But now Nike’s joined the chat. We thought the brand was keeping it lowkey, but the Nike team has actually been making moves behind the scenes. And its slow and steady method might actually win the race.

Nike’s giving the power to the people and is focusing its marketing on local brands and different subcultures. The Swoosh has introduced a global tour of its new Tom el Juego street football tournaments, has tapped into streetwear brands around the world, and has invested into a legendary lineup of ambassadors and collaborators. In its Polaroid teaser post from last week you can see a range of high-profilers from Ronaldinho and Kylian Mbappé to Kim Kardashian, Central Cee and Jacquemus.

That IG post also confirmed that we’re getting seven collaborators for Nike’s seven nations: England x Palace, US x Virgil Abloh Archive, Netherlands x Patta, France x Jacquemus, Canada x Nocta, Nigeria x Slawn, South Korea x PEACEMINUSONE. Each collaborator picked to rep their country in their own way. The seven World Cup collab kits are gradually and individually dropping with editorial campaigns, all set to release during summer.

The Toma el Juego street games are also a space to look for Nike’s latest football drops. The tournaments bring local communities together to spotlight young local talent in different countries and cities – and with Nike kitting them out in its upcoming releases all eyes are on the talent and the brand. The games started out last June, so Nike’s been able to build hype around product releases almost a year in advance. 

Nike’s also bringing next gen drops such as the recent Nike Mercurial football boots – the Mercurial Vapor 17 and the Mercurial Superfly 11 – which come in three iterations for ground performance and bring new technology with their Atomknit upper, ultra-thin FlyLite plate and rounded chevron studs – set to be worn by Mbappé, Ronaldo and Vini Jr., among others on the pitch. 

Beyond its World Cup rollout, Nike is investing into young creatives – its Air Works programme kicked off a few weeks ago, bringing together eight young designers from around the world to co-create their own Air Max sneaker. The lineup included Diya Joukani (who you may have seen on TikTok). The brand is signing new athletes such as gold medalist and viral ice skater Alysa Liu.