The wait is finally over. After 10 long years since the last proper trading card release in Portugal — 2014 Panini Megacraques — trading cards are officially back!
Portugal finally has a new football trading card collection.
A New Name, A New Era
The collection was renamed and is no longer called Megacraques. It is now known as Panini Ídolos do Futebol Português, or simply “Ídolos”, as we usually call it here in Portugal.
This was most likely a strategic move requested by Panini Italy/Panini Spain, aiming to distance the Portuguese product from Panini Megacracks, the well-established La Liga trading card collection, also produced by Panini Italy.
2025–26 Panini Ídolos do Futebol Português
The collection features 252 cards, showcasing all the teams in the Portuguese league, plus a few non-numbered parallels that are not required to complete the album.
Panini also added a nice “chase” element to the product: autograph cards (sticker autos), limited to 200 copies each, featuring five players:
- Dodi Lukebakio
- Gonçalo Ramos (pictured in the national team kit)
- Pau Víctor
- Gabri Veiga
- Samu
Team Breakdown & Inserts
As expected, the “Big Three” — Benfica, Porto, and Sporting — each feature 18 base cards, while the remaining 15 teams have 9 base cards each.
The insert sets included are:
- Ídolos
- Energy
- Fresh
- Dobradinha
- Backpass
Both Ídolos and Energy include tougher-to-pull parallel versions. There are also box hits called “Mágicos”, which, in my opinion, are the best-looking cards in the entire product.
Pricing: A Smart Move by Panini
One thing Panini absolutely got right was pricing.
Bringing trading cards back to a country with no recent card culture and charging a premium for a paper product would have been a mistake — especially considering how easy these cards are to damage.
Instead, Panini kept it simple:
- 1€ per pack
- 24 packs per box = 24€ per box
This pricing strategy encourages curiosity. Thousands of people will buy “just one pack” — and many will end up buying more. In reality, most collectors will grab at least two boxes, which significantly boosts box sales. Smart and effective.
Photography & Design Choices
Another huge win: every player is shown in action, with the ball. No static portraits — just dynamic action shots. Personally, I love this choice, and it really elevates the look of the set. It is something different from other sets and makes this one more unique and pleasant to see.
Nostalgia Meets the Present
Checklist-wise, Panini also included former stars like Deco and Óscar Cardozo in the “Backpass” insert set. This insert cleverly compares a legendary former player with a current one:
- Mora with Deco
- Pavlidis with Cardozo
A fantastic concept that blends nostalgia with the present generation.
A Milestone Autograph
One of the standout cards in the product is the Pau Víctor autograph, which marks the first Braga autograph card ever produced.
That alone makes it a milestone. I fully expect Braga fans to pay a premium for it. (Shameless plug, but one of my clients pulled it from a box I sold him!
Final Thoughts
The foundation has been set.
This release has the potential to mark the beginning of a new golden age for trading cards in Portugal. I was genuinely thrilled when I first heard about it. In a way, it feels like all the time I’ve spent talking about and advocating for this wasn’t in vain — maybe someone was listening after all.
Who knows? Maybe one day I’ll even be involved in creating the checklist myself.
Stranger things have happened, right?
And yes — if you’re looking for a box… hit me up. I’m your guy. Or check my eBay listing: https://ebay.us/m/T5NM2P
Ohobby out!
