World Cup debutants at this summer's tournament will wear collectable patches on their shirts that get turned into trading cards. Players like Erling Haaland and Lamine Yamal will have their first World Cup appearances marked by the new initiative - as will every member of the Scotland squad. The patches are part of a new licensing deal that will see Fanatics replace Panini as FIFA's trading card partner from 2031.

After a player's debut, the patch is removed from their shirt and placed on a unique collectable trading card. The system mirrors MLS, which introduced debut patches in 2024. Each hobby box retails at about $120 and contains 21 packs of four cards, with two autograph cards per box. The World Cup patch design has not yet been finalized, and it remains unclear whether the cards will be autographed.

This summer's tournament will produce upwards of 600 debut cards. Four nations are making their first World Cup appearance: Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan. Several teams return after long absences, including Scotland, Norway, Austria, the Czech Republic and Turkey, while Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Ivory Coast are back after 12 years.