adidas Predator 25 (2025)

adidas Predator 25 Elite with fold-over tongue in black and red — Image: adidas

The Predator 25 carried the return of the fold-over tongue into a second generation. adidas unveiled it on 9 January 2025, just over a year after the tongue came back, and dressed it in the vibrant red long associated with the classic Predator tongue, spread across the whole upper.

Its first big stage was the Spanish Super Cup, where Jude Bellingham showed it off in the semi-final against Mallorca. It was designed to carry the Predator’s history alongside current technology, with a nod to the past in the design and upgrades underneath.

Red, and a Nod to the Accelerator

The upper’s red was the first thing people noticed. The second was the black wavy lines woven through the three stripes, a throwback to the Predator Accelerator of 1998. The Predator branding was refreshed on the tongue and heel.

It continued a theme. The tongue had come back a year earlier with the 2024 Predator Elite, after 17 years away, and the Predator 25 kept leaning on archive references rather than rejecting them.

What Changed Under the Skin

adidas pointed to a handful of upgrades:

Strikeskin: rubber elements in the impact zone, longer and more numerous, to increase grip on the ball.
Hybridtouch 2.0: a snug, cushioned fit with a shorter break-in time.
Fold-over tongue: back with extra foam for protection and new rubber elements for ball control.
Controlframe 2.0: a lightweight soleplate with an external heel counter, carried over from the year before.

It came in laced, laceless and fold-over tongue versions, so it was available across the range from the top-end Elite to more accessible boots.

Who Wore It

adidas named Bellingham, Pedri, Alessia Russo and Aitana Bonmatí among its wearers, and Arsenal’s Jurriën Timber was another. Bellingham also received signature editions, including a Birmingham-inspired boot for the 2025/26 season. See our guide to his signature boots.

A Heritage Platform

In autumn 2025 adidas put a faithful recreation of the 2000 Precision upper on the Predator 25 soleplate for the “Origins Pack”, part of its Made in Germany series. It showed the Predator 25 acting as a platform for heritage designs. Our Predator 26 vs 25 comparison covers what changed when the next generation arrived in December 2025.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the adidas Predator 25?

The Predator 25 is the 2025 adidas Predator, released on 9 January 2025. It has a red upper inspired by the classic Predator tongue, an Accelerator-inspired stripe design, Strikeskin rubber elements, Hybridtouch 2.0 and a fold-over tongue.

When was the Predator 25 released?

It went on sale on 9 January 2025, according to adidas. Bellingham wore it for the first time in the Spanish Super Cup semi-final that month.

What versions of the Predator 25 were there?

Laced, laceless and fold-over tongue versions, across the range from the Elite level down to more affordable boots.

How is the Predator 25 different from the Predator 26?

The Predator 26 arrived in December 2025 with the return of PowerSpine and a new Nanostrike+ upper, according to adidas. See our Predator 26 vs 25 comparison for the full breakdown.