FIFA expands Fanatics partnership

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the world football–governing body, has announced a long-term expansion of its agreement with Fanatics, an international e-commerce and merchandising company.

The new exclusive collectibles licensing deal features trading cards, stickers, and trading card games — both physical and digital.

The agreement kicks off in its entirety from 2031 and will see all products designed and developed through Fanatics Collectibles and produced under the Topps brand. Fanatics will work on fan engagement as well, which will include distributing more than US$150 million in collectibles free of charge over the course of the partnership.

Gianni Infantino, President, FIFA, said:

“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. 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.”

Michael Rubin, Founder and CEO, Fanatics, said:

“This is truly a historic day in our company’s history. 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.”

Mike Mahan, CEO, Fanatics, added:

“We’re incredibly excited to partner with FIFA to deliver truly innovative products that bring fans and collectors closer to their favorite players in the biggest competitions. Through our cutting-edge offerings we look forward to helping grow both the hobby and the global game as a whole.”