Foot shape 1 of 9
Egyptian foot shape
An Egyptian foot is the one where the big toe is clearly the longest, and each toe behind it steps down in a clean diagonal line. It is the most common of the nine shapes, which is why so many boots are built around it — and why the players it does not suit have such a hard time.
How to tell if you have a Egyptian foot
- Stand up, look down: the big toe is unmistakably the furthest forward.
- The toes fall away in a straight slope rather than levelling off.
- Your longest point sits on the inside edge of your foot, not the middle.
What to look for in a boot
- A toe box whose furthest point sits over the big toe, so your longest toe lands in the roomiest part of the boot.
- A little extra length up front — an Egyptian foot runs out of boot at the big toe first.
- Rounded rather than sharply pointed tips, which keep the taper off the big toenail.
What to avoid
- Aggressively pointed speed lasts that pull the apex to the centre of the boot — the big toe hits the taper early.
- Boots that run short: the shape gives you no spare length to lose.
- Assuming a longer size fixes it. If the apex is in the wrong place, more length just adds slack behind the heel.
Sizing a Egyptian foot
Length is dictated entirely by the big toe, so measure to it rather than to the middle of the foot, and treat any boot that runs short as needing a size up.
Football boots that suit a Egyptian foot
Scored by our fit model for a Egyptian toe shape on an otherwise average foot — average width, average volume, neutral arch. Build your own profile to see how these change once your width and volume are in.
- 89
Adidas F50 2010 Elite Leather Remake
Strong Match · True to size · Low rounded toe box · Standard width
The toe box suits an Egyptian shape well. Its toe box peaks right where your longest toe sits.
- 87
New Balance Tekela v5 Elite
Strong Match · True to size · Medium toe box · Standard width
The toe box is a reasonable match for an Egyptian shape. Its toe box peaks right where your longest toe sits. The upper is soft enough to take the edge off this.
- 86
Adidas Predator 25 Elite Leather
Strong Match · True to size · Medium toe box · Standard width
The toe box is a reasonable match for an Egyptian shape. Its toe box peaks right where your longest toe sits. The upper is soft enough to take the edge off this.
- 86
Adidas F50 Spider Elite
Strong Match · True to size · Medium toe box · Standard width
The toe box is a reasonable match for an Egyptian shape. Its toe box peaks right where your longest toe sits. This upper gives with wear, easing this over the first few sessions.
- 86
Adidas Predator 25 Elite Laceless
Strong Match · True to size · Medium toe box · Standard width
The toe box is a reasonable match for an Egyptian shape. Its toe box peaks right where your longest toe sits. The upper is soft enough to take the edge off this.
- 85
Adidas F50 Messi Elite Tango
Strong Match · True to size · Low rounded toe box · Standard width
The toe box suits an Egyptian shape well. Its toe box peaks right where your longest toe sits.
Egyptian foot — common questions
- What is an Egyptian foot?
- An Egyptian foot is a toe shape where the big toe is the longest and the remaining toes taper down in a straight diagonal line. It is the most common of the nine toe shapes and the one most boot lasts are designed around.
- What football boots are best for an Egyptian foot?
- Boots whose toe box reaches its furthest point over the big toe, with a rounded rather than sharply pointed tip. Sharply tapered speed lasts put the roomiest part of the boot in the middle, where an Egyptian foot has nothing to fill it.
- Do I need a wider boot if I have an Egyptian foot?
- Not necessarily. Toe shape and forefoot width are separate things — plenty of Egyptian feet are narrow. Choose width from how the ball of your foot feels across the front, and toe shape from where your longest toe sits.
The other eight shapes
Toe shapes are fit archetypes for choosing footwear, not clinical anatomy, and fit scores are modeled from BootShapes’s boot data rather than measured on your foot. This is footwear education, not medical advice.