Fanatics has signed David Beckham to an exclusive trading card and memorabilia agreement – marking the first formal partnership between the football icon and the collectibles giant.
The deal spans trading cards, trading card games, stickers, and autographed memorabilia. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Beckham had previously held an exclusive arrangement with Panini America after signing with the card manufacturer in 2021.
Beckham’s first cards under the Fanatics umbrella will appear in 2026 Premier League Chrome. Under the agreement, Fanatics also becomes the sole distributor of Beckham’s memorabilia and collectibles, including autographed jerseys, balls, photographs, and match-used items.
“In terms of working directly with him, he’s one of the few players Topps has never worked with,” David Leiner, president of trading cards at Fanatics Collectibles, told cllct. Although the company had previously used Beckham’s image while holding Premier League rights, it had never produced his autograph cards.
The signing is expected to strengthen Fanatics’ English Premier League license. In 2024, Fanatics and the league entered into an exclusive multi-year agreement after a six-year run with Panini. According to Leiner, Beckham will play a central role in the marketing of upcoming EPL products, with plans that extend beyond packaging and into direct fan engagement.
“The deal includes significant marketing,” Leiner said, referencing meet-and-greets, social media content, and other activations aimed at drawing fans deeper into the collecting category. “We plan to engage with David and do a lot of fun things for fans and collectors.”
Beckham joins an exclusive roster of football stars at Fanatics that includes Jude Bellingham, Wayne Rooney, and Harry Kane. The company hopes the combined star power will accelerate international growth. While the trading card market has expanded rapidly in North America, Fanatics has targeted Europe and Asia for further development, opening its first flagship hobby store in London in April 2025 and investing in international events.
“We believe soccer (football) collectibles are very underpenetrated relative to the size of the fanbase,” Leiner said. Soccer, he added, remains the world’s largest sport, yet its collectibles segment still has substantial room to grow.
Recently, Fanatics also entered into an exclusive partnership with Max Verstappen, further strengthening its roster of global sports icons.
