Drake’s NOCTA label took one of the host nations in Nike’s X2 World Cup project, designing the Canada entry in the Cryoshot line. For a tournament being co-hosted by Canada, the United States and Mexico, handing the home country’s collaboration to the most recognizable name in NOCTA’s orbit is a statement of intent.
The Cryoshot concept is what makes the whole X2 project worth understanding. Rather than building lifestyle versions of football boots, Nike took historic boots from its archive and used injection molding to encase the original stud cluster inside a clear TPU outsole. The studs stay exactly where they were, sealed and visible through the sole, and the boot becomes wearable on pavement.
NOCTA’s involvement connects the World Cup to one of the most commercially powerful partnerships Nike has. The label has moved apparel and footwear at scale since launch, and pointing that audience at a host-nation World Cup drop is the kind of crossover that did not exist at previous tournaments.
The broader X2 roster pairs seven federations with seven collaborators: Palace for England, Patta for the Netherlands, NOCTA for Canada, Jacquemus for France, PEACEMINUSONE for South Korea, Slawn for Nigeria, and the Virgil Abloh Archive for the United States. Each one pulls from a different era of Nike football and arrives with apparel alongside the shoe.
Canada come into their home World Cup as a young, improving side, and the cultural weight NOCTA brings gives the team a profile off the pitch that matches the moment.
