Puma evoSPEED 1.3 Africa – African Cup of Nations Edition

With the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations underway, Puma has introduced a special edition cleat to honor the event – the evoSPEED 1.3 Africa. Right across the upper, bold graphics that are inspired by African soccer highlight the design.

There are some conflicting reports on this one and it has caused confusion on what they have going on under the hood. Touted as the evoSPEED 1.3, these look a lot more like the evoSPEED 1.2, the previous model of the range. That is due in part to the removal of the external EverFit cage. But, outside of that, these are a modified version of the third generation edition.

Featuring a premium monolayer microfiber upper, on this version Puma adds a unique lined GripTex print for touch and control on the ball. From all images, it looks like this texture runs on the right boot only, with a smooth layer on the left. So, depending on which foot you predominantly use, performance is likely to differ.

Then there is all the graphics designed to honor African soccer. First, plenty of color is added – something synonymous with everything we see Puma release related to the continent. Purple, Orange and Golden Yellow are the shades that flow through the upper. A large Puma hit is added along the instep, while a detailed African sunrise graphic is added to the lateral side. A small text hit is added, with the words “evospeed one” adding a signature to the boot. On the tongue and heel, a bold and highly visual sun symbol is added to cap off this limited edition release.

With only 500 pairs released worldwide, these are set to be a hot commodity. Included in the package is a pretty awesome boot bag featuring a similar graphic to what is found on the boot.

Right now, you can find pairs listed for $250 on both Puma.com and Soccer.com.