Fanatics set to deepen push into football ahead of World Cup
Fanatics is set to deepen its push into football ahead of what is expected to be one of the biggest wagering events in history after signing a long-term exclusive collectibles partnership with FIFA covering trading cards, stickers and digital products.
The agreement, which begins fully in 2031 under the Topps brand, expands Fanatics’ already broad relationship with FIFA and positions the company to attack multiple commercial angles around future FIFA World Cups, including betting, merchandise, fan events and collectibles.
“Across the sports landscape, we see that Fanatics are driving massive innovation in collectibles that provides fans with a new, meaningful way to engage with their favorite teams and with their favorite players,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said.
“So, from FIFA’s point of view, we can globalise 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.”
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico expected to generate enormous global betting turnover, the deal could also strengthen cross-promotion opportunities for Fanatics Sportsbook, which currently operates across several US states and Ontario, Canada.
Fanatics founder and CEO, Michael Rubin, said their involvement in football was brought about by the belief that it has considerable growth left in it.
“This is truly a historic day in our company’s history,” he said.
“Global football is the biggest growth opportunity in sports, and when you combine the power of FIFA with the innovation and entrepreneurial backbone of Fanatics, together we’re poised to elevate storytelling and collectibles around the game in a way that’s never been seen before.”
The partnership includes physical and digital collectibles, player jersey patch cards and trading card games, while Fanatics also committed to distributing more than $150 million worth of free collectibles to support youth football globally.
Fanatics will additionally host the official FIFA World Cup Final press conferences at Fanatics Fest NYC in July 2026.
