October 1 – Chelsea have announced an expansion to their partnership with collectibles heavyweight Topps, owned by Fanatics, which becomes the Official Trading Card Partner of men’s and women’s teams on a long-term deal.
The updated commercial agreement includes trading card games, stickers from the Topps, Match Attax and Merlin brands.
Topps has partnered with the English Premier League club since 2018, and the new agreement will allow Topps to feature more player autographs and player game-worn relic for fans to collect.
The sports trading card sector is a booming business, with thousands upon thousands of collectors across the globe. The most expensive soccer card ever sold was a Lionel Messi Mega Cracks card from the 2004/5 season, purchased in a private sale for $1,500,000.
Across all sports, the largest transaction ever was a $12,600,000 sale of a baseball legend Mickey Mantle from Topps 1952.
A market analysis report hosted by Grand View Research valued the global sports trading card market at $13.5 billion, with a projected growth of $14.5 billion in 2026 and $24.7 billion in 2033.
Now the likes of Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo, Levi Colwell and Joao Pedro could become some of the most sought-after cards in the business, with Chelsea set to profit through their latest commercial partnership
Contact the writer of this story, Nick Webster, at nick.webster@insideworldfootball.com