The Football Boots That Defined the 2026 World Cup

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is over, which means we’ll have to find something else to do until the regular season starts up again. The only upside to the tournament’s conclusion is that we can look back through the boots that defined this epic, 104-match event.

The group stages saw every big footballing powerhouse debut new boots in pink, including Nike’s ‘Breakout’ Pack, Team Trefoil’s ‘Road to Glory’ Pack, and PUMA’s ‘Showtime’ Pack. When the knockout stages arrived, many players switched from pink-adorned boots to other specialised iterations, like Team Swoosh’s ‘Scorpion’ Mercurials and Messi’s signature adidas F50. There was also a handful of players who flexed their endorsement deals with smaller football brands: Under Armour scored the final goal with golden boy Ferran Torres, Bukayo Saka strutted in New Balance Furons, and Harry Kane laced up new boots to become England’s top World Cup goal-scorer.

The neck-cranking colourways and spicy new models weren’t the event’s only footwear stories – read on for the football boots that defined the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Nike Mercurial and Phantom

Just ahead of the tournament, Nike launched a massive update to their Mercurial franchise, blessing the world with the Vapor 17 and Superfly 11 on June 1. The former catered to players who quickly change direction during play, while the latter served straight-line speedsters. Over the course of the World Cup, the Mercurials were clocked on the feet of some of the great finishers, so we weren’t surprised that the boots ultimately racked up over 60 goals – mostly thanks to France’s Kylian Mbappé, who won the Golden Boot with 10 goals under his belt. Nike also used the Mercurial to celebrate Cristiano Ronaldo scoring in six consecutive global tournaments, blessing the GOAT with two gold Superflys released in uber-limited numbers.

The second boot from Nike’s arsenal that caused quite a stir was the precision-geared Phantom 6. This was the work of Norway's Erling Haaland, who helped the country end their 28-year-long World Cup drought – not only making it to the group stages but achieving a historic run all the way to the quarter finals. Haaland rocked the Phantom 6 (including a Travis Scott colab version) to score seven goals throughout the tournament – just three behind the Golden Boot winner.

PUMA FUTURE 9

Another heater spotted on the feet of some of football’s big dogs (like Kai Havertz and Cody Gakpo) was the PUMA FUTURE. The Big Cat employed plenty of eye-catching colourways for the model, also reviving their 2014 ‘Tricks’ concept which saw mismatched boots on the global stage for the first time in almost a decade. The FUTURE 9’s biggest moment of 2026 came when Brazilian forward Neymar stepped off the bench, wearing a special pair designed by KidSuper. Designer Colm Dillane added plenty of details to celebrate the player, including a phoenix graphic and a sockliner inspired by Neymar’s famous ‘Brazilian Boy’ tattoo.

Under Armour Shadow Elite 4 Mach FG

Under Armour aren’t as dominant in the football world as Nike, adidas and PUMA – but they managed to secure the spotlight during a key juncture in the final Spanish victory over Argentina. It was the brand’s Shadow Elite 4 Mach FG which graced the feet of Spain’s Ferran Torres as he scored the only goal in the tournament’s final game.

adidas F50 and Predator

The adidas F50 was one of the biggest boots of the entire tournament, rocked by some of the event’s most impactful players. Lionel Messi held the largest presence, wearing his signature F50 'El Último Tango' boot in Argentine colours. He helped bring his country to the finals once again – a historic achievement to mark the player’s last World Cup. Also making it to the finals was young superstar Lamine Yamal, who took Spain to supreme victory in the F50 Hyperfast Laceless. France’s Ousmane Dembélé also favoured the F50 Hyperfast, as well as South Korea’s Son Heung-min and Mexico’s Gilberto Mora.

A standout player of this year’s Cup was English midfielder Jude Bellingham, who scored a mega seven goals throughout the tournament. He helped carry the Three Lions to the semi-finals, and continued the long line of elite British players like David Beckham and Steven Gerrard who have scored in the adidas Predator. The legacy Team Trefoil boot made an impact that was felt right across the knockout stages and finals, worn by elite playmakers and ball controllers like Declan Rice and Pedri.

Look back at all of the sneaker and boot happenings from the 2026 FIFA World Cup right here!