Atlético Mineiro is placing its supporters at the heart of a new chapter in the club’s shirt culture. For the 2026/27 edition of Manto da Massa, fans will be able to contribute ideas, visual references and stories that may influence the design of the club’s next special shirt.
Rather than presenting a finished design, Atlético has opened the creative process to the people who give the shirt its meaning. Contributions are being accepted from 17 to 23 August through the official Manto da Massa website. Those suggestions will inform three design concepts, with supporters later returning to choose their preferred option.
A shirt built from collective memory
Football shirts often become memorable because of what happens while they are worn. In this project, however, memory enters the process before the shirt even exists.
Supporters can propose symbols, colours, stories and visual references connected to Atlético’s identity. That gives the project an unusually personal dimension. A detail inspired by Belo Horizonte, a historic match, the club’s traditions or the experience of following the team could eventually become part of the final concept.
The approach also recognises something collectors have long understood: a shirt is never only a piece of matchwear. It can hold memories of family, terraces, neighbourhoods and generations of support. By inviting those memories into the design conversation, Atlético is treating its fanbase as more than an audience.
From supporter ideas to three concepts
Once the contribution period closes, the ideas will be studied and developed into three different proposals. Supporters will then vote on the design they want to see selected.
This balance between open participation and a structured design process should make the final vote particularly interesting. The three concepts will need to express a recognisable Atlético identity while bringing together suggestions from a large and diverse group of fans.
Importantly, no finished shirt has yet been revealed. Any images or predictions circulating before the official concepts are presented should therefore be treated as speculation rather than the confirmed 2026/27 design.
Designed to become part of matchday
The winning Manto da Massa will not exist only as a commemorative release. Atlético has indicated that the team will wear the selected shirt in at least one official match during the season.
That detail gives the project greater sporting significance. The ideas submitted by supporters could move from personal memories and sketches to the pitch, becoming part of a new chapter in the club’s visual history.
For collectors, the most compelling aspect may be the story behind the eventual design. Special shirts tend to resonate when they have a clear reason to exist, and this edition will carry a direct record of fan participation from its earliest stage.
The next step belongs to the supporters
The final appearance remains unknown, but the purpose of the project is already clear: Atlético Mineiro wants its next special shirt to reflect the people who live the club’s identity every day.
As the ideas are gathered and the three concepts take shape, attention will turn to which symbols and stories make the final selection. Whatever design wins, its strongest feature may be the collective process that brought it to life.
Supporters can explore more Brazilian football shirts currently available at Al’s Sportswear:
https://alsportswear.com.au/collections/brazilian-teams/
Source: Mantos do Futebol
https://mantosdofutebol.com.br/2026/08/atletico-mineiro-manto-da-massa-2026-27-criacao-coletiva-participacao-nike/