I’ve been hunting for soccer shoes that comfortably fit my 11.5 Wide (2E) feet for a long time. Soccer cleats run narrow by default, and most brands treat “wide” as an afterthought, if they offer it at all.

My requirements are a little specific. I mostly play indoor soccer these days, so I need turf shoes rather than firm-ground cleats. I also picked up some peroneal tendonitis after playing outdoor soccer in very cheap cleats, which made “supportive enough that my foot doesn’t hurt afterward” a real criterion rather than a nice-to-have.

What I’d Been Wearing

Until recently, I played in Puma Attacanto turf shoes (paid link) in a size 12, sized up half a size purely to buy some extra width. That’s the classic wide-foot compromise: you accept a shoe that’s too long so it’s less painfully narrow.

Honestly, they worked reasonably well, especially for the price. But sizing up isn’t the same as a shoe that actually fits, and I wanted something genuinely wider with a bit more support.

The Winner: Asics DS Light Club TF

The best turf shoes I’ve found are the Asics DS Light Club TF in size 11.5.

Here’s the part that took me a while to figure out. Asics does sell a DS Light Club TF Wide in the US, but the size availability is very limited, and I couldn’t get the size I needed. I assumed I was out of luck.

Then I noticed something odd. The Asics Japan site lists style number 1103A123-001 as the wide version. That’s the same style number the US site sells as the regular DS Light Club TF. In other words, the shoe the US site calls “standard” appears to be the same product Japan calls “wide.”

I took a chance and ordered them. The turf shoes that arrived are labeled Wide, and they fit my feet better than anything else I’ve tried.

The obvious caveat: I can’t promise this holds forever, or for every size and colorway. Asics could change the model, and stock varies. But if you have wide feet and the US “Wide” listing has nothing in your size, it’s worth cross-checking the style number against the Japanese site before you give up.

What Didn’t Work: New Balance 442 Pro TF v3

I’ve had good luck with New Balance shoes in 2E in the past, so I expected them to be the easy answer here. I ordered the New Balance 442 Pro TF v3 (paid link) in 11.5, 12, and 12.5 to find the right fit.

None of them worked. As plenty of reviews have noted, these are not wide shoes. Every size was too narrow across the forefoot, and going up a full size just gave me a long, narrow shoe.

I genuinely don’t understand this one. New Balance is one of the most reliable brands out there for actual 2E and 4E widths in running and walking shoes. Their soccer line doesn’t reflect that at all. To be fair, soccer shoes are supposed to fit snugly, and a narrow last is partly a performance choice rather than an oversight. But there’s a difference between “snug” and “there is no wide option for a brand built on wide options.”

The Insoles That Made a Difference

Finding the right shoe was only half of it. I’ve also started wearing CURREX CLEATPRO insoles (paid link) to help with the peroneal tendonitis, and they’ve made a noticeable difference in comfort and support.

I have high arches, so I went with the High Profile version in XL. CURREX also makes Medium and Low Profile versions, so there’s an option for pretty much any foot type. Pick based on your arch, not just your shoe size.

The thing I was worried about was bulk. Soccer shoes don’t have much room to spare, and a thick insole can easily ruin the fit of a shoe you just spent months tracking down. These are thin enough to drop into my cleats without getting in the way, which is exactly what I needed.

The Short Version

If you have wide feet and play on turf:

  • Asics DS Light Club TF is the one I’d recommend first. Check the Japanese site’s style number if the US Wide listing is out of your size.
  • Puma Attacanto is a decent budget option if you size up, though you’re trading length for width.
  • New Balance 442 Pro TF v3 is not wide, no matter what your experience with New Balance running shoes suggests.
  • CURREX CLEATPRO insoles are worth adding regardless of which shoe you land on, especially if you’re dealing with foot pain. Match the profile (High, Medium, or Low) to your arch.

If you’ve found other genuinely wide soccer shoes, I’d love to hear about them. You can see the rest of what I play in over on my soccer kit.