FIFA leaves Panini for Topps and Fanatics partnership
FIFA leaves Panini for Topps and Fanatics partnership
Victoria Hernandez, USA TODAYThu, May 7, 2026 at 6:34 PM UTC
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FIFA has made a major move by switching trading card partners from Panini to Topps, which is owned by Fanatics. The governing body made the announcement on Thursday, saying in a press release that the new product will roll out in 2031, including physical and digital collectibles, trading cards, stickers and trading card games.
Fanatics already has a deal with FIFA for this summer's World Cup as the federation's retail and merchandise partner. Thursday's announcement included the news that Fanatics Fest will host the pre-match press conferences for the Would Cup final on July 17. Fanatics Fest will also host a watch party for the final on July 19.
Topps, which was acquired by Fanatics in 2022, will introduce player patches to international soccer for the first time. The player patch program has already seen massive success in other sports. A Paul Skenes rookie debut patch card sold for $1.1 million in March. A Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant card featuring a jersey patch from each NBA icon sold for $3.2 million in December.
Topps published a social media post sharing the news of the FIFA partnership with a graphic featuring Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Trinity Rodman, Marta and more, showing they are ready to capitalize on the excitement around international soccer stars.
FIFA and Panini have been partners since 1970. Panini lost its exclusive NFL rights to Topps this spring. Topps also has the exclusive rights for MLB, NBA and F1 trading cards.
The two companies are currently engaged in an antitrust battle. Yahoo Sports reported that Panini filed a lawsuit in 2023, claiming that Topps was creating a monopoly and Topps filed its own lawsuit against its rival. The legal battle is ongoing.
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FIFA's move follows in the footsteps of David Beckham, who left Panini for Fanatics and Topps in February. Topps also holds the rights for UEFA, Bundesliga and Major League Soccer.
There is a charitable element to the FIFA and Fanatics partnership. Fanatics promises to hand out $150 million worth of collectibles to "every region of the world and support youth football globally."
FIFA president Gianni Infantino celebrated the partnership on Instagram. He posted a photo of himself with Fanatics founder and CEO Michael Rubin with the caption, "We will do great things together in the future! You will see things you never saw before."
Rubin shared his own excitement, commenting, "Let’s go!!!! Can’t wait and honored to level up w fifa!"
Tom Brady, who is a friend of Rubin's and a frequent attender of his white parties, also commented on the post, saying, "Yes!!!! Big things ahead for this team, starting with the biggest World Cup the world has ever seen!"
The 2026 World Cup kicks off June 11 and will be played across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: FIFA leaves Panini for Fanatics-owned Topps trading card partnership
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
