Air Jordan 3 “Middle East” IX6986-047

he “regionality” of sneakers is no longer a “restore the feeling” type of issue for Nike, Inc. With the slew of news coming out of the Nike earnings call, including a reduction of overall volume from Jordan Retro and a streamlining of their global regions, an increased focus on local trends and consumer demand was a clear priority in Nike executives’ comments. Yet we won’t need to wait until 2027 to see the seeds of that; shoes like the Air Jordan 11 “City Pack” and the Air Jordan 4 “London” began to whet our palette, with the Air Jordan 3 “Middle East” dishing out more local flavor.

At first glance, the Air Jordan 3 “Middle East” may not be a total reinvention, leaning on classic color-blocking reminiscent of the Air Jordan 3 “Katrina,” with a potential connection to the work of A Ma Maniere in its “Burgundy Crush” trim. It’s all about the details with this pair, though, most notably with ithnaan and thalatha embroidery on the tongue to represent “23.” In place of the standard elephant print, there’s embossed mosaic-like geometry. Imprinted Nike Air stamps on the heel and a Jumpman notched just below the lace unit inject some novel branding into the mix. Finally, the “Middle East” theme is secured with custom packaging, planting the Jumpman and that aforementioned spin on “23” atop a rich burgundy shoebox.

The Air Jordan 3 “Middle East” is queued up for Holiday 2026, almost assuredly exclusive to Middle Eastern markets. Retail pricing is currently unknown. We’ll keep you up to date on any finer details we come across regarding this colorway via this article and our Jordan Release Dates page. In the meantime, check out official images via the gallery below.

Written by

Matt Varga, Junior Editor

Matt Varga is an Editor at SneakerNews. Initially earning a degree in Video Arts and Technology, he got his start in video editing and writing in the music world — primarily on hip-hop and electronic. A long-standing interest in sneakers led him to switching over to footwear. An avid collector, his favorite sneaker of all time comes down to either the Air Jordan 1 “Black Toe” and Air Jordan 5 “Laney,” his first ever pick-ups. When he’s not writing, you can find Matt cooking, traveling, attending concerts and when weather permits, on the handball court.