The African Cup of Nations (AFCON), one of the most exciting international tournament in the football calendar, is finally here, and it is set to be bigger than ever.
Jay-Jay Okocha, Nike’s new Chief Flair Officer, already created incredible hype for the tournament by billing it as the antidote to the sanitized, boring football in Europe.
Now, footwear manufacturing giants are putting the finishing touches on the excitement by releasing gorgeous custom boots, as the likes of Achraf Hakimi of Morocco and Mo Salah of Egypt have received stellar custom footwear ahead of the tournament.
Morocco, the hosts of the tournament and one of the fan favorites among neutrals, has given fans yet another reason to cheer them on, thanks to the custom Achraf Hakimi boots – Under Armour Shadow Elite.
Ahead of Morocco’s opening game against Comoros, Under Armour, the American footwear brand, has dropped the most gorgeous red boots for Hakimi.
Created in collaboration with Moroccan-born contemporary artist Hassan Hajjan, these boots are designed to connect high-level football performance with artistic design and Moroccan cultural identity.
Hajjan is renowned for his portraits and exquisite work in fashion, design, and photography. He drew inspiration from sfifa, the highly intricate button embroidery of traditional djellaba, to create the unique Under Armour Shadow Elite.
These custom boots have a very classy design as they’re created on the nation’s signature red and black palette and accented with white laces to create a dynamic contrast. It is an extremely limited edition, and only 30 pairs have been produced, with all of them being in Hakimi’s shoe size and fit.
Under Armour drop custom boots for Achraf Hakimi ahead of Morocco’s opening match at AFCON 🇲🇦
— B/R Football (@brfootball) December 21, 2025
The boots are a collaboration with artist Hassan Hajjaj and inspired by the Moroccan sfifa thread. pic.twitter.com/218lmJM8pp
The 30 pairs will be sold at Café JUJ in Casablanca, with all the profits getting donated to the Achraf Hakimi Foundation to empower young children through education and community development.
While the Hakimi boots aren’t for retail sale, Adidas has got you covered with a bespoke football masterpiece that is indeed for sale, and you can get it too.
Adidas has just released the F50 Salah, the signature Salah boots, to honor the Egyptian’s heritage and status.
These splendid boots feature a white upper with sand-toned details. Moreover, the ancient Egyptian-inspired hieroglyphic graphics reference the Liverpool winger’s background and Egyptian heritage.
The styling and Three Stripes include gold and copper metallic accents to evoke imagery commonly associated with Egypt’s history and royal iconography. Interestingly, the graphic effect of the stripes may possibly be inspired by the Liverbird.
Adidas has included the new Salah custom boots in the revived F50 range in a bid to emphasize speed and performance with visual storytelling tied to the Egyptian’s journey from Nagrig, Egypt, to global stardom.
Priced at $260 USD (£220 or €260), these elite boots are available through Adidas’ online store or select retail channels.
So which custom boot did you like more? Were you a fan of Hakimi’s red and white boots, or did you find Salah’s white and gold boots to be better? Let us know in the comments section.
