The 2026 FIFA World Cup is just months away, and many fans have been waiting for years (or decades) to see their national team compete on the biggest stage.
Over 1.5 billion people watched the 2022 final between Argentina and France, roughly 8 times more than the global viewership of the second-most-viewed Super Bowl of all time, and fans are clamoring for ways to better connect with the beautiful game.
For over 50 years, collecting the World Cup meant one thing: Panini stickers. Since 1970, peeling the adhesive backings and placing them in your book was a staple of the month-long event. However, the introduction of Panini Prizm World Cup for the 2014 tournament in Brazil marked a seismic shift, as the hobby pivoted from casual sticker-swapping to the high-stakes card investing we know today.
As we approach the World Cup’s return to North America, cardboard is more popular than ever, growing in popularity across the globe, introducing numbered parallels, autographs, and case hits to the equation. As always, getting ahead of the game presents one of the best opportunities for success, but with the opening whistle fast-approaching, the window is closing fast.
Ready for the golazos, screamers, nutmegs, and more set to take place this June? Here are the players to target ahead of the 23rd World Cup.
The Blue Chip: Kylian Mbappe – $200
Mbappe, the talismanic French forward, might just be the face of this World Cup, even if that face eerily resembles a Ninja Turtle. Having already secured a World Cup title in 2018 and a Golden Boot as the tournament’s top goal-scorer in 2022, he enters 2026 in his prime, and the soccer football card world has taken notice, making his 2018 Prizm World cup card a foundational asset for any serious collector.
While there’s plenty of debate over what constitutes Mbappe’s true rookie card, a PSA 10 2018 Prizm World Cup Gold Prizm sold for $121,200 on Goldin back in 2020. While you can argue all day long that Panini’s print runs are too high, the cards are undoubtedly capped lower than the stickers, which saw the Italian brand produce 11 million sticker packets per day in the lead up to the 2022 World Cup.
With Panini still in charge of the World Cup in 2026 and 2030, fighting Topps to their dying breath, the famed World Cup set is still the one to beat. And as Mbappe looks to lead France in their question to reclaim their spot atop the footballing world, many will be seeking out his flagship card from his first World Cup. In fact, Mbappe cards are up nearly 8% over the past month, with soccer cards seeing a nearly 7% bump.
With PSA 10’s of his 2018 World Cup Prizm card going for roughly $200, getting a key piece of Mbappe’s Les Bleus history won’t come cheap.
The Golden Boy: Lamine Yamal – $100
Every sports fan has heard of Messi. Well, what if I told you that the next generation’s superstar was quite literally bathed by Messi when he was less than two years old as part of the Argentinian superstar’s work for UNICEF? Talk about anointment.
As Yamal has taken Europe by storm, scoring golazo after golazo for FC Barcelona and Spain (at just 17 years old!), those looking to capitalize on the young Spanish star’s first-ever World Cup should be on the lookout for his first-ever World Cup Prizm card. In fact, some would say it’s already here.
Just over a month ago, Panini and Hasbro collaborated on the release of the 2026 World Cup Prizm Monopoly set. (Note: We’re going to cast Panini’s Adrenalyn set aside for the sake of uniformity here.) As Yamal’s ‘first-ever World Cup Prizm card’ has started to hit eBay, we’re able to get a sense of how much value folks are placing on the teenager, with the SP Gold Cracked Ice, which is, dare I say, clean as hell, running for roughly $100 raw in lieu of any PSA graded versions hitting the market so quickly after the product’s launch.
For those that want his true rookie card, 2023-24 Topps Chrome EUFA Club Competitions #64 is the undisputed king, with PSA 10s going for roughly $275 – $350.
While Mbappe has undoubtedly had the better career (so far), Yamal has seen a nearly 20% rise in prices on Alt as collectors look to catch lightning in a bottle with enigmatic youngster. In fact, one fan just plunked down $34k for a PSA 10 numbered to 10. Wowza.
The Clutch Gene: Jude Bellingham – $87
Many believe the Premier League to be the best in the world, but Bellingham, one of the few top English footballers to leave his domestic league, has transcended the English hype to become a global superstar at Dortmund and Real Madrid—where he was quickly rewarded with a Champions League trophy.
Englishmen always carry a premium in the card market due to their massive collector base, both at home and abroad, and Bellingham, the engine that makes the “Three Lions” roar, is no exception.
2022 saw Bellingham take center stage for an England side that truly thought it was coming home. While one lucky fan snagged a PSA 10 for just $23 last month, they typically go for more like $75-$100, with Bellingham’s overall market down 2% due to an injury that has caused him to miss most of Real Madrid’s games in 2026.
For those that prefer to chase his true rookie, his 2020 Topps Merlin Chrome UEFA Champions League card reigns supreme—and only costs ~ $65.
The Home Turf Hero: Christian Pulisic – $350
For the first time since 1994, the World Cup is taking place on North American soil. Enter: Captain America.
While his club career has seen ups, downs, and plenty of injuries, Pulisic’s importance to the USMNT is bar none—and when the American media machine starts the World Cup hype cycle, Pulisic will be the center of gravity.
After the United States failed to qualify for the World Cup in 2018, Pulisic was one of the leaders of the 2022 squad that made it to the Round of 16. A PSA 10 of the silver prizm card commemorating that tournament run currently commands roughly $350, with Pulisic’s market up 3% overall over the past month even though the forward hasn’t scored a goal in Serie A since 2025.
Looking to secure Pulisic’s true rookie will cost you just a bit more. In fact, a PSA 10 of his 2016 Panini Select Silver Prizm sold for $1,379 just two days ago. Even the base version of that same card commends between $195 and $245, as fans of the player that has arguably captured Americans’ interest in soccer more than any other player in team history clamor for his RC.
The Verdict
The shift from stickers to cards has fundamentally changed the World Cup collecting experience. While a completed sticker album still makes for a great nostalgic keepsake, a graded rookie card of a World Cup winner reigns supreme in 2026.
If history is any indication, the prices we see today, just months before the tournament, could look significantly different once the first goal of the World Cup is scored this summer.
In the meantime, head over to Mantel to share your sticker and card collections with fellow fans.
