THE BOOTS OF THE 2026 FA CUP

The oldest cup competition in the world has no shortage of drama this season. But forget the tactics, forget the formations. Let's talk about what's actually on their feet.

THE NIKE PHANTOM 6: A FINAL WAITING TO HAPPEN

Here’s the storyline nobody has really clocked yet. Come 3pm on Saturday the 16th of May, both sides' most dangerous attacking threats will be lacing up the exact same boot at Wembley.

Erling Haaland in his signature Nike Phantom 6 Player Edition, that neon green and hot pink colourway that looks like it was designed by someone who runs on pure adrenaline, and Cole Palmer in the same silo on the other end of the pitch. Two Nike Phantom 6 wearers. One trophy. Poetic.

Haaland's Phantom 6 campaign in this cup has been nothing short of ridiculous. Hat-tricks in the 2023 and 2024 editions already to his name, and then he went and did it again in the quarter-final against Liverpool, completing his third FA Cup treble in a 4-0 demolition at the Etihad. He has now scored 12 goals in 12 FA Cup appearances for Manchester City, with 11 of those 12 coming as part of hat-tricks. That is not a statistic, that is performance art. Haaland has been quoted saying the Phantom allows him to "shut off all distractions and focus on nothing other than attacking." It shows.

And then there is the caveat that makes you properly nervous for City. Haaland has never scored or assisted in a single semi-final or final in any competition for City. Fourteen games, 1,140 minutes, 25 shots, nothing. The Phantom 6's tagline is "Too Big to Miss." Wembley finals might disagree. Saturday is the real test.

Cole Palmer, meanwhile, switched from the Mercurial to the Phantom 6 at the start of this campaign and has been the creative heartbeat of a Chelsea side that has been absolutely relentless. He got his name on the scoresheet in their 7-0 quarter-final mauling of Port Vale and has been pulling strings throughout. Chelsea are the leading scorers in the FA Cup this season with 20 goals. Only twice in their history have the Blues ever netted more in a single cup campaign. Two Phantom 6 men. One cup. May the best boot win.

THE PUMA FUTURE: SO CLOSE, YET SO FAR

Puma had every right to feel good about this cup going into the business end. Kai Havertz, one of the Puma Future's most prominent faces, was driving Arsenal's run with exactly the kind of combative, technically sharp performances that had their quadruple talk feeling credible. Then Mansfield happened. The Puma Future's biggest FA Cup story ended at the same moment as Martinelli's F50 nightmare: two boots, one brutal result.

Cody Gakpo, another Puma man, was excellent for Liverpool right up until Haaland ended them in the quarter-final. Two Puma athletes, two exits, no Wembley. The Cat has had better cup campaigns – but there’s not doubts it will land on its feet.

THE ADIDAS F50: BRILLIANCE, HEARTBREAK, AND ONE LAST PENALTY

If the Phantom 6 is the boot of the final, the adidas F50 is the boot of the tournament's most gut-wrenching moments.

Start with Gabriel Martinelli. The Brazilian, laced into the F50 all season, was electric against Portsmouth in the third round: three goals in 47 minutes, a hat-trick of genuine class that had Arsenal fans dreaming of Wembley. And then Mansfield Town happened. A League One side. One of the most jaw-dropping upsets of recent years. The F50s went back in the bag, and Arsenal's cup dream was done.

Then there is Mohamed Salah. Still in his adidas F50 Elite signature edition, the Egyptian flag detailing on the heel and the lightweight upper built for the quickest player in any ground. In what is almost certainly his final FA Cup campaign as a Liverpool player, he stepped up for a penalty in the quarter-final against Manchester City with the score at 0-0. James Trafford dived left and kept it out. City won 4-0. That is almost certainly Salah's last FA Cup penalty in red. Difficult to think about, frankly.

The F50 has given us this tournament's two finest individual moments. It has given us nothing in terms of a route to Wembley. That is football. That is the FA Cup.

THE NIKE MERCURIAL: PEDRO NETO'S QUIET MASTERCLASS

While everyone was talking about Chelsea's collective firepower, Pedro Neto was doing what Pedro Neto does: taking players on and making things happen in the Nike Mercurial Vapor 16 Elite. His fourth-round hat-trick away at Hull City was the moment the tournament sat up and took notice. Three goals in a 4-0 win, his first treble in a Chelsea shirt. But it was not just the goals. It was the assists, the relentless pressing, the directness that gave Chelsea's whole run its identity. He set up the goal that beat Leeds in the semi-final. The Mercurial has always been Nike's boot for the player who stretches defences until they snap. Neto is doing exactly that.

THE BOOT WE DON'T KNOW: TYRESE SHADE AND THE SOUL OF THE CUP

And then there is this.

Tyrese Shade. Twenty-five years old. Burton Albion. EFL League One. The FA Cup's top scorer this season with five goals, wearing whatever he has pulled out of his kit bag, because nobody at the big boot companies has come knocking yet.

Shade announced himself in the second round with a hat-trick, 13th minute, 73rd, 88th, then added two more to sit alone at the top of the scoring charts. His manager Gary Bowyer has openly admitted he does not expect to be managing him next season. Leicester City, his former academy club, are reportedly circling. The lad from Birmingham who once did a loan spell at Walsall is leading the entire tournament's scoring chart ahead of Haaland, Martinelli and Salah.

No signature logo. No player edition colourway. Five goals. Top scorer.

This is what the FA Cup has always been. The biggest brands in the world spend millions dressing their athletes in sculpted precision instruments. And then someone like Tyrese Shade comes along and makes all of it look completely beside the point.

WHAT WEMBLEY TELLS US

This Saturday, Chelsea vs Manchester City. A final between the tournament's leading scorers and a City side going for a record fourth consecutive FA Cup, a feat no club has ever achieved. Chelsea seeking their ninth title. City their eighth.

The boots of this FA Cup have told a brilliant story. The Phantom 6 is going head-to-head with itself. The F50 gave us artistry and heartbreak. The Puma Future gave us two of the tournament's best players and sent them home early. The Mercurial gave us Pedro Neto's hat-trick and Chelsea's relentless width.

And somewhere in a League One changing room, Tyrese Shade's five goals remind us why we love this competition in the first place. Even those of us who don't have a boot deal yet.