makes No Sense" Is Actually the Right Read
The mockery format itself — Mr. Bean literally copying an exam paper — implies direct imitation, which is where the joke breaks down on closer inspection. Dortmund and Kaizer Chiefs have never shared a kit manufacturer during this run of comparisons (Dortmund with PUMA, Chiefs previously with Nike and now Kappa), meaning there's no direct design pipeline connecting the two clubs' kits. The far more likely explanation is that both clubs, working with entirely different manufacturers, are independently drawing on similar seasonal colour trends and their own historically similar colour identities — landing in the same visual territory without either side actually "copying" anything.
- Orlando Pirates Sign Goalkeeper Dublin Boon from Stellies
- Best Live Football TV App for Android in Nigeria (2026)
Borussia Dortmund's meme about Kaizer Chiefs' near-identical 2026/27 kit collection is the latest, and most pointed, chapter in a comparison that's followed both clubs for at least two seasons — spanning matching home, alternate, and third kits, plus an almost too-perfect sponsor logo coincidence between Vodafone and Vodacom. Fun as the "copying" framing is, the more accurate explanation is that two clubs with genuinely similar historic colour identities, working through entirely different kit manufacturers, have simply converged on the same design trends independently — which, in a way, makes the resemblance even more remarkable than if one had actually copied the other.
FAQ
Why do Borussia Dortmund and Kaizer Chiefs have such similar kits?
Both clubs share a traditional yellow-and-black identity rooted in their own separate histories, and their 2026/27 kit collections happened to align closely across home, alternate, and third designs — likely due to shared seasonal design trends rather than either club copying the other.
Do Borussia Dortmund and Kaizer Chiefs use the same kit manufacturer?
No. Dortmund is currently sponsored by PUMA, while Kaizer Chiefs use Kappa, having previously worn Nike — meaning there's no shared design pipeline between the two clubs' kits.
Why do Dortmund and Kaizer Chiefs' shirt sponsor logos look alike?
Dortmund is sponsored by Vodafone and Kaizer Chiefs by Vodacom, which is a Vodafone Group subsidiary — explaining why both use a nearly identical red speech-mark logo on their shirts.
Has this kit comparison happened before?
Yes, repeatedly. Similar comparisons were made around Dortmund's 2025/26 Cup kit and again with their 2026/27 away kit, which fans compared to Kaizer Chiefs' 2020 50th-anniversary jersey.
Did Borussia Dortmund's comment about Kaizer Chiefs' kits seem serious or lighthearted?
Lighthearted. The post came from Dortmund's official Vietnamese media channel using a humorous meme format, rather than any official club statement addressing the resemblance seriously.
- Borussia Dortmund official website
