How to check a football shirt on authenticity (Nike, Adidas, Puma)

Published on 23 February 2026 at 14:47

Authentic football shirts carry history, identity, craftsmanship and collectors know how important it is to separate genuine pieces from replicas. With today’s growing market for vintage and modern shirts, being able to verify authenticity has never been more essential.

In this guide, we break down the key details you can check yourself, from product codes to label quality, so you can confidently identify real shirts from Nike, adidas and PUMA.

Whether you’re a seasoned collector or just starting your journey, these tips will help you understand exactly what to look for before adding a new shirt to your collection.

Nike

Inside every genuine Nike shirt, you’ll find a printed label with a 9‑digit code in this format:
123456‑789
It’s made up of:

Six digits for the style (the model)
Three digits for the colour variant

You can enter this code and brand (Nike) on a search engine like Google or an AI tool. A genuine shirt will always match the correct model and colour.

Adidas

Inside every authentic adidas shirt in the collar or in the shirt (in older models), you’ll find a printed label with an article number that looks like this:
A12345
It always follows the same structure:

One letter at the beginning
Five digits after it

Again, enter this code and brand (Adidas) in a search engine or AI tool and you should see the corresponding football shirt.

Puma

Inside every genuine PUMA shirt, you’ll find a printed label with a product code that looks like this:
123456‑01
The structure is always the same:

Six digits for the model
Two digits for the colour variant (not for every model)

General tips

A quick way to spot a fake football shirt is by checking the stitching, fabric and overall construction quality. Authentic shirts from major brands always have clean, even stitching with no loose threads, straight hems, and a well‑structured collar, while counterfeits often show wavy seams, messy inside stitching and poor alignment.

The fabric of a real shirt feels lightweight, breathable and matte, whereas fakes tend to use heavy, shiny and plastic‑like material.

Badges and sponsor prints are another giveaway: originals have sharp edges, correct fonts and durable heat‑pressed or embroidered details, while fakes often look glossy, cheap or peel easily.

Finally, always inspect the tags and product codes, authentic labels have sharp printing and accurate codes that match the exact model, while counterfeits frequently use random numbers or low‑quality tags.

Conclusion

Authenticity matters, not just for value, but for the story behind every shirt. With the right checks, you can collect with confidence and avoid replicas. And whenever you need trusted, verified pieces, Number14Shirts is here to help you find the real deal.