Crypto.com and Fanatics Collectibles are tying the official match coin from the 2026 UEFA Champions League Final to a one-of-one Topps Now Relic card, while also authenticating the item as a tokenized collectible on Cronos. After the final, Topps will release a related base card on Topps.com, and one buyer will be randomly selected to receive the Relic card containing the physical coin used in the match-day ceremony.
A match-day object is being converted into a physical-and-digital collectible
The same Crypto.com Match Coin will be used by the referee for the opening toss at the final in Budapest’s Puskás Aréna. Before match day, the coin was flown into the stadium by drone and presented pitch-side by UEFA ambassador Ashley Cole. Once the final is completed, it will be sent to Topps’s printers in Munich and sealed inside the single-edition Relic card.
On-chain verification is a core part of the structure. According to the announcement, the tokenized coin is not only a digital collectible but also an access credential for the 2026-27 season, unlocking UEFA Super Cup Final tickets, a League Phase pass for all eight games of a chosen club, and the right to deliver the Match Coin at that club’s first home game.
The activation extends a broader Champions League match coin campaign
The Budapest release closes out a season-long Crypto.com Match Coin program that has run across 189 Champions League fixtures. Selected fans have already claimed digital match coin collectibles through that campaign, which entered them into prize draws for VIP experiences such as pitch-side access and the opportunity to hand the official Match Coin to the referee.
The wider Champions Collection has also distributed silver and gold digital coins tied to rewards including first-class match tickets and hospitality packages. In some knockout and league-phase rounds, gold editions were limited to as few as 16 to 72 units, showing how scarcity and attached benefits were used to drive fan participation.
Part of UEFA’s commercial deal and Crypto.com’s wider sports strategy
UEFA signed Crypto.com as the first and exclusive global cryptocurrency platform partner of the Champions League for the 2024 to 2027 commercial cycle. That agreement gives the exchange room to test digital collectible formats around Europe’s top club competition over multiple seasons.
The report also notes that crypto firms have signed at least 33 football sponsorship deals since 2021, with total sports spending of about $565 million over that period. Crypto.com is described as one of the heavier spenders, with partnerships spanning Formula 1 and UEFA tournaments. Binance and WhiteBIT are also cited as exchanges that linked sponsorship activity to NFT drops and football marketing deals. In this case, the Crypto.com-Topps release binds a provably used match coin to an on-chain record and a physical trading card, creating a collectible whose ownership trail and scarcity are easier to verify.