Who Makes Official Trading Cards Now? AFL, NRL, NBA, NFL and More (2026)

The card companies have swapped a lot of licences lately. Select's AFL licence has ended after more than 30 years, Panini has lost the NBA and NFL to Topps, and collectors are asking which cards are "official" now. Here's who holds the licence for each sport, who had it before, and what it means for the cards in your collection.

If you're wondering about cards you already own: a card made while a company held the licence stays an official, licensed card for good. Your Select AFL and Panini Prizm NBA cards didn't lose anything when the licence moved on.

What a licence actually covers

Most sports have two separate licences, and a fully official card needs both:

• The league licence lets a company use the league's and clubs' names, logos and uniforms. Without it, logos are blanked out or airbrushed off the jerseys.
• The players' licence (from the players' association) lets a company use the players' names and photos as a group.

A company with only the players' licence can still make cards of real players, just without team logos. That's why you'll see some cards with plain helmets or blank jerseys. They're genuine products, just not fully licensed ones, and collectors usually pay more for the fully licensed version of the same player.

Who holds which licence (checked November 2026)

Licences are announced well before the first cards come out and sometimes change after legal disputes, so check the league's or maker's own announcement for anything recent.

AFL: the end of the Select era

Select's AFL trading card licence ended on 31 October 2026, with the AFL moving to new licensing arrangements from 2027. Select has said Eminence 2026 is its final AFL product, and that remaining AFL stock from its archives would be sold until 31 December 2026. Select has also taken legal action over the decision not to renew, so there may be more news to come.

At the time of writing, the company making AFL cards from 2027 hasn't been announced. Fanatics (through Topps) is the name collectors mention most, but that's speculation until the AFL or the new maker confirms it. We'll update this page when it's announced.

What it means if you collect AFL:

• Every Select AFL card from 1989 to 2026 remains an official AFL card. See Select AFL sets by year for the full run.
• Eminence 2026 closes a run of more than 30 years. Some collectors expect the final release of a long run to draw extra interest, but nobody can promise that, so buy what you like.
• A new maker usually means new set names, new parallels and a new look. Older Select set knowledge won't map across, so check checklists and sold prices rather than assuming.

NRL: back with Select

Rugby league cards have changed hands a few times:

• 2010 to 2012: Select. Its last NRL product came out in 2012.
• 2013 to 2025: ESP, then TLA. ESP (Elite Sports Properties) started with a Limited Edition set late in 2012, then NRL Traders and Elite in 2013. In March 2015 the UK sports agency TLA Worldwide bought ESP, and over the next few years the cards moved across to the TLA name. That's why sets up to 2016 say ESP, the 2017 and 2018 releases carry both names (collectors and checklists list them under either), and from 2019 they say TLA. It was the same business and the same licence the whole way through, ending on 31 October 2025. Traders, Elite, Limited Edition, Special Edition and Xtreme are all from this era.
• From 1 November 2025: Select again. The first pack release under the new deal was 2026 League Heroes, out on 26 February 2026, covering all 17 NRL and 12 NRLW clubs.

All three runs are official NRL cards. See NRL card sets by year for Select's earlier rugby league sets.

Cricket

TLA makes the official Cricket Australia cards. They come out each summer as Cricket Traders, with a higher-end Luxe range alongside, and you'll find them at places like Coles Express, 7-Eleven, Rebel and newsagents as well as card shops. TLA's first set was 2020-21 Cricket Traders.

Before that, Tap'n'Play made Cricket Australia's cards for several years, including Big Bash and Ashes sets. Its last was the 2019-20 series, which came out late, in January 2020. Those are official cards from their time too. If you're not sure about a cricket pack, look for the Cricket Australia logo on the wrapper.

NBA and NFL: Panini out, Topps in

Fanatics, which owns Topps, now holds the big American leagues:

• NBA: Topps took over on 1 October 2025, its first licensed basketball since 2009-10. Panini held the NBA licence from 2009 to 2025, which covers every licensed Prizm, Select, Optic and National Treasures basketball card of that era.
• NFL: Topps took over on 1 April 2026. Panini held the NFL licence from 2016 to March 2026.
• Panini cards made during those years are fully licensed and stay that way. A 2018 Panini Prizm Luka Dončić rookie is still the licensed rookie it always was.
• Panini has taken legal action against Fanatics over these deals. That doesn't change the cards already made.

Any new NBA or NFL card without the league logo on it, from any maker, is not a league-licensed card. That's fine if it's priced as one, but check before you pay licensed prices.

MLB, NHL, F1, UFC and WWE

• MLB: Topps is the licensed maker. Baseball cards from other makers without MLB team logos are players'-licence-only products.
• NHL: Upper Deck has the exclusive hockey licence, extended long term.
• Formula 1: Topps since 2020, renewed in 2024. That includes Topps Chrome F1 and the Turbo Attax range.
• UFC: back with Topps under a deal announced in January 2024, after about three years with Panini.
• WWE: back with Topps from 1 January 2025, after Panini's run from 2022.

Football (soccer)

• Premier League: Topps (Fanatics) from June 2025, taking over from Panini. That covers cards and stickers.
• Champions League, Bundesliga and MLS: Topps.
• FIFA World Cup: Panini, through the 2030 tournament. FIFA has announced Topps (Fanatics) takes over from 2031.

Pokémon, One Piece and other card games

Trading card games work differently. The company that owns the game makes the cards: The Pokémon Company for Pokémon, Bandai for One Piece, Wizards of the Coast for Magic: The Gathering, Konami for Yu-Gi-Oh! and Ravensburger for Disney Lorcana. There's no licence that moves between makers, so the question to ask is whether a card is genuine, not who made it. See selling Pokémon cards and One Piece card values.

How to tell if a card is fully licensed

1. Look for the league logo on the front or back of the card, usually near the maker's logo.
2. Check the uniform. Club logos and badges on jerseys and helmets mean a league licence. Blank or airbrushed ones usually mean players'-licence only.
3. Check the year against the table above. A Panini NBA card from 2025-26 or later, for example, won't be league licensed.
4. Read the fine print on the back. Licensed cards carry the league's and players' association trade mark notices.

Selling on MV

• Use the set name and maker exactly as printed on the card, so buyers searching for "Select Eminence" or "Topps Chrome" find it.
• If a card isn't league licensed, say so or show the card clearly. Buyers notice blank jerseys, and it's better coming from you.
• Check what the exact card has sold for in MV's Market Value guide before you set a price. See also how to value footy cards.

Checked 15 November 2026 against announcements and reporting from the leagues and card makers. Licences change often: if you spot something out of date, email support@mvcollect.com.au and we'll fix it.