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FIFA is making a major change to the future of World Cup collectibles.
FIFA and Fanatics announced on May 7 that they have signed a long-term, exclusive collectibles licensing agreement covering trading cards, stickers and trading card games. The deal begins in full in 2031 and will include both physical and digital collectibles, with products developed by Fanatics Collectibles and produced under the Topps brand.
That means the change will not arrive in time for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada. It also does not immediately end Panini’s connection to the tournament. Panini, which has been tied to World Cup stickers since 1970, will remain FIFA’s partner through the 2030 World Cup before Topps takes over beginning in 2031.
Still, the announcement signals a major shift for one of the most familiar pieces of World Cup fan culture. For generations of fans, filling a World Cup sticker album has been part of the tournament experience. FIFA’s new agreement puts that future in the hands of Fanatics, which has aggressively expanded its sports collectibles business through Topps.
BREAKING: FIFA, Fanatics, and Topps have signed a long-term, exclusive collectibles deal covering trading cards, stickers, and trading card games.
The partnership officially begins in 2031 and will include both physical and digital collectibles… and YES, there will be World
One of the biggest fan-facing changes is the planned arrival of player jersey patch cards in international soccer.
FIFA said the agreement will bring the “player jersey patch program,” including debut patches, to international football trading cards from 2031 onward. Those patches are expected to be inserted into cards as part of future FIFA collections.
That matters because patch cards have become a major part of the modern trading card market. Fanatics and Topps have already used similar concepts in other sports, including rookie debut patches and other game-used memorabilia programs. FIFA’s deal opens the door for World Cup and other FIFA-event cards built around tournament-worn or player-specific memorabilia.
For collectors, that is the clearest signal that Fanatics does not only want to inherit the old World Cup sticker model. It wants to reshape FIFA collectibles around scarcity, memorabilia and chase cards, the parts of the hobby that have helped drive interest in U.S. sports cards.
The agreement also includes digital collectibles, which gives FIFA and Fanatics room to build beyond traditional sticker albums and cardboard cards. FIFA did not disclose full product plans, but the deal gives Fanatics a broad lane to create collectibles around FIFA tournaments beginning in 2031.
The timing of the deal is important.
The 2026 World Cup will still arrive before the Fanatics agreement begins in full. The 2030 World Cup will also come before the full handoff. That gives Panini two more men’s World Cup cycles before the new era begins.
That delay makes the announcement feel less like an immediate consumer change and more like a warning shot about where the market is headed. Fanatics has already become a dominant player in U.S. sports merchandise and collectibles. FIFA is now tying one of soccer’s most global fan rituals to that platform.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino framed the deal as a way to grow fan engagement globally and create a commercial revenue stream that FIFA says will be channeled back into the sport. Fanatics founder and CEO Michael Rubin called global football “the biggest growth opportunity in sports.”
Fanatics also committed to distributing more than $150 million in collectibles free of charge across the lifetime of the partnership, with FIFA saying the initiative is intended to support youth football globally.
The deal also connects directly to the 2026 World Cup Final week in New York.
FIFA announced that the pre-match press conferences for the 2026 World Cup Final will take place at Fanatics Fest on Friday, July 17, 2026, two days before the final. Coaches and players from the finalist teams are expected to attend, with media availability and an on-stage moment included in the event.
The 2026 World Cup Final is scheduled for Sunday, July 19, 2026, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. FIFA also said Fanatics Fest will host a watch party that day, airing the final on screens around the Javits Center for attendees.
That is another meaningful piece of the announcement. Fanatics is not only taking over future FIFA collectibles. It is also placing itself inside the fan experience around the next World Cup Final, even before the full collectibles deal begins.
For fans, the immediate takeaway is simple: Panini remains part of the World Cup picture for now, but FIFA has already chosen its long-term collectibles future. Beginning in 2031, that future will run through Fanatics, Topps and a new generation of World Cup cards, stickers and memorabilia-driven collectibles.
Erik Anderson is an award-winning sports journalist covering the NBA, MLB and NFL for Heavy.com. He also focuses on the trading card market. His work has appeared in nationally-recognized outlets including The New York Times, Associated Press , USA Today, and ESPN. More about Erik Anderson
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