:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47086924/GettyImages-450295542.0.jpg)
We've already seen it thanks to a late-July leak, but on Wednesday the Italian national team unveiled their new kits from Puma:
Italy is ready to wow in the new away kit. Spotlight on @azzurri on the road to France. #ForeverFaster pic.twitter.com/kTPg7HYDFD
— PUMA Football (@pumafootball) September 3, 2015
The shirt will be used as their away alternate for the runup to the European Championships next summer, and in the final tournament in France. It's an interesting -- and busy -- design, and it's one that we'll have to see in action before it's fully judged.
Introducing the new @Azzurri away kit. Ready to be worn on the way to France. #ForeverFaster pic.twitter.com/tMc4I8EyS9
— PUMA Football (@pumafootball) September 2, 2015
To be honest, the tricolor stripe for the Italian flag down the center of the chest still isn't a great look. It's just too there, if that makes sense. Having it down the back of the socks that go with the kit doesn't really help any. Fortunately, the pinstriping that was criticized from the leaks isn't as much of an issue as feared -- instead of light gray pinstripes as the leak image appeared to have, the stripes are a recessed texture feature that you won't even notice until you're fairly close up. That goes a long ways to clean up the shirt, but one still has to imagine that Puma could have done better by one of their biggest national team shirt-sellers.
There's still a home kit yet to be released at some point as well, so hopefully that kit is a better look. The new kits are set to be used for the first time in Italy's Euro qualifier against Malta on Thursday.