2026 Bowman Football Checklist, Team Sets and Details

2026 Bowman Football Brings College Stars and NFL Veterans Together

Topps is taking Bowman Football in a new direction for 2026. For the first time, the product will feature active college players and NFL standouts in the same set, creating a checklist that bridges the current pro game with the top names in college football.

The release also gives collectors their first look at Arch Manning on Topps-branded cards. A Topps.com pre-order is scheduled for September 8, 2026, while box configuration details have not been announced yet.

2026 Bowman Football Base Set and Prospects Checklist

The main base set includes 200 cards split evenly between 100 veterans and 100 rookies. Bowman also adds a separate 201-card Prospects checklist for college standouts, and that is where most of the coveted 1st Bowman cards will be found. Arch Manning was added late to the checklist at card No. 201.

All 401 cards in the base and Prospects portions of the release also receive Chrome versions, giving collectors both paper and chromium options across the core checklist.

Select NFL rookies also receive Red RC Variations, a Fanatics program that began in baseball and is making its football debut here. Collectors who pull a Red RC can later redeem it for Fanatics FanCash if the player reaches qualifying career milestones, beginning with Rookie of the Year honors.

Additional variations include Etched In Glass and a Walter Payton Retrofractor. The Retrofractor is a special after-the-fact 1st Bowman issue that shows Payton in a Jackson State University uniform.

Autographs Span Base Stars, Prospects and Multi-Signed Cards

Autograph content is broad, with most players from both the base set and the base Prospects checklist receiving signed versions in paper and Chrome. Refractor color and design variations are also part of the autograph chase.

Topps also revisits one of its earliest sports designs with five cards styled after 1955 Topps All American issues. These cards feature NFL Hall of Famers in their college uniforms and are available in signed and unsigned versions.

College players show up in autograph sets such as Buzz Factor and Future Script, while NFL players appear in autograph themes including Opening Statement for rookies and Timeless Touch.

Multi-signed cards are included in three autograph sets: Dual Autographs, Triple Autographs and Bowman Dual Cross Sport Autographs. That cross-sport checklist pairs a football player with a star athlete from another sport who attended the same college. The announced pairings are:

• Joe Burrow and Paul Skenes, LSU
• Anthony Edwards and Matthew Stafford, Georgia
• Vince Young and Kevin Durant, Texas

Insert Sets Mix College Names, NFL Stars and Short Prints

Insert content in 2026 Bowman Football includes both standard chase cards and short-printed concepts. Mega Prospects and Mega Rookies are exclusive to mega boxes and include patterned Mojo Refractor parallels.

College-focused inserts include Bowman Verified, Gen Next, Talent Tracker and Very Important Prospects. NFL names are featured in Greatness Loading, Hobby Stars, ROY Favorites, Rockstar Rookies and Young Kings.

Short prints are spread across both NFL stars and college prospects. The source lists Anime, Bowman GPK, Bowman Spotlight and Crystallized among the SP concepts in the product.

2026 Bowman Football Product Details

• Cards per pack: Hobby - TBA
• Packs per box: Hobby - TBA
• Boxes per case: Hobby - TBA
• Set size: 200 cards
• Pre-order date: September 8, 2026

Print runs for cards without serial numbers have not been announced. Hobby box contents are also still listed as TBA.

Base Set Highlights

The 200-card base checklist mixes established NFL names with rookies. Among the veterans and rookies listed in the source are Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes II, Joe Burrow, Caleb Williams, J.J. McCarthy, Travis Hunter, Jaxson Dart, Cam Ward and Jayden Daniels, along with a large rookie class that includes players such as Fernando Mendoza, Ty Simpson, Carson Beck, Drew Allar, Cade Klubnik and Arch Manning appearing in the Prospects section.

The base checklist also includes Red RC Variation subjects among select NFL rookies, which adds another layer to the rookie chase within the set.

Prospects Checklist Features 1st Bowman College Talent

The 201-card Prospects checklist is the centerpiece for collectors chasing 1st Bowman cards. It includes a wide range of college players across major programs, with Arch Manning closing the checklist at No. 201.

Because all Prospects cards also have Chrome versions, the checklist gives collectors a second path to chase the same names in a chromium format. The Chrome Prospects list mirrors the base Prospects checklist card for card.

The Chrome NIL Etched In Glass subset is also part of the Prospects content and includes 15 names, among them CJ Carr, Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, Drew Mestemaker, Darian Mensah, Kewan Lacy, Marcel Reed, Josh Hoover, JC French IV, Demond Williams Jr., Kamario Taylor, LaNorris Sellers, Cam Coleman, Parker Livingstone, Jayden Maiava and Kenny Minchey.

