They are present in all World Cup games and have led to many theories about the possible reasons for the players’ sudden preference.
Pink football boots were the choice of major brands such as Nike, Adidas, New Balance and Puma for their collections commemorating the main sporting event of the year.
In addition to pink standing out on the green lawn —they are complementary colors on the color wheel—, the decision seems to combine a response to consumer demands for more striking colors and a greater investment by brands in the product category, in this case, football boots, leaving the attempt to stand out individually in the background.
“The strongest brand is that of the event, which is the World Cup. It’s not Nike, Adidas or anything else”, says Lilian Carvalho, marketing professor at EAESP-FGV (São Paulo School of Business Administration at Fundação Getulio Vargas).
“People are going to buy the World Cup boots. If they are all pink, that attracts more attention and it becomes much easier for them all to sell.”
If one tried to choose a different path, opting for another color, it could have the opposite effect, having its product remembered as being connected to the brand, and not to the event. It is a kind of “tacit collusion”, but without the intention of deceiving the consumer.
In the background of these choices by big brands are also trend research.
A 2024 report by consultancy WGSN, one of the main references on consumer trends, pointed out among the colors for 2026 “electric fuchsia”, described as a “vivid neon”, “between pink and purple”, which carries “progressive and transformative attitudes”.
Marketing professionals, says the FGV professor, read the same reports, use the same market research, attend the same events.
“We are facing a strategic convergence, not a coincidence”, says branding specialist Henrique Alexandre. “The big brands work with this research, with trend analysis and this constant monitoring of the consumer.”
There is also the effect of “memetic viralization” that is now part of brand strategies. “So generation Z wants this? And it spreads like wildfire among the marketing teams, the product development teams”, says Lilian Carvalho.
It is similar to the effect of cerulean blue mentioned in the film “The Devil Wears Prada”. In the fictional dialogue, Miranda Priestly, Meryl Streep’s character, explains to her assistant the color trajectory of the item of clothing she was wearing.
“In 2002, Oscar de la Renta made a collection of cerulean dresses, and later, if I’m not mistaken, it was Yves Saint Laurent who presented cerulean blue military jackets,” says the character. “Then cerulean blue quickly appeared in the collections of eight different designers. Then it spread to department stores.”
When planning special products for the World Cup, Nike says it considered data that indicated the desire of athletes and consumers for vibrant colors for important moments, to give more confidence.
That would have been the starting point, Odinga Nimako, from Nike’s product development area, told The Athletic, a sports journalism department linked to the New York Times. Later, in tests, it was observed that pink was the color that stood out the most.
“The pink really stands out on the green grass, whether you’re in the stands or watching on television, ensuring visibility,” the executive told the NYT.
Branding specialist Henrique Alexandre says he also considers that pink expresses a certain boldness. “Everyone is used to using black and white. Suddenly, a completely different and disruptive color appears, which will generate buzz, will generate conversation”, he says.
Younger generations, he points out, also see sport increasingly connected to fashion, identity and individual expression.
In this sense, the boots are also where the players themselves can express themselves — and negotiate individually —, without being subject to their teams’ official sponsors.
Argentine star Lionel Messi is expected to take to the field wearing a blue and white Adidas model called “Last Tango”, in reference to the player’s farewell to the World Cup. Nike has prepared a golden version of its Mercurial Superfly for Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo.
