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Most Anticipated Sneaker Releases of October 2026

The rest of October ranked by how hard each pair will be to get, from the NIGO x j-hope Air Force 1 to the Kobe 3 "Mamba Eterno", with dates and prices checked.

The ranking

7 pairs · Oct 18 · re-ranked, 5 new picks
  1. NIGO x j-hope AF1 '01

    1 of 7

    NIGO x j-hope AF1 '01

    Two big names on a $150 Air Force 1

    Released
    OCT
    Retail
    $150
  2. Kobe 3 Low "Mamba Eterno"

    2 of 7

    Kobe 3 Low "Mamba Eterno"

    Día de Muertos Protro on SNKRS

    Released
    OCT
    Retail
    $190
  3. Burna Boy x On Cloudtilt

    3 of 7

    Burna Boy x On Cloudtilt

    His first On pairs, one per person

    Released
    OCT
    Retail
    $170
  4. AF1 QS "Team Red"

    4 of 7

    AF1 QS "Team Red"

    Pony hair on a $140 Air Force 1

    Released
    OCT
    Retail
    $140
  5. Air Jordan 3 "Fireside" (W)

    5 of 7

    Air Jordan 3 "Fireside" (W)

    Women's 3 in Velvet Brown

    Released
    OCT
    Retail
    $205
  6. Air Jordan 12 "Fireside"

    6 of 7

    Air Jordan 12 "Fireside"

    Cream leather, copper lace loops

    Released
    OCT
    Retail
    $215
  7. SZA x Vans "VANSZA"

    7 of 7

    SZA x Vans "VANSZA"

    App entry at Foot Locker

    Released
    OCT
    Retail
    $100
01 / 07

Update, October 18: More than half of October is done, so this list now ranks the pairs still to come from October 20 to 31. Five picks are new, and everything that has released is at the bottom, with links.

Seven pairs lead the rest of the month, ranked by how hard each will be to get at retail. Every date and price below comes from the brand’s or a retailer’s own listing, and each pick links to our full post.

How we ranked

The order follows our hype score: how hard a pair will be to get at retail on the day. It weighs reported stock against demand (half), resale on the shoe or its closest comparable (30%), and how it’s sold, from general release up to a single-store draw (20%). It’s a guide to where the fights will be, not a verdict on which shoe is best. Nobody paid to be on this list.

NIGO x j-hope AF1 ’01

NIGO and BTS’s j-hope put their names on an Air Force 1 ’01 in “Burnt Sunrise”. Nike lists it on SNKRS for Thursday, October 22, at 10:00 ET, $150. It scores 65 on our hype bar, still the highest of anything left this month. Full details.

Kobe 3 Low “Mamba Eterno”

Nike’s Día de Muertos Kobe: a warm orange Protro with a floral print under the cage and Hyper Grape and Emerald Green accents. Friday, October 30, at 10:00 ET, $190 on SNKRS. Kobe Protros rarely sit on shelves. Full details.

Burna Boy x On Cloudtilt

Burna Boy’s first On pairs land at Foot Locker on Thursday, October 22: the Cloudtilt Remix at $170, the Cloudmonster at $180 and THE ROGER Clubhouse at $150, one per person. A first collab from an artist with his following will draw a crowd, especially in the UK. Full details.

AF1 QS “Team Red”

An Air Force 1 Low in Team Red pony hair on genuine leather. Wednesday, October 21, at 10:00 ET, $140 on SNKRS. Full details.

Air Jordan 3 “Fireside” (W)

A women’s Air Jordan 3 in Velvet Brown, sharing the Fireside name with the 12 below. Friday, October 30, $205 on Foot Locker’s calendar. Full details.

Air Jordan 12 “Fireside”

Cream tumbled leather, a Cacao Wow nubuck mudguard and copper lace loops. Saturday, October 24, $215 in men’s sizes on SNKRS; kids’ sizes follow on October 31. Full details.

SZA x Vans “VANSZA”

SZA’s Vans collection, led by an LX Authentic in White/Multi at $100. Thursday, October 22, and Foot Locker is running it as an app entry rather than first come, first served. Full details.

Also this month

Already out

The next big date is Thursday, October 22, when the NIGO x j-hope Air Force 1 goes live on SNKRS at 10:00 ET.