Why Was Mamdani Wearing an Arsenal Top at Eid?
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani wore a custom thobe made from Arsenal's 2025/26 away kit at Eid al-Adha prayers in the Bronx on 27 May 2026. He is a lifelong Arsenal supporter, and the outfit appeared days after the club ended their 22-year wait for a Premier League title. The viral photo of him greeting worshippers at Macombs Dam Park has been viewed over a million times.
Who is Zohran Mamdani
Mamdani is New York City's first Muslim mayor and one of the most-watched political figures in the United States. Born in Uganda and of South Asian heritage, he has spoken publicly for years about his support for Arsenal, including an interview earlier this year where Ian Wright recorded him a surprise video message.
What kit was it actually
The garment was a custom-tailored thobe cut from the design of Arsenal's 2025/26 away kit. The deep navy base, the heavy red zigzag chevrons running collar to hem, the Emirates Fly Better sponsor on the chest, the Visit Rwanda branding worked into the upper sleeves. It is the same away strip Arsenal wore for much of their title-winning campaign.
The tailoring fused South Asian kurta styling with Gulf thobe construction: structured collar, embroidery, paired trousers, side slits. Reports suggest the garment was custom-made for the occasion rather than off-the-shelf.
Why this kit, why this moment
Two things made the moment land. First, the timing. Arsenal had just won the Premier League for the first time in 22 years. For any Gooner watching from abroad, the away kit is the kit of the title-winning season. Second, the venue. Eid al-Adha is the holier of the two major Islamic festivals. Wearing his club at a public prayer service was Mamdani folding faith, heritage and football into a single garment.
"Our solidarity is our strength. Eid Saeed, New York," he wrote on X. The post crossed a million likes within hours.
Where can you get an Arsenal kit like it
The custom thobe itself is not on general sale. But the Arsenal 25/26 away kit it was made from is one of the most sought-after shirts in the world right now, both because of the title win and because of the global attention this moment has brought to it.
You can buy the away kit directly from Arsenal, from major retailers, or you can do what a growing number of collectors are doing instead. Let the kit find you.
Shirt in a Box ships an authentic, hand-picked football shirt to your door every month, sourced from clubs across Europe and beyond. You tell us your size and the kind of clubs you are open to. We send you a kit you would never have picked yourself. The whole point is the moment of opening a box and finding something that surprises you, the same way Mamdani's tailor surprised an entire internet with one fit.
Plenty of our subscribers have pulled Arsenal shirts over the past year. A few have pulled the exact away kit Mamdani turned into a thobe.
If this week has reminded you that a football shirt is not just a football shirt anymore, Shirt in a Box is the most fun way back into the hobby.