Autographs
With World Cup fever rising, Upper Deck becomes home of U.S. Soccer memorabilia
Upper Deck is expanding its footprint in the global soccer collectibles market through a new licensing deal with U.S. Soccer and the U.S. National Soccer Team Players Association, establishing the trading card company as the official home for authenticated memorabilia tied to the U.S. men’s and women’s teams.
The partnership allows Upper Deck to create officially licensed memorabilia featuring current and former U.S. national team stars, offering collectors new ways to celebrate some of the sport’s most accomplished athletes and memorable moments. The announcement comes in the midst of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is being held in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
“We want to capture the excitement and the journey of this current World Cup,” said Gabe Garcia, director of Upper Deck Authenticated. “We have executed a deal with the U.S. men’s national team, so we’re really looking to celebrate the journey they’ve given us and hopefully will continue to give us.”
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Garcia said Upper Deck hopes fans will want to get a piece of the current U.S. men’s team as it looks to advance deep into the knockout round.
“We’re going to have unsigned prints of all the players from the national team, celebrating each moment from game to game,” he said.
In addition, Garcia said Upper Deck is also setting itself up to be the go-to place for collectables a year from now for the Women’s World Cup.
“As we enjoy this World Cup, it also kicks off the road to Brazil for the Women’s World Cup next year,” he said. “I think it’s a collaboration of celebrating this current World Cup as a host country and celebrating this team as we move forward into next year.”
The agreement marks another step in Upper Deck’s broader growth strategy across a variety of sports collectibles, while also strengthening a connection to soccer that dates back to the early 1990s. The launch also underscores Upper Deck’s continued investment in soccer collectibles as interest in the sport continues to grow across North America.
Indeed, soccer collectibles have grown in popularity in recent years. For decades, the world’s most popular sport lagged far behind baseball, basketball, football and hockey among U.S. collectors. A perfect storm, ignited by soccer’s growing popularity and the pandemic, pushed cards and other soccer memorabilia into the spotlight.
While known for hockey, Upper Deck has made memorabilia deals with other soccer greats in the past, including Lionel Messi, Lamine Yamal and Landon Donovan. It also produced an iconic card set tied to the 1994 World Cup that was held in the United States.
“It’s important for us to be diversified,” Garcia said. “We work with the world’s greatest athletes and we’re not just a hockey company. Soccer isn’t new to us. The roots are there, but our roots also go back to the 1994 World Cup from a soccer standpoint.”
To commemorate this launch, Upper Deck Authenticated is also introducing dedicated memorabilia collections centered on former U.S. women’s team captain Alex Morgan and current star Trinity Rodman, daughter of former NBA superstar Dennis Rodman.
Garcia said Upper Deck has “worked with a variety of soccer talent over the last year” to bulk up its soccer offerings.
“We’re excited about what we're doing with Trinity, Alex and the broader soccer space,” he said.
The collections feature signed memorabilia celebrating Morgan’s decorated international career and Rodman’s rise as one of the game’s biggest stars. Among the featured items is “American Glory,” a dual-signed print depicting Morgan and Rodman together while representing the USWNT. Morgan’s collection highlights her achievements with the United States, including signed jerseys marking milestones such as her two U.S. Soccer Player of the Year awards and 123 international goals. The collection also includes signed U.S. Olympic canvas posters and a signed USWNT warm-up jacket.
Rodman’s inaugural Upper Deck Authenticated collection focuses on key moments from the early stages of her international career. Available initially through a pre-order launch, the collection includes signed U.S. home and away jerseys as well as signed prints celebrating major accomplishments, including the team’s gold-medal victory at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
“The collectibles market as a whole has changed significantly over the last four or five years and with that has come growth in sports popularity,” Garcia said. “Soccer is a worldwide sport, so there’s growth both internationally and from a national standpoint with U.S. soccer.”
Garcia added that soccer also allows Upper Deck to sell items that appeal to international collectors.
“When you combine the growth and popularity of the sport, the worldwide attention it receives and the growth of the collectibles market, there is a lot of opportunity to capture fans and collectors,” he said.
Clemente Lisi
