Are football boots manufactured differently size-wise to accommodate boys and girls, men’s and ladies feet? Are there specific boots for Women’s Football? The answer is well yes and no, let us explain…
What You’ll Find On This Page:
- Top Women Boots
- Girls Football Boots
- Problems with Finding Women’s Boots
- Previous Women Boot Releases
| Rank | Why? | Boot | |
|---|---|---|---|
1. Nike Phantom Luna | Sticky Gripknit technology great for ball control, but most importantly shaped narrowly to pickup the nuances of a women’s feet; only issue is availability might be an issue now as the silo became unisex again with the Luna 2 |  >> Get Elite Phantom Luna at Nike | |
2. Puma Ultra 5 Women | Has carbon and non-carbon soleplate options on top of the women-targeted fit; complemented significantly with the form-fitting mesh upper |  >> Get Ultra 5 Women from Puma | |
3. Puma Future 8 Women | Agility boot with a dual-layer upper; can assist you to waltz your way and get that ball to the back of the net; Puma addressed wide heel issue to make the Future women-friendly |  >> Get Future 8 Women from Puma | |
4. Puma King Women | Meant to provide benefits of leather, but the synthetic nature also gives the expected responsive and structured feel of the material; all these on top of a women-specific fit |  >> Get Puma King Womens from Puma | |
5. Nike Mercurial Superfly | With the trademark snug Mercurial fit, the silo has always been the go-to for women prior to the launch of the Luna; now with the proprietary Air Zoom cushion |  >> Get Elite Mercurial Superfly 10 at Nike | |
6. adidas Copa Pure 3 | Fusionskin upper has the capacity to adapt to narrow and wide shapes, but most importantly heel has that enough closure system to lock-in even the narrowest of heels |  | |
| 7. IDA Sports | A brand that totally advocates for football boots that cater solely for women | ||
Top 7 Best Boots For Women
But before we deep dive into those differences, let us give you onset the top 7 boots we can recommend for female players:
The Phantom Luna is a women-led Nike football boot, created to suit the specific anatomy of a female footballer’s foot and prevent injuries. The boot’s ‘Asym Fit’ adapts the shape to the general narrowness of women’s ankles to improve lockdown, while a Cyclone 360 outsole gives the wearer a balance between forward traction and lateral push-off. GX’s Gripknit makes it way to the women’s Phantom as its upper material.
Not only because it has speed boot characteristics such as structured boot shape and snappy outsole, the women’s version of the Puma Ultra is built on women’s last, so that even the base follows the outline and width of a female player’s foot.
3. Puma Future 8 Ultimate Women
Narrowed down to optimally fit women, and still has that adaptive fit and comfort thanks to the Fuzionfit 3 LYCRA x Mesh upper.
K-Better synthetic upper meant to extract the natural benefits of leather in a more durable material; volume and instep height optimised for women
Because the Mercurial is a relatively narrow boot, Nike implements a size-and-a-half difference between men’s and women’s sizing. So buying a pair sized 1 US men is also purchasing one sized 2.5 US women. You can see this on Nike’s box where it lists the sizes in both genders. Go for the Vapor if you like the low-cut construction instead.
With its thin upper construction and a material with known moulding capabilities, the Copa Pure gives women a leather boot that can truly adapt to their foot shape and fit well. The tongue and laces construction further helps them adjust the fit. And the natural dampening sensation takes the sting out of ball contact. Heel form is also better suited for the generally-narrow shape of a women’s heel.
7. IDA Sports
IDA Sports is a brand that believes there are general anatomical differences between a man and a woman’s foot, and that there boots are designed to cater to these nuances. The one above is their high-cut Rise, but they also have the low-cut Centra and Classic in their offering.
What’s The Difference Between Men’s & Women’s Boots?
Men, in general, have a relatively larger frame than women, and so football boots manufacturers have tended to make the women boots narrower. Women boots have a narrow heel cup relative to their mens counterparts. The forefoot and arch, more often than not, are generally wider and higher in men, while the collar or opening of the boots is commonly narrower for women. Women’s specific boots, however, appear to be made in limited quanities…
Girls Football Boots
For girls boots you have two options; the Pro boots that are almost exact replicas of the adult versions worn by Professional players, only smaller and the cheaper lower level academy and club variations, that look the same but have less technology. Both can be good choices depending on the age & skill of your child.
