Players making their first UEFA Champions League appearances will receive special “debut patches” on their jerseys during the 2026/27 season as part of a new initiative between UEFA and Fanatics.
The small patches will be placed on the sleeves of players making their Champions League debuts and will feature the word “debut” incorporated into the competition’s iconic starball logo.
Following each match, the patch will be removed from the jersey and sent to Topps, the trading card company owned by Fanatics. It will then be embedded into a unique, player-signed trading card, with the patches authenticated before the cards are released to collectors.
Players making their first appearance as substitutes will also qualify. However, those named in a matchday squad but left unused on the bench will have to wait until they actually play before receiving a patch.
The 2026/27 Champions League campaign begins on September 8, with 36 teams competing in the league phase of European club football’s premier competition.
The programme is also expected to expand to the Women’s Champions League from the 2027/28 season.
The initiative was facilitated by Relevent Football Partners and UC3, UEFA’s exclusive global sales and marketing agency. It marks another expansion of Fanatics’ debut-patch programme, which began in Major League Baseball before expanding to competitions and organisations including the NFL, NBA, Bundesliga, Formula 1, MLS, UFC and WWE.
Barcelona and Spain forward Lamine Yamal was among the players to wear a debut patch during this summer’s FIFA World Cup.
UEFA and Fanatics are also reportedly preparing to announce a six-year extension of their existing partnership, which would keep the two organisations working together until 2033.
UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin said the renewed partnership would reflect the strength of the relationship between the organisations and their shared commitment to creating products for football fans and collectors worldwide.
The Champions League debut-patch cards could become highly sought-after collectibles. In March 2025, a debut-patch card belonging to Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes sold for $1.1 million, setting a record for the category.
The Athletic has also reported that the debut-patch card of NBA Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg is heading to auction through Fanatics Collect after its owner rejected several offers, including proposals from the Dallas Mavericks and multimillion-dollar bids from individual collectors.
Several players who recently moved clubs could be among the first recipients of the Champions League patches this season. Real Madrid signing Yan Diomande, who reportedly joined from RB Leipzig for €140 million, could qualify if he makes his Champions League debut.
Manchester United’s Carlos Baleba and Liverpool duo Jérémy Jacquet and Víctor Muñoz could also receive the patches if they make their first appearances in the competition.
While FIFA World Cup debut patches are not expected to become available to collectors until at least 2031 because of the governing body’s existing agreement with Panini, UEFA’s partnership with Fanatics means Champions League debut-patch cards are expected to reach the market during the current season.
