End of an era: FIFA breaks with Panini after 60 years of collaboration

The international entity announced that starting in 2031, Fanatics will take control of World Cup collectibles, marking a historic change in the figurine business.

The World Cup collectibles business will take a historic turn that marks the end of one of the competition's longest-running alliances. FIFA confirmed that starting in 2031, Fanatics, through its Topps brand, will replace Panini as the official licensee of albums, figurines and collectible cards

for its competitions.

In this way, the 2030 World Cup will be the last under the seal of the Italian company, which had built an uninterrupted link with the tournament since Mexico 1970, with the sole exception of the United States 1994, and became a cultural symbol for generations of fans around the world.

Panini will stop making world cup albums. The one in 2030 will be the last

The new agreement includes an exclusive long-term license that will not only cover the World Cup, but also other tournaments organized by FIFA. As explained by Gianni Infantino, the alliance seeks to modernize the collectibles market and generate new forms of interaction between fans, players and national teams, in addition to opening up new sources of income for the organization

for its competitions.

From Fanatics, CEO Michael Rubin highlighted the global potential of soccer as an engine of growth. Currently, the company concentrates most of its business in the United States (about 85%) and aims to expand internationally taking advantage of the reach of the World Cup. It currently holds rights to major leagues such as the NBA, NFL, MLB, Premier League and Formula 1

Among the planned innovations, Topps plans to introduce formats already used in leagues such as the NFL or the NBA, such as the autographed “Debut Patch” cards. It consists of removing and authenticating the patches used by players in their world cup debut and then adding them to cards signed by the players themselves. According to Infantino, this type of product could begin to be implemented even before 2031.

Fanatics would implement the famous “Debut Patch”

Meanwhile, the loss of the license comes at a sensitive time for Panini. According to The Atlhelic, the Italian firm had analyzed a possible sale in 2025 and was betting on increasing its valuation thanks to the World Cup.

Previously, in Qatar 2022, it achieved record revenues of approximately 720 million dollars in net sales, and they project profits of 1.48 billion for the 2026 edition and 1.5 billion for the 2030 edition.

This announcement not only redefines the business, but it opens up a debate among collectors. While some celebrate innovation, others warn that the change will mark the end of a tradition that accompanied soccer for more than six

decades.

End of an era: FIFA breaks with Panini after 60 years of collaboration

End of an era: FIFA breaks with Panini after 60 years of collaboration

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