Girl’s feet grow very fast and they also change shape of time, they can grow at a rate of about 2-3 sizes per year. It is really important to know the size of their foot to make sure that they are wearing the right shoe size, so check our size guide, but also realise they may not wear these boots for long until they need a larger size.
Junior sizes run from 1 to 13.5 and are the same for girls as boys, then adult sizing is from around 3.5 to 5.5 for up to around a ten year old, when you may need to switch to adult size boots.
Girls can be sure to fit in with the junior boots as they are made unisex. Just like the boys, they are also still developing physically, which is a consideration taken when brands make their football boots for children, you can be assured that these boots would accommodate your girl’s feet nicely.
Are Girls and Boys Boots Different?
Not at this age. When you get to adult men’s and women’s boots, there are differences between them due to the shape of ladies’ feet. But the differences are considerably less noticable at this age, so you can just look for the size boots and colours your player wants and you’ll have a pair of boots that will work for her.
The feet of the younger generation are growing at a rapid rate, but they often want to lace-up in a pair of boots modelled on the same designs as the world class professionals within the game such as Sam Mewis, Pernille Harder, and Crystal Dunn. For those who follow the men’s leagues, check out our players page, to see the latest boots being worn by the world’s best male players.
Nike Girls’ Boots:
Cheaper Nike boots, which are their Academy and Club offerings. Nike children boots are categorized into Younger Kids (10.5C-3Y) and Older Kids (3.5Y-7Y), both of which are not available in the Pro takedown.
The Elite children’s boots are made for older kids and not all colourways are available, usually you’ll just find the ones worn by the biggest names on pitch make it to the Jr. models.
What are the adidas Boots for Girls?
adidas offer both laceless and laced kids options, with children’s versions that include a lot of the adult aspects, there are no female specific options at this time, they’re all designed as unisex, with the brand having done some specific pushes around the Predator for women’s feet.
The Problem With Finding Women’s Boots
The Big 3 had at some point made their boots specifically for women, which is a great thing, as women’s feet are anatomically different, the problem is the availability of these boots is sporadic! They are often marketed around the Women’s World Cup and then disappearing again…
The big brands somehow differ in the boots they make available. adidas would occasionally bring out a women’s boot release with special soleplates designed specifically for women. Puma, as mentioned above, do create women-specific models for their silos, somehow addressing the gap between men and women boots. What this means is that all things being equal in size, an adidas or Puma boot has an overall smaller built than the silo labelled for men.
Nike, on the other hand, started making their measurements and specifications more universal, and therefore more inclusive, by the summer of 2015. This has been made evident by first making the EU and UK values the same for men and women. US values still have a difference of 1.5 but this is displayed on the box, not only indicating that the built is the same regardless of gender but also confirming that the boots are unisex. This is great to find your size, but not ideal looking for a great fit for your foot as women’s feet tend to be narrower than mens.
Things changed in 2023, when the brand released the Phantom Luna. Marketed as ‘For Her, By Her,’ Nike intended the Luna for addressing the anatomical needs of a female athlete’s feet. Nonetheless, Nike kept the Luna as part of its lineup together with the Mercurials, the GX and the Tiempo, meaning that the boots are not necessarily exclusive for women.
Beside Puma, there is one brand in particular that solely focuses on producing women-specific boots: IDA Sports. Co-founder Laura Youngson led grassroots organisation Equal Playing Field in playing the highest altitude football match that was held on top of Mt. Kilimanjaro to highlight gender inequalities in sports. The physical foot pain the female athletes experienced with their boots may have accidentally proven her point, and led her to partner with former professional cricketer Ben Sandhu to create boots meant for women. The Classica is IDA Sports first-ever product and will surely hold a special place in the company’s history.
Women Boots Releases Over Time
Puma Brilliance 2024
Puma dedicates a series of packs for women called Brilliance. The 2024 boots, like the previous Brilliance, are mostly white with light-coloured accents. The Future 7 introduces lavender and turquoise on its brandings and feature technologies. The immediate impression is that of blending and harmony. Stud tips join in to provide additional turquoise details.
