The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) has become the latest soccer body to partner up with Fanatics-owned collectables brand Topps.
The exclusive tie-up kicks off in 2028 and will stretch across trading cards, trading card games, stickers, and accessories licensing, with the deal covering the flagship men's FIFA World Cup in 2034 in Saudi Arabia.
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Through the agreement, Topps will produce products for the men's, women's, and youth national Saudi soccer teams. The license authorizes "collective player rights," meaning the names and imagery of national team players in competition can now be featured across Topps products.
Topps also holds rights to use all names, logos, and crests that appear on SAFF player shirts.
The deal comes a month after Topps and soccer's global governing body, FIFA, struck a deal to begin in 2031. That tie-up covers major events such as the World Cup, the Women's World Cup, and the Club World Cup.
Fanatics' rivals, Panini, had held that coveted FIFA contract since 1970 (except the 1994 World Cup), meaning the partnership will have run for 60 years by the time of its conclusion.
Topps has added FIFA – and now the SAFF – to a soccer partner portfolio that already includes England's top-tier Premier League, Germany's Bundesliga, and Europe's lucrative UEFA competitions.
Yasser Al Misehal, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation's president, said: "Saudi football is experiencing unprecedented growth, both on and off the pitch, and this partnership with Topps reflects the increasing global interest in our national teams and football ecosystem …
"Through innovative products, as well as exclusive Saudi national team trading card collections and special-edition collectible boxes, we will celebrate our football history while bringing supporters closer to the game.”
Overall, soccer has been an area that the Saudis are looking to develop significantly in the coming years, and tie-ups such as this one are an example of how the SAFF is attempting to increase its representative teams' worldwide following.
The deal also comes with Saudi Arabia set to compete at the upcoming 2026 World Cup, held across Mexico, the US, and Canada – their first game, against Uruguay, will take place (Saudi time) in the early hours of June 16. They also face Cape Verde and Spain in the group stage.
David Leiner, Topps' president of trading cards, added: "The growth of the Saudi collectibles market has been explosive – one of the fastest-growing regions in the world in the space – and together we hope to elevate the collector experience and continue to grow the hobby in the Gulf.”
In terms of recent Topps activity, early May saw that firm strike a trading card deal with the Argentine Football Association, running through the next four World Cups (both men's and women's).
