Topps Launches Messi 'Final Farewell' Card Pack
Topps has marked the end of Lionel Messi's Argentina career with a 'Final Farewell' pack: two cards for $19.99, four one-of-one autographs to chase, and a sales window that closes on 16 October 2026.
What Topps released
Topps has released a Lionel Messi Final Farewell pack under its Topps NOW banner, giving collectors one last officially licensed way to own a piece of the greatest international career in Argentina's history. The pack went on sale on 9 October 2026, three days after Messi played his final match for Argentina, and it is built entirely around the farewell theme.
Each pack costs $19.99 and contains two cards. Topps positions the product as a premium send-off rather than a standard single-card release: the headline chase is a set of four one-of-one Messi autographs, and the checklist mixes a farewell base card with parallel versions and three record-themed variation cards.
The timing is deliberate. Messi closed his Argentina story on 6 October 2026, scoring his 126th international goal in his 208th appearance as Argentina beat Benin 3-0 in a sold-out farewell at the Estadio Monumental. Topps moved within days to turn that night into a collectible, following the same print-to-demand model it used for the earlier End of an Era card that marked his retirement announcement.
What is inside each pack
Every Final Farewell pack holds two cards. The first is a Farewell Base card, a parallel version of it, or a one-of-one autograph card. The second is a variation card, a super short print, or a one-of-one variation autograph card. Topps is clear that a parallel or another non-base card replaces the base card in qualifying orders, so not every pack will contain the plain base version.
The parallel ladder runs from the Green Foil, numbered to 99, through Gold Foil to 50, Orange Foil to 25, Black Foil to 10, and Red Foil to 5, down to a one-of-one FoilFractor. A standalone Farewell one-of-one autograph sits at the top of the base-card chase.
Three variation cards celebrate the records Messi left behind: VAR1 for all-time assists, listed at one in every two packs; VAR2 for all-time appearances, listed at one in every three packs; and VAR3 for all-time goals, listed at one in every six packs. Each variation also has its own one-of-one autograph version. The rarest non-autograph card in the set is the super short print The Final Farewell, listed at one in 200 packs.
The one-week sales window
Topps is selling the Final Farewell pack for one week only. The product page lists availability from 9 October 2026 with an expiry date of 16 October 2026. Once that window closes, the pack will no longer be available to order, and Topps will move to fulfilment.
Orders ship in 20 to 30 business days after the expiry date, which means collectors who buy during the window should expect delivery well into November. That delay is standard for print-to-demand Topps NOW products, where the final print run is set by how many orders arrive during the sales window.
Because the pack is a limited-time release rather than an open-ended retail product, the final print run will effectively be decided by demand over these seven days. Collectors who want one at the $19.99 issue price need to order before the window closes, because aftermarket prices for sold-out Messi farewell products have historically moved fast.
From End of an Era to Final Farewell
The Final Farewell pack is the second Topps NOW release built around Messi's international retirement. The first, a 2026 Argentina Topps NOW card numbered one in the series with an End of an Era theme, arrived in September after Messi announced he was retiring from international football. That open-edition base card was priced at $11.99 and was available through 10 September.
That first card used the same print-to-demand formula: its final print run was determined by the number ordered during the sales window, with randomly inserted parallels and autograph redemptions replacing the base card in qualifying orders. Sports Collectors Daily reported at the time that the card carried Green Foil parallels numbered to 99, Gold to 50, Orange to 25, Black to 10, Red to five and a one-of-one FoilFractor, plus two autograph redemption versions numbered to five and one.
One break video reported that the End of an Era card drew a final print run of 335,283 copies, which would make it the third-highest-selling Topps NOW card of all time. Whether the Final Farewell pack can approach that number will depend on how many collectors order during its single week on sale.
Why collectors care
Trading cards have become one of the main ways fans hold on to sporting history, and Messi's farewell has produced a wave of memorabilia. Cards showing him in an Argentina shirt drew fresh attention as soon as he announced his international retirement, and Topps has now given that demand two dedicated releases in quick succession.
The Final Farewell pack is aimed squarely at that market. A $19.99 entry price keeps it accessible, while the four one-of-one autographs and the one-in-200 short print give high-end collectors something to chase. The record-themed variations also tell the story of the career itself: most assists, most appearances and most goals in Argentina history, all on cards tied to the farewell.
Condition and provenance matter in this market, and buying direct from Topps during the sales window gives collectors a clean chain of custody. Cards bought at issue price also carry the certainty of the print-to-demand model, rather than the uncertainty of aftermarket prices once the window closes.
What it means for Messi's legacy
Messi ended his Argentina career with 208 caps and 126 goals, a 2022 World Cup winners' medal, two Copa America titles and a runners-up finish at the 2026 World Cup, where he scored eight times. The farewell against Benin was staged as a celebration of that record, with a sold-out Monumental, a ten-minute speech and tributes from teammates, coaches and rivals.
The Final Farewell pack is a small part of that story, but it shows how quickly a sporting farewell now becomes a collectible. Within a week of the final whistle, fans could buy a licensed product built around the night, with autographs and short prints designed to last longer than the headlines.
For Argentina supporters, the pack is a keepsake of the night the number 10 shirt's greatest wearer said goodbye. For collectors, it is a chase with four one-of-one autographs and a one-week window. For Messi, it is one more marker of a career that turned a farewell friendly into an event the whole football world watched.
Questions people ask
How much does the Messi Final Farewell pack cost?
Each pack costs $19.99 on the Topps website and contains two cards: one Farewell Base, Parallel or 1/1 Autograph card, plus one Variation, SSP or 1/1 Variation Autograph card.
How long is the Final Farewell pack on sale?
The sales window runs from 9 October 2026 until 16 October 2026. Topps says orders ship in 20 to 30 business days after the expiry date.
How many 1/1 Messi autographs are in the set?
Topps lists four 1/1 Messi autographs to look for: the Farewell 1/1 Autograph and the 1/1 autograph versions of the three variation cards covering all-time assists, appearances and goals.
What is the rarest card in the Final Farewell pack?
The short-print 'The Final Farewell' card is listed at odds of 1 in 200 packs, making it the rarest non-autograph chase card in the set.
Is every pack guaranteed to contain a parallel or autograph?
No. Topps says parallels or other non-base cards replace the base card in qualifying orders, and that the odds of receiving a non-base card are based on the total number of cards ordered.
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