Champions League introduces special ‘debut patches’ for 2026/27 season

Players making their Champions League debuts this season will wear special patches on their shirts as part of a new initiative introduced by UEFA and Fanatics.

The programme will begin with the 2026/27 men’s competition, giving every player making their first appearance in Europe’s premier club tournament a unique piece of memorabilia.

The small sleeve patch incorporates the word ‘debut’ into the Champions League’s famous starball logo and will only be worn for the player’s first appearance.

Eligibility is determined by taking to the pitch rather than being included in a Champions League matchday squad.

That means substitutes introduced during a match will receive the patch, while unused players must wait until they eventually make their competition debut.

Once the match is completed, each patch will be removed from the shirt, collected and authenticated before being transferred to Topps, which Fanatics owns.

It will then be incorporated into a unique one-of-one trading card featuring the player’s autograph, creating a collectible directly connected to their first Champions League appearance.

The first cards produced through the programme are expected to appear in the Topps UEFA Champions League Chrome collection later this season.

Fanatics initially introduced the concept with Major League Baseball in 2023, where debut patches were specifically designed to become pieces of memorabilia for trading cards.

The programme has since expanded rapidly across numerous sports.

The concept was prominent at this summer’s World Cup. First-time participants, including Lamine Yamal, wore debut patches.

The Champions League version differs because collectors will not have to wait several years for the associated cards to become available, with Topps already holding UEFA’s trading-card rights.

The initiative accompanies a six-year extension of the existing agreement between Fanatics and UC3, the joint venture representing UEFA and European clubs, covering the period from 2027 until 2033.

The agreement encompasses the Champions League, Europa League, Europa Conference League, UEFA Youth League and other UEFA club competitions.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said the renewal reflected the strength of the organisation’s relationship with Fanatics and their aim of producing new experiences for supporters and collectors.

The debut-patch concept is also expected to expand to the Women’s Champions League from the 2027/28 campaign.