Side Kicks Streetwear • Global Release Guide
Updated: 1 May 2026
About the release
Patta x Nike have done many things together over the past decade. They have not, until now, made a football boot. The Nike Mercurial Vapor 16 Elite changes that, with two colourways landing as Patta's first ever performance football collaboration. The Amsterdam-based label takes its signature Waves aesthetic from the lifestyle world directly onto the pitch.
Both colourways draw a clear line back to the iconic 2021 Patta x Nike Air Max 1 'Noise Aqua', with wavy mudguards, Patta branding and that distinct silver and aqua palette translated into a Mercurial silhouette. The 'Noise Aqua and Metallic Silver' colourway leads, joined by a 'Metallic Silver and Coconut Milk' option.
Style codes IQ3365-001 (Metallic Silver / Coconut Milk) and IQ3365-002 (Noise Aqua / Metallic Silver) release on 5 May 2026 for £274.99 each via Nike and select retailers.
Credit: Nike
TL;DR – Patta x Nike Mercurial Vapor 16 Release Date, Price & Where to Buy
- Release date: 5 May 2026
- Model: Nike Mercurial Vapor 16 Elite FG SE
- Metallic Silver / Coconut Milk style code: IQ3365-001
- Noise Aqua / Metallic Silver style code: IQ3365-002
- UK retail price: £274.99
- US retail price: $320
- Sizing: Unisex
- Where to buy: Nike and select football retailers
- Key tech: 3/4-length Air Zoom unit, Flyknit and Gripknit upper, iridescent FG soleplate
- Patta milestone: First Patta x Nike performance football boot
Release date and price
Both colourways of the Patta x Nike Mercurial Vapor 16 Elite release on Tuesday 5 May 2026 via Nike and select football retailers.
UK retail is £274.99 for both pairs and US retail is $320. The boot is unisex and built strictly for firm ground play.
Mercurial Vapor 16 Elite tech specs
The Mercurial Vapor 16 Elite is the most responsive Mercurial Nike has produced. The headline performance feature is the improved 3/4-length Air Zoom unit, designed to deliver propulsive energy return through every stride. Combined with a sport-specific traction plate, it gives the boot the snappy, race-to-the-line feel the Mercurial line has always been built around.
The upper combines two Nike technologies. Flyknit handles the lightweight, anatomically mapped construction that reduces break-in time and maximises flexibility. Gripknit sits on top of that, providing a tactile barefoot-style touch on the ball with consistent grip during aggressive movement. The combination gives the boot a precise fit without compromising on touch quality.
Underfoot, an iridescent FG soleplate with an aggressive stud configuration handles firm natural grass, allowing rapid acceleration, immediate braking and multi-directional agility.
The 3/4-length Air Zoom unit
The improved 3/4-length Air Zoom unit is the part of the boot that makes this the most responsive Mercurial yet. It works alongside the soleplate to deliver propulsive energy return through every step, smoothing transitions and giving players the kind of snappy push-off the Mercurial line has always promised. For attacking players who live on quick cuts and explosive bursts, this is the technical upgrade that justifies the Elite-level price point.
'Noise Aqua and Metallic Silver' colourway
Credit: Nike
The 'Noise Aqua and Metallic Silver' colourway is the direct nod to the 2021 Patta Air Max 1 'Noise Aqua', one of the most beloved entries in the Air Max 1 Wave series. Silver Flyknit and Gripknit form the base, with a wavy synthetic mudguard in the Patta signature shape running along the toe. Noise Aqua hits land on the Swoosh and the heel co-branding, lifting the silver base with the colour that defined the original Air Max 1 connection.
'Metallic Silver and Coconut Milk' colourway
Credit: Nike
The 'Metallic Silver and Coconut Milk' colourway runs the same wavy mudguard and Patta branding language but in a softer, more neutral palette. The Coconut Milk accents warm up the silver Flyknit base, giving the boot a different identity from the Noise Aqua pair while keeping the construction and wave aesthetic consistent. It is the more wearable of the two, with a palette that pairs more easily with a wider range of kit colours.
Patta x Nike: from Air Max 1 Wave to first football boot
Patta and Nike have been collaborating since the early 2000s, with the partnership building real cultural weight through the Air Max 1 Wave series that began in 2021. The 'Noise Aqua' from that year remains one of the most influential Patta colourways, defining the design language that the Amsterdam label has carried through its work since. The Air Max 90 Waves packs that followed and the most recent Air Max 1 duo released around Air Max Day 2026 have kept the Waves concept central to Patta's output.
Until now, that work had stayed on the lifestyle side. The Mercurial Vapor 16 Elite is the first time Patta has been given an Elite-level performance football boot to design, and the timing — heading into the World Cup window — is deliberate. It also sits alongside Patta's Netherlands national team collaboration and a separate Patta x Nike Cryoshot Mercurial expected later in the summer, making this one of the busiest periods in Patta's Nike partnership history.
Why this release matters
A first performance football boot for a brand like Patta is a real moment. The Mercurial Vapor 16 Elite is Nike's flagship speed boot, used at the highest level of professional football, and Patta getting the canvas signals how much credibility the label has built up with Nike over the years.
For the design itself, dragging the Air Max 1 'Noise Aqua' DNA onto a football boot works better than expected. The wavy mudguard sits naturally on the Mercurial silhouette, and the Patta branding additions feel earned rather than tacked on. With World Cup 2026 just around the corner, expect to see these on plenty of feet.
Where to buy
The Patta x Nike Mercurial Vapor 16 Elite in both colourways releases on 5 May 2026 via Nike and select football retailers. Browse all Nike x Patta releases and the latest Nike Mercurial Vapor 16 drops on Side Kicks.
FAQ
When does the Patta x Nike Mercurial Vapor 16 release?
Both colourways release on Tuesday 5 May 2026 via Nike and select football retailers.
How much does the Patta x Nike Mercurial Vapor 16 cost in the UK?
UK retail price is £274.99 for both colourways. US retail is $320.
What are the style codes for the Patta x Nike Mercurial Vapor 16?
The Metallic Silver and Coconut Milk colourway is IQ3365-001. The Noise Aqua and Metallic Silver colourway is IQ3365-002.
Is this the first Patta x Nike football boot?
Yes. The Mercurial Vapor 16 Elite is Patta's first performance football boot collaboration with Nike, marking a significant expansion of the partnership beyond its lifestyle and sportswear history.
What technology is in the Mercurial Vapor 16 Elite?
The Mercurial Vapor 16 Elite features an improved 3/4-length Air Zoom unit, a Flyknit and Gripknit upper for lightweight fit and tactile ball touch, and an iridescent firm-ground soleplate engineered for explosive acceleration and rapid changes of direction.
What is the connection to the Patta Air Max 1 'Noise Aqua'?
The Mercurial Vapor 16 Elite directly references the 2021 Patta x Nike Air Max 1 'Noise Aqua' through its wavy synthetic mudguard, Noise Aqua colour hits and the Waves design language that has defined Patta's Nike output ever since.
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