Chelsea have applied to wear a Club World Cup badge on their kits for the 26-27 season, according to Footy Headlines, which reported the filing this week. The application signals the club's intent to mark their participation in the tournament across all their strips for the campaign ahead.
Footy Headlines, which tracks kit and trademark filings as part of its coverage, identified the application as the basis for its report. The precise nature of the badge and which governing body it has been submitted to were not detailed in the wire.
Chelsea are among the clubs set to participate in the expanded Club World Cup, the FIFA-organised tournament that brings together club sides from across the world's footballing confederations. The competition represents a significant moment for any participating club, and the practice of marking kits with tournament or title insignia is well established in the professional game — Premier League winners, for instance, carry a champions badge on their shirts in the subsequent season.
For Chelsea, the opportunity to display such a badge would serve as a visible acknowledgement of their standing in the competition. Kit applications of this kind are typically submitted well in advance of a new season as manufacturers and clubs prepare their ranges, meaning the 26-27 strips are likely already in an advanced stage of development.
No further detail on the design or placement of the badge was available from the wire at this stage. Whether the marking will appear on all three kits or be confined to select strips also remains unclear. Further information would ordinarily emerge closer to the official kit launches, which for most Premier League clubs take place in the summer months before pre-season.