If you’ve been staying up late to watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup, you’ve probably already clocked the striking pink cleats that the majority of athletes are wearing. Ever since the opening match between Mexico and South Africa (only three players were not wearing pink cleats that day), the Barbie-ready hue has become the unofficial colour of the season. Don’t believe us? Well the numbers prove it. A Reuters report that analysed the starting line-ups for each team found that 365 of the 528 starters, or about 69 per cent of the players wore pink, with Nike and Adidas almost evenly split in the battle for the boots. So what made this striking colour the unexpected uniform of the season? One that unites players of all teams, be it Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland or Harry Kane.
The main reason is of course that all the major sporting brands; Nike, Adidas, Puma, New Balance and Skechers, independently released new, brightly-coloured soccer cleats in time for the World Cup. Naturally, the players they were created for are all contractually obliged to wear the shoes that were custom crafted just for them. For brands, the choice of pink was multifold. Firstly, it’s a colour that’s guaranteed to stand out against the green of the pitch, increasing visibility and drawing attention to their products (unless of course every player is wearing the exact same palette). Secondly, in addition to practicality, pink is a real mood booster. Odinga Nimako, Nike Football Footwear Director of Product Management, told The Athletic that, “The way we approached it was focusing on what are some of the brightest colours, what are those colors that are really amplifying that confidence, and pink is one of those.”
There is a slight irony when you consider that pink has long been associated with women and the idea that you can just shrink something and colour it pink is how many sporting brands have approached their womenswear categories. In actual fact though, bright shades of pink have slowly become a staple of sportswear. Just look at the Rajasthan Royals cricket team in their fuchsia and blue jerseys or the BWT Alpine F1 team whose Gelusil-pink car instantly stands out on the race track. On the football pitch too, Arsenal introduced a baby pink kit in 2022 and a few weeks ago Croatia’s goalkeeper Dominik Livaković went on a saving spree in the match against England wearing a fluoro pink kit (although the team ultimately lost by two points).
Luckily this obsession with fuchsia shoes has extended beyond the world of sports and into fashion too with new releases from brands like Onitsuka Tiger, Autry, and Gucci as well as more timeless versions from Vejas, Converse and more. Scroll ahead to see how you can get into the football spirit without having to choose a team.