Variation Checklist Adds Etched In Glass, Retrofractor and Red RC

Variation content is one of the more notable parts of the release. The Chrome Etched In Glass checklist includes 15 cards and features a mix of NFL stars and college prospects, including Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes II, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, Matthew Stafford, Jaxson Dart, Trevor Lawrence, Drake Maye, Jahmyr Gibbs, Justin Jefferson, Fernando Mendoza, Ty Simpson, Carnell Tate, Jordyn Tyson and Jeremiyah Love.

The Walter Payton Retrofractor is listed as a single-card insert, with Payton shown in a Jackson State University uniform. That card adds a historical college football angle to a product built around current players.

The Red RC Variation checklist includes 30 cards and is limited to select NFL rookies. The source identifies players such as Fernando Mendoza, Ty Simpson, Drew Allar, Carson Beck, Garrett Nussmeier, Cade Klubnik, Cole Payton, Taylen Green, Carnell Tate, Jordyn Tyson, Makai Lemon, KC Concepcion, Malachi Fields, Denzel Boston, Chris Brazzell II, Germie Bernard, Omar Cooper Jr., Ted Hurst, De’Zhaun Stribling, Zachariah Branch, Antonio Williams, Caleb Douglas, Ja’Kobi Lane, Brenen Thompson, Jeremiyah Love, Jonah Coleman, Emmett Johnson, Jadarian Price, Kenyon Sadiq and Eli Stowers.

Autograph Checklist Breaks Down by Base, Rookie and Chrome

The autograph checklist is split into multiple sections. Base Autographs covers 162 cards, Chrome Autographs includes 69 cards, Base Rookie Autographs lists 95 cards and Chrome Rookie Autographs includes 97 cards.

Base Autographs includes a broad mix of veterans and rookies, with names such as Trey McBride, Michael Wilson, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Caleb Williams, Dak Prescott, Bo Nix, Jared Goff, Justin Jefferson, Drake Maye, Jaxson Dart, Aaron Rodgers, Brock Purdy, George Kittle, Mike Evans, Cam Ward and Jayden Daniels among the subjects listed in the source.

Base Rookie Autographs and Chrome Rookie Autographs are built around the new class and college-to-pro crossover names. The source lists Carson Beck, Jeremiyah Love, Avieon Terrell, Harold Perkins Jr., Zachariah Branch, Adam Randall, Elijah Sarratt, Ja’Kobi Lane, Olaivavega Ioane, Zion Young, Skyler Bell, T.J. Parker, Chris Brazzell II, Monroe Freeling, Dillon Thieneman, Sam Roush, Zavion Thomas, Colbie Young, Jack Endries, Denzel Boston, Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, KC Concepcion, Spencer Fano, Taylen Green, Anthony Smith, Caleb Downs, LT Overton, Dallen Bentley, Jonah Coleman, Justin Joly, Blake Miller, Keith Abney II, Dani Dennis-Sutton, Kayden McDonald, Marlin Klein, CJ Allen, Deion Burks, Seth McGowan, Josh Cameron, Nate Boerkircher, Emmett Johnson, Garrett Nussmeier, Mansoor Delane, Peter Woods, Fernando Mendoza, Jermod McCoy, Mike Washington Jr., Akheem Mesidor, Brenen Thompson, CJ Daniels, Max Klare, Ty Simpson, Chris Bell, Caleb Douglas, Chris Johnson, Jacob Rodriguez, Caleb Banks, Demond Claiborne, Jake Golday, Behren Morton, Caleb Lomu, Eli Raridon, Bryce Lance, Jordyn Tyson, Arvell Reese, Colton Hood, Francis Mauigoa, Malachi Fields, Cade Klubnik, David Bailey, D’Angelo Ponds, Kenyon Sadiq, Omar Cooper Jr., Cole Payton, Eli Stowers, Makai Lemon, Drew Allar, Eli Heidenreich, Germie Bernard, Kaden Wetjen, Max Iheanachor, De’Zhaun Stribling, Kaelon Black, Romello Height, Jadarian Price, Rueben Bain Jr., Ted Hurst, Anthony Hill Jr., Carnell Tate, Keldric Faulk, Nick Singleton, Athan Kaliakmanis, Antonio Williams, Kaytron Allen and Sonny Styles.

Team Set Lists and NIL Team Sets

The source notes that 2026 Bowman Football also includes NFL Team Sets and NIL Team Sets, but it does not provide separate checklist detail beyond those categories. Collectors looking for team-specific content will need to refer to the full checklist resources as they become available.

Checklist Access and Download Options

Topps and checklist sources list a downloadable spreadsheet version of the checklist, along with separate sections for base, prospects, variations, autographs, inserts, full checklist, NFL team sets and NIL team sets. The source also notes that print runs for non-serial-numbered cards have not been announced.

With active college players and NFL standouts sharing the same Bowman Football release for the first time, 2026 Bowman Football is set up as a crossover product with a deep checklist, multiple autograph paths and several variation types built around rookies, prospects and established stars.