Panini isn't going quietly. As Fanatics has racked up seven exclusive collectibles deals in 2026 alone — swallowing up the NFL, FIFA, Brazil, Argentina, Italy, CONMEBOL, and most recently Saudi Arabia — the Italian collectibles giant just fired back with a play that opens an entirely new front in the global trading card arms race.

Panini announced a landmark partnership with the English Football League (EFL), bringing official EFL trading cards to the United States for the very first time. Launching in July, the 2025-26 Panini Prestige EFL collection will give American collectors access to 300 cards spanning all 72 clubs across the Championship, League One, and League Two.

This is a significant move for several reasons. First, the EFL represents the largest single-nation professional soccer league structure in Europe, with 72 clubs drawing passionate fanbases both domestically and abroad. The Championship alone — the second tier of English soccer — regularly draws higher attendance than many top-flight European leagues and has produced some of the sport's most compelling narratives, from Leicester City's Premier League fairytale to the perennial promotion battles that define the English football calendar.

Second, Panini Prestige is an established brand in American retail, making this a natural fit for the US market. The Prestige line has been a staple of football (American) and basketball releases for years, and extending it to English club soccer gives Panini a foothold in the American soccer card market that Fanatics hasn't yet locked down. With Fanatics holding the FIFA license (starting 2031) and most of the world's top national federations, Panini is wisely pivoting to club-level soccer — a space Fanatics has been slower to dominate.

The timing is shrewd. World Cup 2026 is underway and soccer interest in the United States has never been higher. American collectors who might have been priced out of the national team sticker market (which Fanatics will eventually control) now have an alternative entry point through English club soccer. The EFL's 72 clubs offer a deep well of content — historic teams like Leeds United, Sheffield Wednesday, and Derby County sit alongside Premier League aspirants like Burnley and Luton Town, giving Panini a broad canvas for its first US-aimed soccer release.

The deal also signals that Panini is thinking strategically about its post-Fanatics future. While the company has lost the NBA, NFL, and eventually FIFA licenses to Fanatics, it retains a strong presence in college sports (via ONIT), Italian soccer (via Serie A), Spanish soccer (La Liga), and now English club soccer through the EFL. At a time when the narrative has been dominated by Fanatics' seemingly unstoppable consolidation, the EFL partnership demonstrates that Panini can still make meaningful moves — and that the global collectibles market has room for more than one major player.

For American collectors, the 2025-26 Panini Prestige EFL collection represents something genuinely new: an accessible entry point into one of the world's most passionate soccer cultures, available at retail without the markup of imported products. If Panini executes well on the product itself — and the Prestige brand knows how to put together a solid release — this could be the start of a significant new vertical for the company at a time when it needs exactly that.

Verdict: Panini's EFL deal is a smart counterpunch in a fight the company is clearly losing on the national-team front. English club soccer has a deep, passionate collector base — and for the first time, American fans can buy those cards at their local Target.

Sources: OnMantel (Fanatics/EFL coverage), Panini press release via checklistinsider.com. Fanatics' seven exclusive 2026 deals confirmed across multiple outlets, including the NFL (April 2), FIFA (May 7), and Saudi Arabian Football Federation (June 2026).