
Nike.
A few weeks ago, Nike Football’s cryptic Polaroid teaser hinted that something much bigger was on the horizon. Grainy snapshots, scattered clues and a cast of collaborators left fans speculating about what Nike had planned for the summer ahead. Now, the full picture has arrived.
As football prepares to dominate global attention once again, Nike is pushing the conversation far beyond the pitch. Alongside its latest federation kits and performance-focused releases, including the Mercurial Vapor 17 and Mercurial Superfly 11, the sportswear giant has unveiled ‘X2,’ an ambitious project connecting football, fashion, youth culture and community through seven distinct capsule collections.
Built in collaboration with seven national federations, seven creative partners and seven youth sport organisations, X2 approaches football as something larger than a game. Each collection takes elements from Nike’s 2026 federation kits and filters them through a local creative perspective, reworking national identity into something that feels equally at home in stadiums, city streets and creative communities.

Nike.

Nike.
The collaborator line-up is something out of this world. Drake’s apparel line NOCTA joins forces with Canada for ‘Les Rouges,’ while Palace reimagines England’s Three Lions. France receives a characteristically refined treatment through Jacquemus, while Amsterdam institution Patta brings its own perspective to the Netherlands. Nigerian artist Slawn injects his hand-drawn visual language into the Super Eagles collection, while PEACEMINUSONE reworks South Korea’s football identity through references to Korean gatherings and workwear. For the United States, V.A.A. channels the visual legacy of Virgil Abloh, pulling inspiration from the nostalgia of the 1994 World Cup.
Each collaboration also supports a youth sport organisation operating within its respective country, including Football Beyond Borders in England, Sport dans la Ville in France and Canadian Women & Sport in Canada. Rather than functioning as a one-off campaign element, Nike describes the partnerships as part of a longer-term commitment to investing in the future of youth sport.

Nike.

Nike.
The project also introduces a new wave of Cryoshots, one of Nike’s most interesting footwear concepts in recent years. Classic football boots have been pulled from the archives and transformed into lifestyle shoes through transparent outsoles that preserve the silhouette of the original studs. Designs include the Cryoshot Mercurial Vapor R9 x Netherlands x Patta and the Cryoshot Zoom M9 x USA x V.A.A.
Meanwhile, Nike’s federation kits continue to push the technical side of the game forward. Built using Aero-FIT cooling technology, the 2026 designs balance performance innovation with references pulled from each nation’s history, culture and visual identity. Home kits stay closely connected to national spirit, while away kits explore more experimental territory, imagining future classics for a new generation of supporters.
The seven X2 pre-match jerseys, each featuring the youth organisations involved in the project, will also be worn by their respective federations during upcoming friendly matches, extending the initiative beyond fashion and into the sport itself.
The X2 collections launch at collaborator and federation retailers from June 11, arrive at Dover Street Market on June 13 and release through SNKRS and selected Nike retail partners from June 16. Discover more here.
photography. courtesy of Nike
words. Gennaro Costanzo



























