What are the best Topps Total Football cards, and how can you find the rarest options making their way onto the market? Here’s what you need to know about the hybrid set. 

Anyone interested in the newest soccer rookie cards is likely to have heard of Topps Total Football. 

An experimental collection that is linked to a mobile app, you’ll be able to collect both digital and physical trading cards, with the option to print and send them to your house directly within the app. (You’ll see a couple of Heung Min Son examples in the image above.)

We’ll take you through what to expect, as well as listing three of the best Topps Total Football cards to look out for as of 2023.

Topps Total Football: Key Stats 

What can you expect from the set? Here are some key stats and facts:

• The set includes serial-numbered cards and RCs 
• New cards are released intermittently 
• Comes with a online card game that is simple to grasp, but harder to master 
• Various different subsets 
• Monetized heavily through the use of the app, it has a season pass, two types of currency, lots of premium packs 
• 500+ players from the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, and UEFA Europa Conference League
• Can trade, buy, and sell cards from other players  
• Free-to-play on Android and iOS 
• Can choose the option of penny sleeves, toploaders, or cases when ordering cards 
• 1st editions for the first 100 cards printed 
• Uses a mobile card game that is reasonably well-designed (more on that below)

According to Vice President and General Manager of Global Sports & Entertainment at Topps, David Leiner;

“Topps Total Football is another example of Topps’ leadership and innovation in the collectibles space. Topps Total Football brings a completely new digital game to football fans around the globe with the exciting ability for collectors to print their favorite cards as they collect and find rare cards in packs.”

The Best Topps Total Football Cards 

Here’s a quick rundown with three of the best Topps Total Football  cards to collect as of 2023:

3. 2022-23 Topps Total Football Soccer Jamie Bynoe-Gittens RC #CC16 (eBay)

18-year-old winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens is the latest player to come off the conveyor belt at Dortmund, hoping to follow in the footsteps of fellow England stars Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham. As such, his low numbered rookie cards from the Topps Total Football set are a decent option, especially as he’s starting to get significant playing time with the first XI. 

Collectors cards are arguably the cleanest you’ll find, as they aren’t used in the Total Football card game. 

Check prices of 2022-23 Topps Total Football Soccer Jamie Bynoe-Gittens RC on eBay

2. 2022-23 Topps Total Football Enzo Fernandez RC #CC423 (eBay)

Having joined Chelsea’s star-studded cast for major money, Enzo Fernandez has a number of early cards found in the Topps Total Football set. Once again, we’re looking at the Collector Cards subset, featuring the 2022 World Cup winner during his brief stint with SL Benfica. The RC logo is the main reason for higher prices than the norm, and I’m hoping to grab a copy myself.   

Check prices of 2022-23 Topps Total Football Enzo Fernandez RC on eBay

1. 2022-23 Topps Total Football Mykhailo Mudryk RC #EXC16 (eBay)

Mykhailo Mudryk is undoubtedly one of the more popular players if you’re looking at rookie cards from the 2022/23 season. Another new Chelsea signing, he has a variety of cards in the Total Football set, such as the Exclusives parallel seen above. 

He also has a green Vibrant Velocity card which comes with a collection of numbered parallels. These may also come with a 1st Edition logo depending on when they were printed. If so, it’s found above the card number. 

Check prices of 2022-23 Topps Total Football Mykhailo Mudryk RC on eBay

Topps Total Football: Thoughts 

If you’re a collector, there’s no harm in opening a few of the free packs, and the game is pretty addictive, even if it’s easy enough in the lower leagues. (In fact, lots of opponents tend to quit halfway through a game, so it was easy to get a few rewards during testing.) 

If you’re interested in the rarest parallels, it’s probably going to be cheaper to buy them online, rather than opening digital packs in the hope that you get lucky. At least with physical packs you still get the cards. while I actually ran into a bug when printing the cards, and had to message the developers for support. You can see the reply below. (to their credit, Topps got back almost immediately.)

(I snagged a nice purple Julian Alvarez /25 parallel, but the app wouldn’t take my money and ship it to me, running into an error with PayPal.)

At higher levels, it does feel like there’s a pay-to-win element to the game, especially if you’ve only started out recently. However, there is a chance of winning some valuable cards, such as the options listed above. 

Summary 

Topps Total Football is a unique set, adding a physical element to a somewhat forgettable card game. It’s a shame that the best cards are hidden behind premium packs, while it always feels wrong to spend real money on digital items. 

However, there are some nice looking cards within the collection, and it’s nice to have them shipped to your house in a sturdy magnetic slab which is sure to keep them safe. They sell fairly easily, and there are new cards added every so often. 

The game itself can feel unfair, while there is a large element of luck when it plays out. It might be worth trying out for yourself, even if it’s only to print a few 1st Edition cards off while player numbers are still low.