With the Cryoshot, Nike introduces a new era driven by seven collaborations set to take football off the field.
The field is no longer enough. This summer, the Swoosh is set to blur the lines with the arrival of a new model: the Nike Cryoshot. Developed with the Nike Sportswear branch, this silhouette draws from the football archives and continues a narrative initiated by the Total 90. After transforming the iconic model from the 2000s, the sportswear brand is taking the next step: revisiting its cleats with a silhouette that retains the technical DNA.
At a time when cleats seemed reserved for the pitch, Nike transforms its silhouette. Inspired by the Tiempo and the Mercurial, the Cryoshot adopts a distinctly futuristic design. But the innovation doesn't stop at its appearance. The silhouette boasts a strong identity and rethinks the traditional structure of a football shoe with a visible TPU cage. The goal is clear: to embed the sneaker into everyday culture, much like the Jordan brand has done for decades.
And with just a few months to go before the 2026 World Cup, the Nike Cryoshot is already ready to welcome numerous prestigious partners. Jordan, Patta, Virgil Abloh Archive, Palace, Slawn, Jacquemus, and G-Dragon: the sportswear brand is already planning a series of collaborations to launch the model and ensure its lasting presence. Each collaboration becomes a unique chapter, designed to adapt to strong identities while maintaining overall coherence.
First Impressions: Patta and Virgil Abloh Archive
When football culture meets the streets, Patta is ready to step up. As the Amsterdam shop gears up to drop its versions of the Nike Air Max 90, a new, unexpected project is shaking up its partnership with the Swoosh: the Nike Cryoshot Mercurial R9. Unveiled by Guillaume Schmidt, co-owner of Patta, the first model from the Cryoshot series, worn by Ronaldo during the 1998 World Cup, is getting a complete overhaul. Gone are the studs; the sneaker is reimagined with a translucent TPU cage that structures the whole design and gives it a futuristic look. In terms of colorway, the original blue and yellow are replaced by a metallic silver leather, contrasted with a blazing orange, paying homage to Patta's Dutch roots.
Photo credits: @Ovrnundr
On the Virgil Abloh Archive side, the legacy of the late designer continues to shine. At the preview of Virgil Abloh: The Codes at the Grand Palais, one creation stood out: the Off-White x Nike Cryoshot. Designed as a bridge between football and urban culture, this sneaker reinterprets the codes of one of the most iconic sports. Hybrid silhouette. Signature zip. No doubt, the silhouette draws inspiration from the Nike Mercurial, straddling the line between performance and conceptual design. Designed as a field silhouette, this new concept embodies Abloh's philosophy: to twist the symbols of sport and root them in the streets.
Photo credits: WhenToCop?
While the first two partners set the tone, there's still some uncertainty for the rest. Although names have been mentioned, no images or concrete details have yet provided a first glimpse. It remains to be seen how Nike will orchestrate these releases in the coming months. One thing is for sure: the Cryoshot is already shaping up to be one of the most ambitious projects of this summer!