Panini Chronicles Soccer covers Europe’s three most important leagues: the English Premier League, La Liga of Spain, and the Italian Serie A. Sorry, Bundesliga. Maybe next time.

Also, Topps has the rights to that league. Chronicles is certainly not known for its high value, as discussed in our overview of soccer card investments.

But it is also not a weak release. It contains powerful cards from other Panini soccer favorites and a few strong cards.

So, is 2022-23 Panini Chronicles Soccer worth the price of admission? Our 2022-23 Panini Chronicles Soccer review provides all the answers you seek.

History of Panini Chronicles Soccer

If there has ever been a Panini soccer card release with a weird history, it is Panini Chronicles Soccer. The company needed help deciding which leagues to cover and how it wished to do so. Panini America launched the Chronicles brand with 2017-18 Panini Chronicles Basketball.

This should be distinct from Topps UFC Chronicles, a short-lived MMA line. The concept was simple. With every rip, you would get a ton of rookies and parallels (three of each in every pack).

Of course, with massive supply comes limited demand, as anyone who has tried listing these rookies has discovered. But there is no question that the release captured a significant niche in the hobby. Panini soon released Chronicles products for other sports, such as baseball, football, and soccer.

The inaugural release for the “beautiful game” arrived on shelves in 2019-20 Panini Chronicles Soccer. It was a wide-ranging release, including cards from many other freedoms and covering the three big leagues. Each league had a different set.

The Premier League cards came from a Donruss set with 200 cards. Meanwhile, there was a 100-card Panini set for La Liga and a 100-card Prestige set for La Liga. The card company has also tried to manufacture separate sets for the three leagues but did not take them.

However, the three-leagued format of Panini Chronicles Soccer has become a staple for soccer collectors in the hobby.

2022-23 Panini Chronicles Soccer release date

The hobby boxes for 2022-23 Panini Chronicles Soccer are set to drop on July 7, 2023. Meanwhile, the FOTL went on June 30, 2023. So far, there has yet to be a release date for the H2 box, which may not appear this year.

It was not unveiled as part of the 2021-22 Panini Chronicles Soccer release. But we expect to see some retail release formats, such as blasters and hangers, about a month after the initial release date.

The release date is suboptimal. All the leagues in question have long finished the 2022-23 season and are now in the midst of feverish preparation for the 2023-24 campaign.

Instead of catching up, Panini seems to need to catch up. At least as far as this release is concerned. The 2021-22 Panini Chronicles Soccer hobby box was released on June 29, 2022. That was at least the same month as the Champions League Final.

In 2021, the box also came out in June, and the year before that, in July. So, Panini has generally decided that they will never release Panini Chronicles Soccer during the relevant season. This seems like an unfortunate approach, which is certainly not helping the product’s overall popularity.

2022-23 Panini Chronicles Soccer release formats

Panini Chronicles usually combines hobby box releases, including a FOTL and H2, with retail releases. However, there is no clear rhyme or reason for what they release in a given year.

So, it is hard to predict what will hit the shelves at Walmart and Target. We aren’t even sure if there will be an H2 box for 2022-23 Panini Chronicles Soccer.

Therefore, we will give the specs for the two confirmed formats for the release. When others join them (and they probably will; we just aren’t sure which), we will update this page accordingly.

Hobby box

15 cards per pack
3 packs per box
Look for 3 autographs or memorabilia cards and 12 parallels per box on average
Hunt for three different Autograph + Memorabilia Inserts in Limited Jersey Autos, Silhouettes from Crown Royal, and the eponymous Cornerstones
A hobby box sells for $289.95
A case includes 12 boxes and sells for $3,749.95

FOTL hobby box

3 Autographs or Relics
12 Parallels
FOTL exclusive Pink Wave Parallels (most boxes seem to contain 9 of these)
You can get a FOTL Hobby Box for $420

2022-23 Panini Chronicles Soccer pros

The great thing about Chronicles is that the brand allows you to hit awesome cards from prestigious releases at a lower price.

As the Panini press release says: “Chronicles Soccer returns for the 2022-23 Season with more than 15 Panini brands combined into one collection!” And to Panini’s credit, they have been adding some excellent brands to the rotation in the last few years.

Recent additions include: “Select, Prestige, Elite, Prizm, Chronicles, Illusions, Donruss, Gala, Contenders, Optic, Silhouettes, and National Treasures.” However, it is quite disappointing to note that there is no sign of National Treasures in this year’s release.

And that means you can hit some gold among all the (sorry) garbage Chronicles cards. Indeed, if you look at the breaks of this product, it is not unusual to hit a good Contenders ticket or low-numbered Prizm that makes the whole box a worthwhile investment.

Another great advantage is that Panini Chronicles Soccer’s price has slowed down this year. Last year, boxes were going for around $700, as the COVID-19 inflation bubble was still felt throughout the land.

Honestly, that price point made the box pretty unprofitable. That is not a price for a low-level release. Even if it does have the occasional big release hit. But now, containers are much closer to matching their actual value on the resale market (more on that below).

Therefore, the price change really helps make 2022-23 Panini Chronicles Soccer a worthwhile product.

2022-23 Panini Chronicles Soccer cons

Aside from the big cards from other products, one of the main attractions is the many parallels featured in Panini Chronicles Soccer. But the problem is, like many other things in Chronicles, that most of the parallels could be more compelling and practical.

