2026 Topps Midnight Football brings its signature dark Chrome designs, premium autographs and nighttime-themed inserts back to the hobby. The new release features the 2026 NFL rookie class alongside current stars and legends, with several returning autograph collections and new designs making their debut.
Preorders for 2026 Topps Midnight Football open Monday, October 12, at 1 p.m. ET through Topps. The official checklist is already available, giving collectors an early look at the rookies, veteran autographs and short-print inserts featured in the set. Here’s everything to know ahead of the preorder.
2026 Topps Midnight Football preorder details
Topps has confirmed that preorders for 2026 Topps Midnight Football begin Monday, October 12, at 1 p.m. ET through its official website.
- Product: 2026 Topps Midnight Football
- Preorder date: Monday, October 12, 2026
- Preorder time: 1 p.m. ET
- Where to preorder: Topps.com
- Price: Not yet announced
- Release date: Not yet confirmed by Topps
Collectors can visit the official Topps Midnight Football product page for preorder notifications and additional release information.
2026 Topps Midnight Football Hobby box breakdown
Midnight Football has traditionally featured a compact, autograph-heavy Hobby box configuration. The previous release contained one seven-card pack per box, including three Chrome autographs, with eight Hobby boxes per case.
Topps references this format in its official history of the Midnight Football brand, but the company has not yet published a complete 2026 Hobby box configuration on its product landing page.
We’ll update this section once Topps confirms the exact 2026 box contents, including the number of autographs, parallels and cards per box.
2026 Topps Midnight Football set overview
Topps Midnight Football uses black Chrome backgrounds, colorful foil accents and atmospheric designs inspired by the night sky. The product takes a different approach from traditional football card sets, with an emphasis on autographs, premium finishes and visually distinctive inserts.
The 2026 edition features a 100-card base checklist covering established NFL players and rookies. Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts, Justin Jefferson and Drake Maye are among the current stars included.
The checklist also features 2026 rookies Fernando Mendoza, Jeremiyah Love, Carnell Tate, Jordyn Tyson and Caleb Downs, along with Carson Beck, Ty Simpson, Makai Lemon, Garrett Nussmeier and several other players from the draft class.
Autographs are a major part of the product’s appeal, but the checklist also includes eight different insert collections. Several of those feature combinations of current NFL stars, rookies and legendary players.
2026 Topps Midnight Football autographs
The autograph checklist is one of the biggest attractions in Midnight Football. In addition to rookie signatures, the set includes several collections featuring established stars and retired NFL players.
Stroke of Midnight Autographs
Stroke of Midnight Autographs returns with a 15-card checklist featuring a mix of current and former NFL stars. It’s one of the stronger veteran autograph collections in the product.
Notable names include Tom Brady, Joe Montana, John Elway, Dan Marino, Julian Edelman, Tony Romo, Jalen Hurts, George Kittle and Matthew Stafford.
Dark Matter Autographs
Dark Matter Autographs makes its Midnight Football debut in 2026 with a 30-card checklist featuring stars from multiple generations.
The retired-player lineup includes Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Jerry Rice, Barry Sanders, Troy Aikman and Adrian Peterson. Current players on the checklist include Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Drake Maye, Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb and Brock Purdy.
With several of the biggest names in NFL history included, Dark Matter is one of the more notable autograph additions to this year’s release.
Countdown Calligraphy
Countdown Calligraphy provides another extensive autograph collection, featuring 36 players from different eras of the NFL.
Former stars on the checklist include Drew Brees, Michael Vick, Marshawn Lynch, Antonio Gates, Andre Johnson, Chad Johnson, Dez Bryant, Hines Ward, Jason Witten, Terrell Davis and Warren Moon.
The collection also features current players such as Chase Brown, Khalil Shakir, Rashee Rice and Rome Odunze.
Rookie autographs
Rookies are represented across several autograph collections, including the returning Rookie Horizon Signatures and new Midnight Oil Marks.
Midnight Oil Marks includes major names from the 2026 draft class such as Fernando Mendoza, Jeremiyah Love, Carnell Tate, Jordyn Tyson and Caleb Downs. The checklist also features Carson Beck, Drew Allar, Garrett Nussmeier, Ty Simpson and Makai Lemon.
Rookie Horizon Signatures offers a different selection of first-year players, including Mendoza, Nick Singleton, Kenyon Sadiq, Sonny Styles, Rueben Bain Jr. and Emmett Johnson.
Tenebrous Traces is another rookie autograph collection, with Mendoza, Love, Tate, Tyson and Downs all included on its 20-card checklist.
