How Fanatics cornered the sports collectibles market

A Fanatics on the sideline billboard during the NWSL match between Houston Dash and Washington Spirit at Shell Energy Stadium on March 14, 2025 in Houston, Texas. Aaron M. Sprecher | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images Fanatics is set to displace Panini as the exclusive licensee of FIFA's collectibles in 2031, following an agreement with FIFA over the licensing rights for World Cup soccer collectibles. The deal would see Fanatics expanding its existing portfolio of licenses, which includes major sporting franchises like the NFL, NBA and MLB, and is set to hand the company a greater foothold in a multi-billion dollar sports collectibles market. But as Fanatics consolidates its grip on the global sports collectibles market — part of a growing $100 billion sector, according to estimates from Morgan Stanley — its aggressive expansion has attracted legal challenges and accusations of monopolistic behavior. watch now Fanatical innovation Under the new FIFA-Fanatics agreement, starting from this year's World Cup, tournament debutants are set to wear "debut patches" on their inaugural matchday jerseys, which will subsequently be removed and distributed as exclusive trading cards once the agreement takes effect in 2031. The practice began in the 2023 Major League Baseball season, after Fanatics acquired exclusive licenses to produce baseball cards for the league in 2021. While Fanatics' MLB deal was initially slated to take effect in 2025, it took over licenses to the league after acquiring previous licensee Topps in 2022. The scarcity of such one-of-one debut cards have seen pieces retailing for thousands on online resale platforms like eBay. The practice of issuing debut cards in trading card packs has since been replicated across franchises like Formula 1 and the NBA — other sports leagues where the now Fanatics-owned Topps previously held licenses. "With Fanatics, we see that they 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," FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement on May 7. Fanatics' other moves in the sports collectibles scene have been underpinned by a similar spirit of innovation. In 2025, the company's collectibles division opened its first brick-and-mortar store in London's Regent Street — a distinct sales approach, as rivals like Panini and pre-takeover Topps sold products through distributors or online stores. Trading cards from Panini's FIFA World Cup 2026 Adrenalyn XL collection launched on March 25, 2026. Bruno Fahy | AFP | Getty Images Fanatics has also looked to celebrity personalities like Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton, who appeared at the opening of its Regent Street store, and social media influencer Logan Paul to drive engagement. With its FIFA deal, Fanatics is set to take on exclusive collectibles licensing rights to the flagship event of the world's most popular sport. The 64 games of the 2022 World Cup engaged 5 billion fans across all media channels, with the final between France and Argentina reaching 1.42 billion viewers, according to official figures from FIFA. In comparison, Super Bowl LIX in 2025 — the most-watched sports event in the U.S. — drew around 127 million viewers, Nielsen estimated. In a May 7 interview with CNBC, Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin said that the company's collectibles division alone was expected to rake in $5 billion in revenue, while the company — which spans merchandising, a sportsbook, a prediction market, as well as an events and entertainment division — was expected to generate $14 billion in revenue. Troubled waters But Fanatics' aggressive moves in the collectibles space has also drawn scrutiny. Prior to its $500 million purchase of Topps in 2022, Fanatics acquired licenses to the MLB, NBA and NFL — all of which were initially slated to begin after the end of Topps' licenses in 2023, 2025, and 2026 respectively. Many of the sporting franchises licensed to Fanatics also hold equity stakes in the company. In 2022, the NFL led a $1.5 billion round of funding for the company, with a $320 million stake, after its players association agreed on licensing terms with Fanatics the year before. No such equity terms, however, have been agreed on under the FIFA-Fanatics pact, a source familiar with the matter told CNBC, who declined to be named discussing sensitive matters. In a March report, the American Economic Liberties Project (AELP) wrote that "the market consolidation by Fanatics has fundamentally altered the merchandise and trading card market for collectors and fans." "Before Fanatics' acquisitions, competition between Topps and Italian brand Panini drove innovation in card design, quality, and pricing. Now, with Panini's exclusive licenses expired and Topps under Fanatics control, Upper Deck remains the only competitor, and only in hockey," the AELP added. watch now In 2023, Panini America filed an ongoing antitrust lawsuit