To mark one of the most significant moments in English football history, Tottenham Hotspur unveiled a special edition kit for the 2025–26 season commemorating the 125th anniversary of the club’s 1901 FA Cup triumph. Produced by Nike, the 1901 FA Cup 125th Anniversary jersey celebrates a victory that remains unmatched: Spurs are still the only non-league club ever to lift the world’s oldest football cup. Worn during the FA Cup third-round fixture against Aston Villa, the shirt bridges past and present through a carefully considered design rooted in heritage and modern performance.
Design and Technical Features
The Nike Tottenham Hotspur 2025–26 1901 FA Cup 125th Anniversary shirt is presented in a full “whiteout” execution, reflecting the club’s traditional Lilywhite identity. The base colour extends across the entire shirt, with the sponsor logo, Nike Swoosh and detailing all rendered in tonal Lilywhite for a minimalist, era-appropriate appearance.
A heritage Tottenham Hotspur crest sits on the chest, replacing the modern badge to reinforce the historical narrative. In keeping with early 20th-century match shirts, player surnames are absent from the back, leaving only squad numbers visible. The shirt is produced exclusively in a long-sleeve format, enhancing its period-authentic silhouette.
While the visual language is historic, the construction is thoroughly modern. Nike’s lightweight performance fabric is used throughout, offering contemporary breathability and comfort without compromising the traditional look. Subtle finishing touches include period-inspired typography and a commemorative internal sign-off referencing the 1901 FA Cup Final, adding depth for collectors and historians alike.
History and Inspiration
The jersey takes its inspiration from Tottenham Hotspur’s landmark FA Cup victory in 1901, a moment that occupies a unique place in both club and English football history. At the time, Spurs were competing in the Southern League Division One and were not part of the Football League, making their FA Cup run highly unconventional by the standards of the era.
On 27 April 1901, Tottenham faced Sheffield United, a fully professional top-flight side, in the FA Cup final replay at Burnden Park in Bolton. After a drawn first final, Spurs secured a 3–1 victory in the replay, becoming the first—and to this day the only—non-league club to lift the FA Cup. The achievement was widely regarded as ground-breaking, symbolising the competitive openness of the early competition and cementing Tottenham’s place in football folklore.
The 2025–26 special edition kit reflects the visual simplicity of football shirts worn at the turn of the 20th century. During that period, kits were defined by plain fabrics, long sleeves and an absence of commercial branding, with identity conveyed through colour and form rather than embellishment. Nike’s design deliberately mirrors this aesthetic, stripping the shirt back to a monochrome Lilywhite palette and removing modern elements such as player names.
By combining a heritage crest, period-inspired typography and understated detailing, the shirt serves as a direct visual reference to Tottenham’s early years. It is designed not only as a commemorative garment, but also as a storytelling piece, reconnecting the modern club with an achievement that continues to define its historical identity more than a century later.
Usage and Debut
Tottenham Hotspur wore the 1901 FA Cup 125th Anniversary jersey during their FA Cup third-round match, marking exactly 125 years since the original triumph. The release was supported by a dedicated campaign titled “Carved From Our History”, which featured a marble relief sculpture of the 1901 shirt created by artist Alasdair Thomson.
The launch aimed not only to celebrate the achievement but also to educate younger generations about the significance of Spurs’ FA Cup legacy. Match-worn shirts from the fixture were later made available through MatchWornShirt, with proceeds directed to the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation.
Did You Know?
- Only 1,901 replica shirts were produced, each individually numbered in reference to the year of the FA Cup win.
- Every retail shirt was sold in a premium collector’s box containing a certificate of authenticity, a replica 1901 FA Cup Final ticket, player cards, branded tissue paper and a wax seal stamped “1901.”
- Tottenham Hotspur remain, more than a century later, the only non-league club to have won the FA Cup