Autograph memorabilia cards
Midnight Football also features three autograph memorabilia collections:
- Rookie Jersey Autographs: Rookie signatures paired with memorabilia, featuring names such as Mendoza, Love, Tate, Tyson and Downs.
- Moonlit Materials Signatures: A new autograph memorabilia design featuring an oversized moon. The checklist includes Mendoza, Love, Tate, Tyson and Downs.
- REM Relic Autographs: A horizontal autograph design featuring two memorabilia swatch windows. Mendoza, Love, Tate, Tyson and Downs are among the featured rookies.
The complete autograph lineup also includes Horizon Signatures and Base Card Autographs, giving collectors additional opportunities to find signatures from current NFL players.
2026 Topps Midnight Football inserts and short prints
Midnight’s inserts continue the product’s nighttime theme, with eight different collections featured on the official checklist. Twilight returns as a short print, while Night Night and Celestial Roots make their debut in the football product.
Night Night
Night Night is one of the new short-print inserts for 2026, featuring a 25-card checklist with NFL legends, current stars and rookies.
Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Joe Montana, John Elway and Eli Manning are included alongside Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson. The rookie selections include Mendoza, Love, Tate, Tyson, Downs and Makai Lemon.
Twilight and Celestial Roots
Twilight returns with a 25-card checklist featuring NFL stars and select rookies. Mahomes, Allen, Burrow, Hurts, Justin Jefferson and Drake Maye are among the established players, while Mendoza, Love, Tate, Downs and Carson Beck represent the rookie class.
Celestial Roots is another 25-card short-print collection. Its checklist includes Mahomes, Allen, Burrow, Jefferson, Hurts, Mendoza, Love, Tate, Tyson and Drew Allar.
Constellations
Constellations returns with a 15-card checklist featuring two-player combinations. Several cards pair NFL legends with current stars from the same franchise.
Notable combinations include:
- Tom Brady / Drake Maye
- Barry Sanders / Jahmyr Gibbs
- Randy Moss / Justin Jefferson
- Randall Cunningham / Jalen Hurts
- Steve Largent / Jaxon Smith-Njigba
- Josh Allen / Jim Kelly
- Patrick Mahomes / Travis Kelce
The insert offers a mix of franchise history and current stars, making it one of the more interesting non-autograph collections in the release.
Additional insert collections
The remaining insert sets are Dream Land, Earthshine, Insomnia and Nightball. Each includes a mix of rookies and established players, although Earthshine places particular emphasis on the incoming rookie class.
Topps has not yet published complete pack odds for the 2026 release, so the exact pull rates for these collections remain unconfirmed.
Top rookies to chase in 2026 Topps Midnight Football
The 2026 NFL rookie class is featured extensively across Midnight Football’s base set, inserts and autographs. Here are five of the more prominent names on the official checklist.
- Fernando Mendoza, Las Vegas Raiders: One of the most frequently featured rookies, with cards in Midnight Oil Marks, Rookie Horizon Signatures, Tenebrous Traces, Rookie Jersey Autographs and multiple memorabilia autograph collections.
- Jeremiyah Love, Arizona Cardinals: Appears in Midnight Oil Marks, Tenebrous Traces, Rookie Jersey Autographs, Moonlit Materials Signatures and REM Relic Autographs, along with several inserts.
- Carnell Tate, Tennessee Titans: Included in Midnight Oil Marks, Tenebrous Traces and all three rookie autograph memorabilia collections.
- Jordyn Tyson, New Orleans Saints: Featured in Midnight Oil Marks, Tenebrous Traces, Rookie Jersey Autographs, Moonlit Materials Signatures and REM Relic Autographs.
- Caleb Downs, Dallas Cowboys: Appears in Midnight Oil Marks, Tenebrous Traces and the three rookie autograph memorabilia sets, along with short-print inserts.
Other rookies worth noting include Carson Beck, Ty Simpson, Makai Lemon, Drew Allar, Garrett Nussmeier, Kenyon Sadiq and KC Concepcion, all of whom appear in multiple collections.
2026 Topps Midnight Football checklist
Topps has released the official checklist for 2026 Midnight Football, covering the 100-card base set, eight insert collections and 11 autograph and autograph memorabilia collections.
Collectors can download the complete 2026 Topps Midnight Football checklist here.
The checklist is subject to change. We’ll continue updating this breakdown as Topps confirms additional information, including the 2026 Hobby box configuration, pricing, parallels, pack odds and release date.
