Guide
How to Identify Your Predator by Year
Every adidas Predator since 1994, and the visual cues that tell one year from the next.
A pair of old Predators turns up in an attic, a charity shop or a parent’s wardrobe more often than you’d think — and the first question is always the same: what year is this? adidas has made 22 numbered Predators since 1994, across three very different eras, and the name printed on the box doesn’t always help if you only have the boot.
This page is a quick visual reference. Find the features you can see on the boot in front of you, match them to the table below, then follow the link through to that model’s own page for the full story.
The quick way to narrow it down
Three questions get you most of the way there before you look at a single stripe:
- Does it have laces, or is it laceless? Laced means 1994–2014, or 2024 onwards. Laceless (a stretch knit collar, no eyelets) means 2017–2023.
- Does it have a fold-over tongue — a flap folding down over the laces? If yes, it’s 1995–2007 or 2024 onwards. If it has laces but no fold-over tongue, it’s 2009–2014. Our fold-over tongue guide has the full story of why it disappeared and came back.
- Is the upper leather, or a synthetic/knit material? Leather means 1994–2002. Anything synthetic is 2004 or later.
Every Predator, year by year
| Year | Model | Spot it by |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Predator | Black, white Three Stripes, ridged rubber across the whole upper. No fold-over tongue — the very first Predator. |
| 1995 | Predator Rapier | Black, white and red. The first Predator with a fold-over tongue. |
| 1996 | Predator Touch | Red fold-over tongue, rubber ridges spread further across the forefoot. |
| 1998 | Predator Accelerator | Black, white and red with sweeping, curved Three Stripes. Zidane’s 1998 World Cup boot. |
| 2000 | Predator Precision | Black, white and red, wavy Three Stripes, red fold-over tongue held by Velcro. Beckham’s boot against Greece. |
| 2002 | Predator Mania | Black, white and red, an external red heel counter, and an elasticated strap over the tongue. Beckham’s “Champagne” colourway is this boot. |
| 2004 | Predator Pulse | Black and white, red fold-over tongue, red heel. |
| 2006 | Predator Absolute | Red and black, fold-over tongue with an elastic strap. |
| 2007 | Predator PowerSwerve | Black, white and red — the last fold-over tongue until 2024. |
| 2009 | Predator X | Black with red stitching and “Predator” lettering across the upper. No more tongue. |
| 2011 | adiPower Predator | Black, white and red, “Predator” lettering on the heel. |
| 2012 | Predator Lethal Zones | Orange and black, rubber ridges across the forefoot. |
| 2014 | Predator Instinct | Black and red with a hexagonal pattern across the upper. |
| 2017 | Predator 18 | White and red with black Three Stripes. Laceless, with a knitted collar — the Predator’s first laceless version. |
| 2018 | Predator 19 | Red, knitted collar, a textured control surface instead of rubber ridges. |
| 2020 | Predator Mutator 20 | Black, white and red with DEMONSKIN rubber spikes across the forefoot. |
| 2021 | Predator Freak | Red with a black heel, laceless, DEMONSKIN spikes across the upper. |
| 2022 | Predator Edge | Black with white, red and blue Three Stripes. Laceless. |
| 2023 | Predator Accuracy | Black, white and pink. Laceless. |
| 2024 | Predator 24 | Black with white Three Stripes, solar red tongue and yellow detailing. The fold-over tongue is back, for the boot’s 30th anniversary. |
| 2025 | Predator 25 | Black and red, fold-over tongue. |
| 2026 | Predator 26 | Black, white and red, fold-over tongue. |
A note on colourways and remakes
The table above describes each boot’s main launch colourway, but adidas has released plenty of alternate colours for every Predator, and — especially for the Accelerator and the Mania — remade several of them more than once since 2014. A boot that matches a row above on silhouette but not on colour is very likely a later colourway of the same model, not a different year. If the colours look right but something about the material or soleplate feels too modern for the year you think it is, it may be a remake rather than an original — our remakes vs originals guide covers the checks, and our vintage Predator values guide covers what that’s worth knowing for the two most collected years, 1998 and 2002.
Frequently Asked Questions
What year is my adidas Predator?
Check whether it’s laced or laceless, whether it has a fold-over tongue, and whether the upper is leather or synthetic — those three things narrow it down to a handful of years. Then match the colour and details against the table on this page.
What’s the oldest adidas Predator?
The original 1994 Predator — black, with white Three Stripes and ridged rubber across the whole upper, and no fold-over tongue.
Which Predator years had the fold-over tongue?
1995 to 2007, and 2024 onwards. There’s no fold-over tongue on any Predator from 2009 to 2023. Our fold-over tongue guide has the full history.
How many adidas Predator boots have there been?
22 numbered models since 1994, not counting special editions, colourways and remakes.
My Predator doesn’t quite match any of these — why?
It may be an alternate colourway rather than the launch colour shown here, or, for the Accelerator and the Mania especially, a remake rather than an original. See our guide to telling remakes from originals.
Read more: The full Predator history · The Predator fold-over tongue · Predator remakes vs originals · Vintage Predator values