MINNEAPOLIS, MN — The Minnesota Vikings revealed their new "Rivalries" uniform on Tuesday, an alternate look the team will debut during a marquee NFC North matchup this season.
The Vikings will wear the uniform for the first time on Dec. 20 when they host the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium for Sunday Night Football.
The uniform is part of Nike's NFL Rivalries series, which expanded this year to include eight new teams from the NFC North and AFC South, including the Lions and the Houston Texans.
According to the Vikings, the design draws inspiration from Viking warrior armor and elements of the team's game day traditions.
The color scheme includes a deep purple inspired by past Vikings uniforms, a pale ivory drawn from the Gjallarhorn horn at U.S. Bank Stadium, and a metallic gold meant to reflect the history of Viking trade and craftsmanship.
The helmet features the word SKOL spelled out in runic characters used during the Viking Age, a detail the team says echoes an inscription that has been etched into runestones outside the players' tunnel since U.S. Bank Stadium opened.
The helmet also has a new two-tone design and a pointed center detail inspired by the nose guard on historical Viking helmets.
The uniform also includes a new Vikings wordmark inspired by the look of chiseled rune carvings, two-tone numbers designed to look carved from stone or ivory, and a Nordic knot pattern pulled from the braid design on the Gjallarhorn. On the pants, the knot pattern comes to a point meant to symbolize a sword.
Per Nike, the Rivalries uniforms remain in a team's rotation for three seasons after they debut.
The Vikings will also bring back their "Winter Whiteout" alternate uniforms later in the season for a game against Washington.
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