The Biggest Card Shows of 2026: Fanatics Fest, the National and More

2026 was the year the card show went arena-sized. Fanatics Fest drew a record crowd to the Javits Center, the National took over more than 700,000 square feet in Rosemont, and Collect-A-Con ran a 20-plus-stop tour. Here’s every major national show of the year and when it happened.

Why it matters

The biggest shows now double as product launches, auction floors and athlete meet-and-greets. A signed, sealed 1986-87 Fleer box sold for $1,488,100 on eBay Live from the National’s floor this summer.

The headliners

• Fanatics Fest NYC — July 16–19 · Jacob K. Javits Center, New York. About 200,000 attendees, up from 125,000+ in 2025, with 500+ athletes and 250+ card dealers. Guests included Tom Brady, LeBron James, Aaron Judge, Jalen Brunson, Lionel Messi and Serena Williams.
• The National Sports Collectors Convention — July 29–Aug. 2 · Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, Ill. Roughly 1,000 dealers and a new International Pavilion with 50 dealers from 16 countries. All VIP tiers sold out. Topps ran an NSCC-exclusive set, and PSA hit capacity on site. Back in Rosemont in 2027, then Detroit in 2028.
• Topps Industry Conference — Apr. 6–8 · State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Ariz. For shop owners and breakers. Topps announced a “Wax Health” pricing framework and moved redemptions to Fanatics Collect.
• Pokémon World Championships — Aug. 28–30 · Moscone Center (finals at Chase Center), San Francisco. 1,562 TCG competitors.
• Pokémon North America International Championships — June 12–14 · Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans. Moves to Chicago in 2027.

The big regional circuits

• Dallas Card Show — May 14–17, July 16–19, Sept. 10–13, Nov. 5–8 · Marriott Dallas Allen Hotel & Convention Center, Allen, Texas. 700+ tables. A Chicago edition ran May 29–31 and runs Nov. 13–15 in Schaumburg.
• The Philly Show — Sept. 25–27 · Greater Philadelphia Expo Center, Oaks, Pa. 300+ dealers and 1,000+ tables, with Allen Iverson, Julius Erving and Cooper DeJean signing.
• Chicago Sports Spectacular — Mar. 14–15, Nov. 20–22 · Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont. 400+ tables.
• The Chantilly Show — Oct. 16–18 · Dulles Expo Center, Chantilly, Va.
• Shore Sports & TCG Expo — Aug. 29–30 · Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City. Allen Iverson, Dennis Rodman, Reggie Jackson and Lawrence Taylor signed.
• LA Card Show — June 13–14 · LA Convention Center
• West Coast Card Show — July 16–19 · Anaheim Convention Center
• Causeway Card Show (CardVault by Tom Brady) — June 13, Dec. 19 · Big Night Live at TD Garden, Boston
• RazMania Midwest Sports & Trading Card Festival — Aug. 29–30 · UWM Sports Complex, Pontiac, Mich. 2027 dates TBA.

Collect-A-Con’s 2026 tour

• Atlanta — Feb. 7–8 and Sept. 26–27 · Georgia World Congress Center
• Houston — Mar. 14–15 (George R. Brown Convention Center) and Nov. 7–8
• Chicago — Apr. 25–26 and Oct. 10–11 · Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont
• Cleveland — May 9–10 · Huntington Convention Center
• Phoenix — May 16–17 · WestWorld of Scottsdale
• Orlando — May 23–24 · Orange County Convention Center
• Kansas City — June 13–14 · Kansas City Convention Center
• New Jersey — July 11–12 and Nov. 21–22 · NJ Convention & Exposition Center, Edison
• Los Angeles — Aug. 1–2 (LA Convention Center) and Dec. 19–20
• San Antonio — Aug. 15–16 · Freeman Coliseum
• Charlotte — Aug. 22–23 · Charlotte Convention Center
• Dallas — Oct. 24–25 · Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center
• Also listed by show calendars: Fort Lauderdale (Feb. 21–22), Fort Worth (Apr. 4–5), Las Vegas (June 20–21), Minneapolis (July 18–19), Richmond (Aug. 29–30) and the SF Bay Area (Sept. 12–13)

International

• Sport Card & Memorabilia Expo — Apr. 30–May 3 and Nov. 5–8 · The International Centre, Mississauga, Ont.
• London Card Show XL — Apr. 17–19 · ExCeL London
• Pokémon Europe International Championships — Feb. 13–15 · ExCeL London. 4,011 Masters TCG players.

Reality check

The National has not released an official 2026 attendance number. Early venue figures ran about 20% ahead of 2025’s roughly 125,000. Several Collect-A-Con stops are confirmed only by third-party calendars. We couldn’t confirm a 2026 Industry Summit or Burbank show.

What’s next

Still on the 2026 calendar: the Chantilly Show (Oct. 16–18), Collect-A-Con Dallas (Oct. 24–25), Dallas Card Show (Nov. 5–8), Toronto’s Sport Card Expo (Nov. 5–8), Dallas Card Show Chicago (Nov. 13–15), Chicago Sports Spectacular (Nov. 20–22) and Collect-A-Con LA (Dec. 19–20).