Many soccer fans have noticed something that is unusual amongst the soccer players at this year’s World Cup: they’ve been wearing pink cleats.

This trend isn’t limited to only one team or player; players from all around the world are wearing these shoes. Even those in competing sponsoring countries wear them. This year, players have been seen wearing similar shades of pink not to look fashionable, but because it helps them as a deliberate strategy. Now, though, many fans might be questioning: Why pink?

Every year, Nikes, Adidas, and Puma design new shoes for the World Cup. Many trend forecasters have predicted that this year the bright, pink color would be popular due to the contrast between the green grass and the players’ shoes. This “Electric Fuchsia” would also make the shoes easy to spot on television and in the stadiums. As a result, the companies worked independently on their own type of pink-shaded shoes.

While all of the 48 countries that are competing in the World Cup wear jerseys of varying shades of red, blue, and yellow, no countries wear large amounts of pink. This shoe is able to stand out against in color between the player’s socks and jerseys, as players don’t usually wear pink in the FIFA World Cup.

This bright color also helps players be more confident, as players prefer brighter and flashier colors to assistesp with mental edge. These bright-colored shoes can help players gain confidence, and the bright colors can also tell that a player is doing well. For example, the bright colors could boost confidence and help players through tough and stressful times.