The soccer card market is still very much emerging. When compared to the basketball, baseball and football markets, I believe it’s still underrated – despite the global popularity of the sport.
It’s the most popular sport in the world; The men’s Fifa World Cup is the most watched sporting event on the globe – the 2022 World Cup final alone was watched by 1.5 billion people.
Is there a solid argument for investing in Soccer cards over other popular sports cards? I believe so, and I’ll explain why in this article.
Table of Contents
Quick Summary - Key Takeaways
- There's room for growth in the soccer card market - It's the most popular sport in the world, and emerging in the sports card hobby.
- Picking the right cards is important - Most sports cards won't rise much over time.
- Consider player status and popularity, and the scarcity of cards.
- Research before buying.
Will Soccer Cards Go Up In Value?
I believe soccer cards will generally rise further in popularity and value, yes – I think the increasing popularity for the sport in America gives them huge potential, especially with the 2026 men’s World Cup set to be hosted in America.
However, like with any sports card market, it’s important to pick the right cards – Card values are based on the popularity and demand from collectors for the player.
When you compare the values of the rarest, and most sought-after, soccer cards to the the rarest, and most sought-after, basketball cards for example, there’s a big gap in values – For me, that means there’s room for growth, as more collectors becoming interested in soccer.
It’s not long until soccer cards properly catch on, and I’m excited for it.
But I would like to make a cautionary note: Something I always recommend is that if you don’t follow soccer or know it well, then take time to research and learn the sport before you start investing in any cards – not doing that will make things a lot harder for you.
Soccer has so many different top leagues and competitions around the world, something which makes it different from American sports like football or basketball, it can get overwhelming. If I was just starting and I was new to buying soccer cards, I would first research the top 4 leagues (The Premier League in England, Serie A in Italy, La Liga in Spain and The Bundesliga in Germany) as well as the International Tournaments (Like the World Cup and The European Championships).
Picking The Right Cards - What To Consider
Player Status
In terms of player status, there’s two main categories of soccer cards or stickers (or even digital) that I think are a good option .
First is the icons of the game (especially their rookie cards) – and by that I mean the GOATs… the best players to ever play soccer.
The top 3 players of all time are widely considered to be Pele, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi… although that can be open for debate. There’ll always be a demand for these cards and I think they’ll only keep rising over time as the overall market accelerates.
The other category is the emerging talents, or rookies, who are going to be the world beaters of the future.
Sports card collectors go crazy with hype and hysteria when a young player breaks through in a big way, and card prices explode – Look at Zion Williamson’s rookies, for example.
We’ve seen similar in soccer for players like Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe.
Player Position
Another point here is to focus on attackers and goal scorers – these guys hold the most value.
The nature of their position means they’re the most exciting players, and that’s what drives hype with collectors. Goalkeepers and defensive players can rise but they’re generally limited in how much their values can go to.
Card Rarity
Scarcity is king in sports cards; You won’t see mass-produced cards ever increase in value much – The Junk Wax Era taught us that.
Rarity is one of the biggest drivers of high-value in trading cards, and it shouldn’t be underestimated.
There are easy ways to check the rarity of a sports card, like checking PSA’s population reports, for example.
Limited sets, and numbered cards, are becoming more popular in recent times, that’s going to help increase the values of soccer cards in the future.
Soccer cards have also followed on from the likes of football and basketball with high-end product releases, which include autographed and match-worn material patch cards – They’re generally limited and not easy to get hold of.
Have I Missed The Opportunity To Invest In Soccer Cards?
I don’t believe the opportunity to invest and make money in soccer cards has passed – There’s been some really great growth in the market over the last few years, but things have started slowing down a little. For me, it’s still a ‘sleeping giant’ when compared to other trading card markets.
There’s always the opportunity to buy rookie cards of the players who haven’t yet hit the big time but could be about to. This is where you take a bit of a gamble, because you will get it wrong sometimes, but knowing soccer well enough to spot the emerging stars can be a huge asset in making money with soccer cards.
Which Soccer Card Brand Is The Best?
Panini and Topps are the market leaders for soccer cards.
Both manufacturers have a host of popular soccer card products, which they release every year; We’ve written a separate guide on the best soccer card brands to by, depending on your budget and wants.
Final Thoughts
I think certain soccer cards could still explode in value, long term – the key is picking the right players and being smart about who to invest in.
The safer options are the greats like Messi or Ronaldo, who’ve cemented their legacies and will always have demand among collectors – You’ll have to pay more for their cards, becuase they already hold good value, but I think there’s still room for growth.
The higher risk strategy is to go for emerging rookies and hold long term, but the upside potential is huge if you get it right.
You must remember that nothing is guaranteed – supply and demand markets like this one often go up and down, but I think there’s many great reasons to be optimistic about soccer cards.
Nothing in this post represents financial advice, it’s just purely my opinion.
