BACKFIFA and Panini Continue Historic Partnership To Inspire Football Fans Across Generations
- FIFA retains Panini as its exclusive partner for official stickers, trading cards, trading-card games and digital collectibles
- In addition to its traditional collections, Panini’s licensed products will undergo a modern transformation and incorporate innovative digital integrations for new fan groups
- New releases will be launched to fans worldwide in the coming months
Zurich, Switzerland and Modena, Italy – Dec. 14, 2023 – FIFA, the international governing body of football and The Panini Group have announced the renewal of their long-standing partnership, which dates back over 50 years and has inspired generations of football fans since the 1970 FIFA World Cup Mexico™.
Under the new agreement, Panini will remain as FIFA’s exclusive partner for official stickers, trading cards, trading-card games and digital collectibles, including for the FIFA World Cup 26™ and FIFA World Cup 2030™, the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027™ and other FIFA competitions and events.
This latest chapter marks a significant milestone in the historic relationship between the two organizations. Panini’s traditional collections will undergo a modern transformation, including by incorporating innovative digital integrations to cater to the evolving interaction with today’s fan community, while simultaneously serving the same collectors and fans from the past 50 years, ever since the first collection was launched for Mexico 1970.
“We are thrilled to announce the renewal of our historic partnership with Panini, which highlights our shared commitment to enhancing the fan experience, embracing innovation and building stronger connections across generations and fan communities,” said Romy Gai, Chief Business Officer, FIFA. “As partners for over 50 years, we now embark on a new and innovative journey to inspire, engage and unite football fans worldwide, ensuring that the spirit of the game continues to captivate hearts and minds for years to come.”
The products and activations that Panini will create with FIFA will be aimed at leveraging the passion of, and building a stronger relationship with, football fans across the globe, while encouraging participation in the sport. The program will include an emphasis on digital integrations and will also feature promotions incorporating additional FIFA partners.
In the United States, Panini America, a subsidiary of the Panini Group the countdown to the 2026 FIFA World Cup is well underway with plans to have a number of key touch points that will celebrate key World Cup milestones in advance of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“We are really proud of the continuation and expansion of the partnership with FIFA. For us, this agreement represents recognition of our strong commitment to collectors and football fans in general and we will ensure that we offer them products and experiences never seen before,” said Elisabetta Mussini, Group Licensing Director at The Panini Group. “Many things have changed in the last five decades, but the passion of football fans and the desire to share it with supporters from all around the world is still there. Thanks to the joint effort of FIFA and Panini their engagement will reach a totally new level.”
Panini’s first product under the new agreement will be a line of FIFA collectibles focused on the world’s best national teams, to be released in 2024. To find out more and to stay up to date with upcoming launches, please visit www.paniniamerica.net.
About The Panini Group:
Panini Group was established over 60 years ago in Modena, Italy. It has subsidiaries throughout Europe, Latin America and the United States. Panini is the world leader in officially licensed collectibles and is the most significant publisher of collectibles globally. A leading publisher of comics, children’s magazines, and manga in Europe and Latin America, the company has distribution channels in more than 150 countries and counts a staff of over 1,100 people.
# # #
CONTACT:
Holden Hill, Taylor Strategy
