This Week in Collecting: Messi Farewell Card Breaks Topps NOW Record

The short version: Topps sold 664,325 copies of its Lionel Messi "Final Farewell" Topps NOW pack between October 9 and 16, 2026. That is the largest print run in the 10-year history of Topps NOW, passing the 653,737 mark set by Shohei Ohtani's 50/50 card. The total also unlocked the program's first-ever 1-of-1 White OpalFractor.

Messi played his last match for Argentina on October 6. Ten days later, collectors had ordered more of his farewell cards than any Topps NOW release ever. Topps confirmed the final number on its official product page, and the record was reported by Collectibles on SI and Inside World Football.

What happened

On October 6, 2026, Argentina beat Benin 3-0 in a friendly at Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires. Messi scored a penalty and set up two goals in what was billed as his final national team match, according to The Associated Press. It was his 208th appearance for Argentina, and he finished with 126 international goals.

Topps opened orders for a two-card "Final Farewell" pack on October 9 at $19.99. Each pack held one Farewell base card (or a parallel or 1-of-1 autograph) and one variation, short print or 1-of-1 variation autograph. The variations honor Messi's all-time records:

• All-Time Assists: 1 in 2 packs
• All-Time Appearances: 1 in 3 packs
• All-Time Goals: 1 in 6 packs
• "The Final Farewell" short print: 1 in 200 packs

Topps also listed four 1-of-1 Messi autographs in the release. Orders passed 250,000 by October 13 and 450,000 by October 15, Inside World Football reported. When the window closed on October 16, the count stood at 664,325.

How it compares

Topps NOW cards are printed to order. Whatever fans buy during the short sales window becomes the final print run, so the number is a clean read on demand. Here is how the top of the all-time list now looks, based on figures reported by Collectibles on SI and Inside World Football:

1. Lionel Messi, Argentina Final Farewell pack (2026): 664,325
2. Shohei Ohtani, 50/50 milestone card (2024): 653,737
3. LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, Olympic basketball card (2024): 588,030
4. Lionel Messi, international retirement card (2026): 335,283
5. Jack Hughes, Olympic goal card: 332,447

Messi now owns two of the five biggest runs in program history. Outside sports, a Pope Leo XIV card set the Topps NOW non-sports record at 133,535 copies, according to SI.

The 500,000 mark mattered. Topps NOW adds rarer Chrome parallels as print runs climb: numbered parallels at 50,000, a 1-of-1 Superfractor at 100,000 and Opal Chrome parallels at 250,000. Passing 500,000 unlocked a single White OpalFractor, a parallel the program had never produced before.

"This release brought in a record number of first-time buyers," Clay Luraschi, a senior product executive at Topps, told Collectibles on SI.

The bigger trend

Soccer is becoming a bigger part of the card business. Card Ladder data shows three publicly known Messi card sales of $1 million or more, Inside World Football reported. The same report says Fanatics Collectibles is focusing its growth on Europe, Asia and Australia, with soccer central to that plan.

"I think we're scratching the surface with global football," Luraschi told Inside World Football.

The record also shows how well Topps NOW turns a single moment into a product. The program launched in 2016 and sells each card for only a few days. Messi's farewell gave it a global audience, an emotional moment and a low entry price, and the orders followed.

What it means for collectors and resellers

A huge print run cuts two ways. More people now own a piece of Messi's farewell, which helps the hobby grow. It also means the base card is one of the most common modern cards around. With 664,325 packs, supply of the base card is enormous, so the scarcity sits in the parallels, the short print and the autographs.

A few practical points if you ordered packs or plan to buy singles:

• Know your odds. Assists variations come in half of all packs. Goals variations come in one of every six. The short print comes in one of every 200. Price each card by its own rarity.
• Use sold prices. Asking prices on unshipped cards tell you what sellers hope for. Completed sales tell you what buyers paid. Wait for real sales data once the cards land.
• Check what you have. Parallels can look alike at a glance. If you are unsure which version you pulled, a quick scan in Moe can identify the card and show its current market value.
• Selling? Big releases draw buyers on many platforms at once. Our guide on where to sell collectibles online breaks down the main options.

What to watch next

Packs begin shipping in November, according to SI, and the Topps product page lists delivery in 20 to 30 business days. Once cards reach collectors, watch for the first public sales of the short print and the numbered parallels. Those will set real prices for the set.

The biggest question is the White OpalFractor. It is the only one Topps NOW has ever made, and it carries Messi's name. If it surfaces and sells, it will give the market a fresh benchmark for modern soccer cards. Also watch whether another moment can top 664,325. Luraschi told SI the challenge now is "finding new ways to raise the bar."

Frequently asked questions

How many Messi Final Farewell Topps NOW cards were made?

The print run is 664,325, according to Topps. That is the largest in Topps NOW history.

What Topps NOW record did Messi break?

He passed Shohei Ohtani's 2024 50/50 milestone card, which had a print run of 653,737. Messi's farewell pack beat it by 10,588 copies.

What is the Messi White OpalFractor?

It is a 1-of-1 Chrome parallel that Topps NOW unlocks when a release passes 500,000 copies. The Messi pack produced the first one in the program's history, according to Topps and SI.

How much did the Messi Final Farewell pack cost?

Each two-card pack cost $19.99 on Topps.com. It was sold from October 9 to October 16, 2026, and is now sold out.

When will Messi Final Farewell Topps NOW cards ship?

SI reports that the packs begin shipping in November. The Topps product page lists delivery in 20 to 30 business days.