Ultra 5 also has that secondary colours in chemistry as far as the Formstrip outline is concerned. But the main design element is the abstract floral graphic within the Formstrip and around the quarter area. It truly brings out that lavender detailing to life.
Lastly, the King ’24 is similar to the Ultra 5. Its Formstrip outline produces a transitioning effect in showcasing the accent colours and also houses that abstract floral visual. Moreover, the said aesthetic can also be seen sprouting across the medial side of the boot.
Nike United Pack
Nike players playing in the most prestigious women’s football tournament in Australia and New Zealand in 2023 rocked a streamlined look as far as their boots were concerned. Regardless if they were the Mercurials, Phantoms or Tiempo Legends, the United Pack clothed a predominantly orange colourway to the Nike football boots, on top of a bespoke U graphic.
The motif that carries the WWC pack is the repeating pattern of a 3D, geometric ‘N’ and ‘U’ shapes that stand for ‘Nike United’. The backdrop is more orangey on the forefoot and midfoot, and ends with beige for the quarter and outsole. A purple outline accompanies the black Swoosh, while volt lights up the stud tips. Overall, the predominantly orange colourway is inspired by a new dawn, explaining the gradient sunrise tones from warm to cool.
The Air Zoom Mercurial is the coolest of the bunch in terms of the shade. This is manifested by the clarity of the futuristic pattern and the fact that it has the lightest shade of the thematic colour. The GX, on the other hand, seems to be attempting to strike a balance. The Gripknit goes full blast on the deeper side of the shading, while the quarter attempts to lighten things up with the showcasing of the ‘United’ visuals. The Phantom Luna is where the colourway takes its warmest route. It still has the U-shaped all over pattern, though it barely registers them. Much attention will be caught on the plush orange tone of the upper.
Tiempo Legend 10 Drop!
Arguably the biggest feature of the United Pack, the Tiempo goes out and finally introduces the new-gen Legend 10. It’s no longer K-leather and instead joins the likes of Puma King Ultimate in going for a synthetic build. In this case, that material is called FlyTouch Plus, Nike’s proprietary material that promises less water intake, light yet durable feel, soft sensation and improved shape retention. FlyTouch Plus is also marketed as having a grippy touch regardless of weather conditions and a trademark smooth and classic traction pattern.
Where it all started…
adidas created the first football boots specifically engineered for women with their 1975 adidas Anja, which was rereleased in 2017, and consistent with their focus of designing boots for women had released the ACE and X in 2016 with women’s options; the boots have shorter, smaller studs as well as unique stud configuration to cater to female foot shape and physiology.
In 2017, Nike expanded the accent colours of the Motion Blur collection to become full upper colours, creating the women’s version of the said pack. Headlined by the US Women National Team was 2016 Sparking Brilliance Pack used in the 2016 Olympic games. The Spark Brilliance Pack wrapped the Superfly V, Hypervenom Phantom, and Tiempo Legend 6 in a blue and white colourway representing the colours of the US flag.
Rivalling those in 2016 were the adidas Speed of White Pack, also made for some of the US women football stars at that time. The adidas Speed of White Pack displayed the X16+ Purechaos and the ACE 16+ Purecontrol in a white base with solar red and yellow colours respectively. More recently, in 2019 Nike unveiled the Victory Pack worn for that year’s Women’s FIFA World Cup which was held in France. The Victory Pack included the Mercurial, Phantom Venom, Phantom Vision, and Tiempo in an armoury blue hue with hand-sketched wing graphical print.
Gone are the days where brands just make a pink boot & call it their women’s option, although Megan Rapinoe did get an incredible custom pair from Nike to celebrate here Balon D’Or achievement of 2019. More than looking into equality or political correctness, the matter of men and women football boots, with football being a physical performance endeavour, should take into consideration the comfort, fit and physical attributes of the wearer regardless of sex, and that should allow men to try out women boots and vice-versa if the sizing and looks fit personally to them, some men’s feet may suit women’s boots better and some women may find they prefer men’s boots.
