Pink boots flood the World Cup as fashion wins

From the U.S. opener to Brazil’s kickoff moment, goals are being scored with pink boots firmly in view. With Nike, Adidas, Puma, Skechers and New Balance all rolling out the colour for this World Cup in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, executives say the shift isn

Pink boots have taken over the World Cup—so much so that they’ve become as noticeable as the opening runs, the first touches, and the flashes of skill.

Gio Reyna set the tone for the U.S. with an iconic goal to kick off the tournament. Vinícius Junior followed with a dazzling strike in Brazil’s opener. and Kylian Mbappé marked his night with two goals to move France toward history. Harry Kane also delivered. scoring two to help England match a team mark as he and his teammates chase the elusive trophy.

What ties those moments together isn’t just stagecraft. It’s the colour. Across the World Cup taking place in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, pink is the standout shade on the pitch, and dozens of players are wearing pink boots that catch the eye against the green grass.

Shoe companies didn’t just pick pink for show. Multiple manufacturers produced the boots ahead of the tournament with a focus on performance as well as visibility. Nike Director of Global Footwear Odinga Nimako said athletes associate the colour with confidence and standing out.

Nike also pointed back to where it all began for modern boot perception. Nimako referenced Nike’s silver, yellow and blue boots at the 1998 World Cup as a turning point in how people saw boots in the sport, before black and white became the standard.

This time, several brands have brought pink to the biggest venue. Nike, Adidas, Puma, Skechers and New Balance all came out with pink boots.

Mbappé and Vinícius both wear Nike, as does Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Norway’s Erling Haaland. Reyna, England’s Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice are in Adidas, alongside Canada’s Jonathan David, Spain’s Lamine Yamal and France’s Ousmane Dembélé.

In Brazil, Neymar Jr. is expected to show up in Puma pink whenever he plays, while the U.S. has Weston McKennie in Puma. Timothy Weah is among the players wearing New Balance. Kane and Sweden’s Anthony Elanga are sporting Skechers.

Skechers’ connection to the colour is pitched as both performance-minded and aesthetic. Skechers Director of Technical Performance Alex Bardini said the inspiration came from the company’s headquarters in southern California.

“The colourways reflect the breathtaking palette of an L.A. sunset: warm shades of pink and purple melting into white, with subtle tinges of orange,” Bardini said.

Outside the matches themselves, pink has already spread through the lead-up. From Los Angeles and Vancouver to Guadalajara, Houston, Miami and Boston, pink has become a visible winner long before the tournament is decided.

The World Cup has already shown how quickly the trend can translate into match-day moments. When Sweden put up five on Tunisia in Monterrey, Mexico, three of those goals came from players in pink boots—two by Yasin Ayari and another in the 84th minute by Mattias Svanberg.

Pink, however, doesn’t change the physics of finishing. Shoe executives argue the colour is about mindset. Bardini said comfort and performance are at the core of what Skechers does, while Nimako said Nike wants players to feel more aerodynamic.

“That feeling is holistic,” Nimako said. “It’s the engineering, yes, but it’s also how the entire product comes together. When an athlete puts on a Mercurial and it looks fast, feels locked in, and weighs next to nothing, that perception reinforces performance. Everything works together.”

World Cup pink boots soccer boots Nike Adidas Puma Skechers New Balance Odinga Nimako Alex Bardini Gio Reyna Vinícius Junior Kylian Mbappé Harry Kane