New Balance is spending the back half of its Made in USA Fall/Winter 2026 season on one shoe. Per Sneaker News, which saw all three pairs in person, the Teddy Santis-curated lineup closes out the year with three 992 releases that don't look much alike, starting with "Medusa Green/Cortado/Thunder Brown" (U992BB, $200) on October 29.
That first pair is the fall one. The top half runs through Medusa Green mesh, leather and a basketball-style leather tongue, with a white border around the "N" and a white lining. Then the mudguard and midsole drop into Cortado and Thunder Brown. Sneaker News calls it 1990s L.L.Bean coded, which is right. It looks like it came with a flannel and a canoe.
Next is "Black/Afterglow/NB Navy" on November 19. All-leather is always a gamble on a Made in USA runner, and this one mostly gets away with it: thick black leather on the mudguard and quarter with chalked edges, NB Navy underlays, white mesh, and a khaki patch on the midsole around the heel. It's the one you can wear to a nice dinner and still get asked if you work out.
The last pair, "Sport Green/Interstellar/Arctic Grey" on December 17, is the one Sneaker News likes best, and we agree. Sport Green suede, hits of Interstellar purple on the underlays and tongue patch, and Arctic Grey on the lining, "N" logos and laces. Sneaker News compares it to Stray Rats' New Balance collabs. Green and purple shouldn't work this well on a Made in USA dad shoe, but here we are.
Our take: three 992s in three months could get repetitive. It doesn't, because each pair has a different idea: outdoorsy, dressy, loud. If you only get one, make it the December pair. If you're the person who buys all three, you already knew that.
The details: New Balance Made in USA 992 "Medusa Green/Cortado/Thunder Brown" (U992BB, $200) releases October 29, 2026 via New Balance, per Sneaker News and Just Fresh Kicks. "Black/Afterglow/NB Navy" follows November 19 and "Sport Green/Interstellar/Arctic Grey" December 17; style codes and prices for those two haven't been confirmed yet. Browse New Balance at ONENESS.
In-person photos and release dates via Sneaker News.
Source: Sneaker News; Medusa Green date and price also reported by Just Fresh Kicks.
