The Athletic has live coverage of the Champions League league phase matches ‘Debut patches’ will be appearing for the first time in the 2026-27 men’s Champions League campaign as part of an agreement between Fanatics and UEFA, European soccer’s governing body.Players appearing for the first time in the competition will have a small patch displayed on the sleeve of their jersey, with the word ‘debut’ being incorporated into the Champions League’s ‘starball’ logo.After the match, the patch will be retrieved and transferred to Topps — the trading card company owned by Fanatics — and integrated into a unique trading card that is also signed by the player. The patches will be authenticated before entering packs.The Champions League is the highest level of international club competition in Europe and features 36 teams from across the continent that qualify through their domestic league season (or by winning the Europa League, UEFA’s secondary competition). This season’s competition gets underway on Sept. 8.Players that come off the bench during games to make their debut will be eligible to receive the patches but those who are unused substitutes after being named in the squad for the first time will have to wait for their actual first appearance.It is expected that the program will be rolled out in the Women’s Champions League from the 2027-28 season.The campaign is another foray into soccer for Fanatics, with the Debut patch campaign appearing at this summer’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The program originated in Major League Baseball and has since expanded to include the NFL, NBA, Bundesliga (German soccer’s top division), Formula 1, MLS, UFC and WWE.Barcelona and Spain superstar Lamine Yamal wore a debut patch at the World Cup. (Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)UEFA and Fanatics are also set to announce a six-year extension to their current partnership until 2033, a deal facilitated by Relevent Football Partners, UC3’s exclusive global sales and marketing agency.