Fanatics slated to become FIFA’s official provider of cards and collectibles beginning in 2031
Topps, the card collectibles company Fanatics purchased in 2022, will become the official supplier of both physical and digital collectibles for soccer's world governing body.
When it comes to Fanatics, company founder and CEO Michael Rubin has his eyes set on going global. He’s testing those waters in the trading cards and collectibles sector of his Conshohocken-based sports apparel empire.
Early Thursday morning, FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, and Fanatics announced that Topps, the card collectibles company Fanatics purchased in 2022, will become the official supplier of both physical and digital collectibles beginning in 2031.
The deal will signal the end of a longstanding contract with Panini, which for over 60 years was the official supplier of trading cards, stickers and other collectibles for FIFA. The highlight of the Panini deal was the sticker cards and books to capture the players, coaches, and more of all of the nations competing in both the FIFA men’s and women’s World Cups.
» READ MORE: Six weeks before the World Cup, thousands of Philly-area Airbnbs and hotel rooms remain unbooked
To sweeten the deal, FIFA announced that Fanatics and Topps will commit to distributing more than $150 million in collectibles for free worldwide over the lifetime of the exclusive partnership.
Soccer’s governing body also announced that its official FIFA World Cup final news conference, complete with player interviews and mixed zone availability, will be held during Fanatics Fest on Friday, July 17.
The final is two days later at MetLife Stadium on July 19.
“Fanatics and FIFA will innovate, grow, lead the collectibles business and really take all the innovations that have driven so much growth throughout the world and bring them to global football,” Rubin said via a FIFA release. “We could not be more excited at Fanatics about the opportunity we have here, [and] how much growth sits ahead.”
The most significant part of the deal was that Fanatics will introduce its popular jersey patch program into soccer cards for the first time. An initiative started in 2023, Topps inserted game-worn patches from rookies across the NBA, MLB, and even UFC into select card packs. The plan now is to do the same for soccer across various leagues around the world beginning in 2031.
Fanatics will create the patches from its apparel division, and insert the patches into card packs on behalf of Topps.
» READ MORE: Haiti dreams of bringing a party to the World Cup, even though its citizens can’t come to Philadelphia
We see that [Fanatics] are driving massive innovation in sports collectibles that does provide fans with a new, a meaningful way to engage with their favorite teams and with their favorite players," said FIFA president Gianni Infantino. “So, from FIFA’s point of view, we can globalize that fan engagement precisely thanks to our global tournament portfolio. And this provides another important commercial revenue stream that we channel back, as always, into the game, into football.”
Based in Modena, Italy, Panini has been FIFA’s exclusive cards and collectibles provider for nearly 60 years and is famously known for its sticker book collectibles which have been a collector’s highlight for every World Cup cycle (besides the 1994 edition in the United States) since 1970. Panini’s deal with FIFA will expire following the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which will be held in Saudi Arabia.
Collecting stickers for all of the teams in the World Cup just got even pricier. While Panini has historically offered the books free of charge, the cost of completing one with all of the stickers needed for 32 (and now 48) nations competing could range in the hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.
» READ MORE: Where's the money from your exorbitant World Cup tickets going? To FIFA's $14 billion in revenue.
Now, that responsibility becomes Rubin’s via Fanatics in five years’ time, and is one Rubin believes will take Fanatics to the next level.
“We’ve built a pretty meaningful business that we’re just getting started with here in America,” said Rubin. “For us, ... global football represents to Fanatics is the single biggest growth opportunity we have, and we’re so fortunate to be partners with FIFA, not only in running the local experiences for everything around this World Cup, but about how we innovate, grow and market the collectibles category to billions of fans around the world.”
Nine nations will compete in five group stage matches this summer, plus two more in a knockout game on July 4. Here’s what you need to know about those countries — and what those fans need to know about Philly. Click here for more.
