\n Shortly before the World Cup<\/a> trophy is placed into the hands of one team\u2019s triumphant captain at MetLife Stadium on July 19, a gleaming Golden Boot award will be presented to the tournament\u2019s top scorer.\n <\/p>\n \n Only, based on the evidence so far, it should really be pink.\n <\/p>\n \n The US, Canada and Mexico have inadvertently played host to the Fuschia World Cup<\/a> this summer, as varying shades of bright pink have adorned scores of cleats across the opening round of fixtures.\n <\/p>\n \n It was a tone set right from the off, as the curtain raiser between Mexico and South Africa saw all but three of the 22 starting players from both sides step onto the hallowed emerald turf of the Estadio Azteca in some form of pink footwear.\n <\/p>\n \n The trend has only continued since, driven as much by the tournament\u2019s biggest stars \u2013 be it Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 or Erling Haaland<\/a> \u2013 as its smallest nations, with swathes of the squads for both Cape Verde and Cura\u00e7ao similarly stepping into the same palette.\n <\/p>\n \n For those with their ear to the ground in the soccer apparel world, the writing was on the wall before a ball had been kicked.\n <\/p>\n \n Adidas, Nike, Puma, New Balance and Skechers \u2013 who only launched their first range of soccer shoes in 2023 and are fronted by England striker Harry Kane \u2013 all unveiled new lines of cleats ahead of the tournament.\n <\/p>\n \n The names for each hue varied by brand, from Adidas\u2019 \u201cSolar Turbo\u201d to Puma\u2019s \u201cPoison Pink,\u201d but the similarities were striking. Just why <\/em>so many of the game\u2019s manufacturers have all pledged to pink simultaneously is a little less obvious, explains New Balance head of product for soccer Rob Sheldon.\n <\/p>\n \n For starters, bright colors inject visibility \u2013 not merely for players looking to find each other amid the chaos of a World Cup match, but also for brands looking to draw the gazes of millions of onlooking fans towards their logo.\n <\/p>\n \n Yet modern soccer stars are also their own personal brands. With five of New Balance\u2019s own ambassadorial roster that are featuring at the tournament \u2013 Eberechi Eze (England), Bukayo Saka<\/a> (England), Endrick (Brazil), Timothy Weah (US) and Yan Diomande (Ivory Coast) \u2013 boasting a combined 32 million Instagram followers, expressing confidence and personality is now an integral consideration of cleat design.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cWhat you\u2019re seeing at this World Cup is the convergence of two trends,\u201d Sheldon told CNN Sports<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cAthletes (are) demanding the most advanced performance footwear available and increasingly wanting products that reflect their individuality.\u201d\n <\/p>\n Designing cleats for sports stars\n <\/p>\n Jordan Dawson is an artist who designs cleats for pro-athletes, including some that will be worn at this year’s World Cup \u2013 his designs range from anime to paintings which express the personalities of soccer’s biggest stars.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n Designing cleats for sports stars<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n 1:46 \n New Balance\u2019s methodology is echoed by their rivals at Nike, who say there has been an increased demand for bolder colors from athletes and consumers alike.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cThe way we approached it was focusing on what are some of the brightest colors, what are those colors that are really amplifying that confidence, and pink is one of those,\u201d Nike Football Footwear Director of Product Management Odinga Nimako told<\/a> The Athletic.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cWhat we always hear from our consumers and athletes is when you wear a color like pink that is so loud and so bright it is like\u2026 you need to be really good to wear these (colors) as well. At the same time, there\u2019s also been a level of acceptance with pink that makes it not too niche for people, it speaks to a broad audience.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Sheldon maintains, though, that style will never trump substance when it comes to cleat design.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cNo player is stepping onto a World Cup pitch because of a paint color,\u201d he added. \u201cThey\u2019re stepping onto it because the boot helps them perform at the highest level. The color is simply the most visible part of a much deeper product story.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Dig a little deeper, and another possible explanation for the abundance of pink at the tournament emerges.\n <\/p>\n \n All the way back in May 2024, consumer trend forecaster WGSN picked out <\/a>five key colors that they predicted would be prominent in 2026. Second only to Transformative Teal was an \u201cexhilarating and intoxicating\u201d hue that sat between pink and purple: Electric Fuchsia.\n <\/p>\n \n Foreseeing a shift in consumer demands for \u201coptimism, visibility and self-expression,\u201d WGSN has seen its prophecy vindicated on sports\u2019 biggest stage. Bright pink now accounts for 48.2% of all pink cleats and has gained 1.1% of the total soccer shoe color mix, according to the company.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cIn an athlete-led sports economy, color has become commercial currency,\u201d WGSN Data Associate Madeline Chant said<\/a> in a press release.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cIt does more than decorate a product: it turns (cleats), kits and accessories into cultural signals.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Is it a stretch to say soccer manufacturers are all drinking from the same well of ideas? Not necessarily, according to famed footwear designer Christian Tresser, whose career has seen him occupy senior designer roles in soccer \u2013 and, in particular, for World Cups \u2013 at Nike, Adidas and Reebok.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cThis is what happens when marketing and trend analysis is seeing and using the same sources,\u201d he told<\/a> British GQ earlier this week.\n <\/p>\n \n Whatever the reasons, the result is somewhat ironic. When so many players are donning pink, arguably the most visible cleats at this year\u2019s tournament are those splashed with any other color.\n <\/p>\n \n Granted, Lionel Messi was always likely to attract more eyeballs than any other player, but the Argentine icon soared into an early Golden Boot lead \u2013 though he\u2019s since been passed<\/a> \u2013 after firing three goals into the Algeria net with his custom-made \u201cEl \u00daltimo Tango\u201d (\u201cThe Last Tango\u201d) Adidas cleats that are etched in the light blue and white hues of his country.\n <\/p>\n \n USMNT captain Christian Pulisic donned a similar color scheme with his star-spattered Puma signature shoes against Paraguay.\n <\/p>\n \n For the vast majority of stars at this World Cup, though, the pitch is a place for pink.\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n \u26bd\ufe0f sign up for THE beautiful game by cnn sports \u26bd\ufe0f
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