The Top Sports Card Brands: Panini, Topps, and Upper Deck
Richard WeissKey Takeaways
- As of October 2026, Topps holds the exclusive MLB, NBA and NFL trading card licenses. Topps is owned by Fanatics.
- Panini no longer has the NBA or NFL license. Its NBA run ended after the 2024-25 season, and its exclusive NFL license ended on March 31, 2026.
- Upper Deck makes NHL-licensed cards. It received its NHL and NHLPA licenses on March 20, 1990, and it released 2025-26 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey on October 15, 2025.
- Topps was founded in 1938, Panini in 1961 and Upper Deck in 1988.
- Bowman is a Topps brand. Donruss and Score are Panini brands. The brand name on the pack does not always tell you which company made it.
Table of Contents
Topps, Panini and Upper Deck are the three major sports card companies, and what separates them is which league licenses each one holds. As of October 2026, Topps has the exclusive MLB, NBA and NFL licenses, Upper Deck makes NHL-licensed cards, and Panini has lost both its NBA and NFL licenses.
Who Holds Which License Today
A league license is what lets a card maker print team names, logos and uniforms. Without one, the logos are removed from the photos.
| Company | Founded | League licenses, October 2026 | Main brands |
|---|---|---|---|
| Topps (owned by Fanatics) | 1938 | MLB, NBA and NFL, all exclusive | Topps flagship, Topps Chrome, Bowman, Heritage |
| Panini | 1961 (Panini America: 2009) | None of MLB, NBA, NFL or NHL. NBA license ended after 2024-25, NFL license ended March 31, 2026 | Prizm, Donruss, Donruss Optic, Score, Select, National Treasures |
| Upper Deck | 1988 | NHL and NHLPA | Upper Deck Series 1 (Young Guns rookies) |
This is a big change from a few years ago. Panini held the NBA license for 16 seasons and the exclusive NFL license from 2016 until March 31, 2026, so most licensed basketball and football cards from those years are Panini cards.
Topps
Topps was founded in 1938 by the four Shorin brothers as a chewing gum company, and Bazooka bubble gum was its breakthrough product. It produced its first baseball cards in 1951 and followed with a 407-card set in 1952. In 1956 Topps bought out its rival Bowman, which is why Bowman is a Topps brand today.
Topps is now owned by Fanatics and holds the MLB, NBA and NFL licenses:
- MLB: MLB announced a multi-year deal with Topps on August 6, 2009, and Topps holds the exclusive MLB license today.
- NBA: Topps returned as the exclusive NBA and NBPA licensee in October 2025, its first fully licensed NBA cards since the 2009-10 season. The first product was 2025-26 Topps Basketball on October 23, 2025.
- NFL: Topps became the NFL's exclusive licensee on April 1, 2026. The first product was 2025 Topps Chrome Football on April 15, 2026.
Its chromium line, Topps Chrome, is where refractor parallels come from. See our 2026 sports card release calendar for current Topps products.
Panini
Panini is an Italian company founded in Modena in 1961. It published its first FIFA World Cup sticker album for the 1970 World Cup. Its US card business, Panini America, dates to March 13, 2009, when Panini bought the Texas card maker Donruss Playoff and renamed it. That deal is how Donruss and Score became Panini brands.
Panini's exclusive NBA license started with the 2009-10 season, and it was the NFL's exclusive card maker from 2016. Its best-known line from those years is Prizm, which debuted with 2012-13 Prizm Basketball. Read the history of Panini Prizm and our guide to the Panini NFL card series.
Both licenses have ended. Panini still makes cards, but its new basketball and football sets are not league licensed. 2025-26 Panini Prizm Basketball, released July 31, 2026, has the NBA team logos airbrushed out.
Upper Deck
Upper Deck was founded in 1988 and is based in Carlsbad, California. Its first set was 1989 Upper Deck Baseball, with Ken Griffey Jr. on card number one and a small hologram on every card to prevent counterfeiting.
Upper Deck received its NHL and NHLPA licenses on March 20, 1990. It gained exclusive NHL rights after the 2013-14 season and had signed an extension of that agreement as of 2022, which is the latest status our sources confirm. It no longer holds MLB, NBA or NFL licenses. It is still making NHL cards: 2025-26 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey released on October 15, 2025 with 50 Young Guns rookie cards, and Upper Deck launched a real-time card program for the 2026-27 NHL season on September 30, 2026.
Brands vs. Companies
A lot of names on card boxes are brands, not companies. The ones that confuse new collectors most:
- Bowman: a Topps brand since 1956. See 1st Bowman.
- Topps Chrome: the Topps chromium line.
- Prizm, Select and National Treasures: Panini brands.
- Donruss and Score: older brands that Panini has owned since 2009. Donruss is the home of the Rated Rookie.
- Young Guns: the rookie cards in Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey.
Which Brand Should You Collect?
Start with the sport and the years you care about, because the license decides who made the cards.
- Baseball: Topps and Bowman. Shop baseball cards.
- Basketball: Topps for 2025-26 onward. Panini for 2009-10 through 2024-25. Shop basketball cards.
- Football: Topps for cards released from April 2026 onward. Panini for the 2016 through 2025 seasons. Shop football cards.
- Hockey: Upper Deck. Shop hockey cards.
New to the hobby? Read the different types of sports cards next.
Sources
- Fox Sports: Fanatics-owned Topps becomes the NFL's exclusive trading card licensee (April 2, 2026)
- NBA.com: Fanatics, NBA and NBPA partnership (October 15, 2025)
- Topps.com
- Topps (Wikipedia)
- Panini Group (Wikipedia)
- Sports Collectors Daily: Panini buys Donruss (March 13, 2009)
- Donruss (Wikipedia)
- Panini America: Prizm history (June 21, 2024)
- Checklist Insider: 2025-26 Panini Prizm Basketball
- Upper Deck Company (Wikipedia)
- Hockey card (Wikipedia)
- Upper Deck: Upper Deck Moments announcement (September 30, 2026)
- Checklist Insider: 2025-26 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey
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