PUMA Brings NITRO™ to Football With the PUMA NITRO Lab in Los Angeles

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- Global sports brand PUMA today opened the PUMA NITRO™ Lab in Los Angeles, the latest chapter of its innovation platform, and company’s most significant yet, marking the global reveal of the Ultra Nitro 7 and NITRO™'s arrival in football for the first time on a football boot. Previous editions of the NITRO™ Lab in Paris, Tokyo, and London explored the future of running performance and cemented NITRO™ as the defining technology in elite running with Fast-R3. Now, with the world’s attention turning to football, Los Angeles is where that journey takes its next step, introducing the same innovation DNA that reshaped the track to the pitch, when it matters most.

Staying true to PUMA’s football approach of putting community first, the Lab opened its doors to the streets before the spotlight arrived. Before opening to media, the PUMA NITRO™ Lab welcomed a group of young players from the LA Breakers, a local youth football club, giving them the first look at the Ultra Nitro 7.

At the centre of the lab is the new Ultra NITRO™ 7, PUMA's most significant move in football to date. For five years, NITRO™ has been the technology that redefined what fast means on the running track. Now, for the first time, it’s in a football boot, and it will be worn on the pitch at this summer’s tournament.

Romain Girard, VP of Innovation, PUMA, said: “NITRO is built on one obsession: what does the athlete actually need to go faster? Five years of testing, refining, and perfecting NITRO with some of the world’s best runners gave us the answer, and those learnings are now inside the Ultra Nitro 7. What we’re showing here in LA goes beyond one boot. Every prototype and next-generation concept is driven by intimate conversations with our athletes and understanding what they need before the game demands it. This is where we let the next generation of players see what’s coming before anyone else does.”

At the heart of the main activation is a custom-engineered hero capsule - a suspended industrial display chamber set against a full LED wall that breaks down boot architecture in real time. Guests move through a series of distinct zones: a locker-room-style arrival corridor; a timeline wall tracing the evolution of NITRO™ technology across the Fast-R3, Berserker, and Ultra Nitro 7; and a football showcase displaying official match balls from the Nitro LE, Premier League, LaLiga, and Serie A, reinforcing PUMA's presence at the centre of the world's biggest competitions. Also on display: the national kits of all 11 PUMA teams competing in this summer’s tournament, representing almost 25% of all qualified nations.

Dominique Gathier, VP of Teamsport, PUMA, said: “The Ultra NITRO 7 will make its debut on the pitch at the biggest tournament in the world, worn by players like Pulisic, Dalot, Gakpo and others. With the PUMA NITRO Lab, we have created the space to show PUMA’s ambition to bring innovation to football, always with the obsession to help athletes perform at their best. This includes groundbreaking footwear featuring NITRO, our new performance ball also featuring NITRO, and the strongest kit lineup we've assembled, all engineered for the biggest stage.”

The Lab also offers a first look at what comes next. Frosted display cases preview the Ultra Vision and Ultra Vision∞, alongside the PUMA 3D Atom concept boot and the Cryo Vest, a performance cooling garment designed for elite athletes competing in extreme heat conditions.

Built around a simple idea, that every push-off should feel faster, the Ultra Nitro 7 introduces NITROFOAM™ ELITE, engineered into the sockliner and footbed to compress and rebound instantly, delivering energy return with every touch. At 180g, the boot pairs that responsiveness with an ULTRAWEAVE upper for lightweight precision and a SPEEDSYSTEM 2.0 outsole for explosive propulsion, making it the most complete Ultra boot PUMA has ever made.

The PUMA Ultra NITRO™ 7 is available for pre-sale from July 13^th and on general sale from July 23^rd at puma.com and select retail partners worldwide.

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PUMA

PUMA is one of the world’s leading sports brands, designing, developing, and selling footwear, apparel and accessories. Founded in 1948, PUMA helps the world’s best athletes and teams perform at their best with its innovative products. Known for its iconic cat logo and the Formstrip, the company offers performance products in categories such as Football, Running and Training. Its Sportstyle collections are rooted in sports and inspire consumers by celebrating sports culture. With its long history and strong heritage, PUMA is proud of having one of the strongest archives in the industry, with many iconic products such as the Suede and the Speedcat. The PUMA Group owns the brands PUMA, Cobra Golf and stichd. The company distributes its products in over 120 countries, employs more than 20,000 people and is headquartered in Herzogenaurach/Germany. For more information, please visit https://about.puma.com.

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