Most of the parallels you hit will be unnumbered, which will not impress potential buyers. Even the numbered ones in Chronicles aren’t usually worth all that much. So many collectors feel like they are just getting more base cards. They are not completely wrong.

While there are perfect cards in this release, as discussed above, most items feel cheap and unimpressive. As one collector on Blowout Forums put it, “They should focus on doing one brand well instead of 15 brands a mess.”

2022-23 Panini Chronicles Soccer checklist

The checklist for Panini Chronicles Soccer is significant. You have a base set for each one of the three leagues covered. But Panini has cut the number of cards included in the base set over the years.

At its peak, it reached no less than 400 cards, with 200 covering the English Premier League. However, now the base set includes only 150 cards. 75 Chronicles cards for each and 75 Panini cards for everyone amongst the three.

Then you have a plethora of cards from different releases. In 2022-23 Panini Chronicles Soccer they include Playoff, Origins, XR, Certified, Essentials, Illusions, Prizm, Phoenix, Dynagon, Contenders, Gala, Cornerstone, Crown Royal, Limited, Absolute, Elements, Gold Standard, and Zenith.

That is a long list. But let’s be honest. How much of that is really exciting for a soccer fan? With the removal of National Treasures from the checklist, Prizm and Contenders will get your pulse racing.

And generally, the Prizm cards in Chronicles aren’t the best. So, as you expect from a Chronicles release, the checklist is inflated and filled with ummm….filler.

2022-23 Panini Chronicles Soccer inserts

You would have to write a dissertation to get a feel for the full variety of inserts in any Panini Chronicles release. There are 15 brands in this release, each with their own inserts.

They vary greatly in aesthetic quality and design concept. But unfortunately, the vast majority of them share one trait: they are not worth very much.

Autos

There are several options for landing an auto in 2022-23 Panini Chronicles Soccer. The biggest checklists include the Contenders Autographs one and the Origins list.

There are 98 overall, split between the three leagues more or less evenly. They are cumbersome on retired legends and include some of the biggest names amongst them: Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, Gianluigi Buffon, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Andres Iniesta, to name a few.

You can’t find fault with that, especially since there are also autos from prospects like Ansu Fati and current superstars like Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne. But even though the checklist is excellent, there is a catch.

Very few non-ticket Contenders Chronicles soccer autos go for much money. They tend to max out at around $250 each. So, the list is great for having a cool car but not for making bank.

Therefore, what really matters are the rookie tickets. Here is the checklist for them.

Contenders Optic Rookie Ticket La Liga Set Checklist

10 cards.

PARALLEL CARDS: Purple Mojo, Red Mojo, Silver, Red #/99, Blue #/49, Orange Ice #/23, Pink Wave FOTL #/19, Blue Mojo #/16, Gold #/10, Gold Mojo #/10, Black 1/1.

291 Mikel Vesga – Athletic Club
292 Aimar Oroz – CA Osasuna
293 Yan Couto – Girona FC
294 Pablo Barrios – Atletico de Madrid
295 Vinicius Souza – RCD Espanyol

296 Mohamed-Ali Cho – Real Sociedad
297 Loic Bade – Sevilla FC
298 El Bilal Toure – UD Almeria
299 Jesus Vazquez – Valencia CF
300 Nicolas Jackson – Villarreal CF

Contenders Optic Rookie Ticket Premier League Set Checklist

10 cards.

PARALLEL CARDS: Purple Mojo, Red Mojo, Silver, Red #/99, Blue #/49, Orange Ice #/23, Pink Wave FOTL #/19, Blue Mojo #/16, Gold #/10, Gold Mojo #/10, Black 1/1.

291 Marcus Tavernier – AFC Bournemouth
292 William Saliba – Arsenal
293 David Datro Fofana – Chelsea FC
294 Cheick Doucoure – Crystal Palace
295 James Garner – Everton

296 Mykhailo Mudryk – Chelsea FC
297 Calvin Ramsay – Liverpool FC
298 Julian Alvarez – Manchester City
299 Alejandro Garnacho – Manchester United
300 Tyrell Malacia – Manchester United

Contenders Optic Rookie Ticket Serie A Set Checklist

10 cards.

PARALLEL CARDS: Purple Mojo, Red Mojo, Silver, Red #/99, Blue #/49, Orange Ice #/23, Pink Wave FOTL #/19, Blue Mojo #/16, Gold #/10, Gold Mojo #/10, Black 1/1.

291 Rasmus Hojlund – Atalanta BC
292 Valentin Carboni – FC Internazionale Milano
293 Isak Hien – Hellas Verona FC
294 Fabio Miretti – Juventus
295 Matteo Cancellieri – SS Lazio

296 Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – SSC Napoli
297 Enzo Ebosse – Udinese Calcio
298 Cyriel Dessers – US Cremonese
299 Lorenzo Colombo – US Lecce
300 Armand Lauriente – US Sassuolo Calcio

There is plenty of talent in this list, to be sure. But the only player with clear global potential is Julian Alvarez. This has been a problem with many soccer releases in recent years. While there is plenty of high-caliber young talent in soccer, few rookies command high values in the hobby.

2022-23 Panini Chronicles Soccer value

The change in price for Panini Chronicles Soccer makes the idea of gaining value from a box more reasonable. After all, there wasn’t much to gain from a $700 price tag. So, is 2022-23 Panini Chronicles Soccer a hold or a rip? Maybe neither? We crunched the numbers for you.

Wax

The product is a somewhat veteran one. But we have enough sample size to get some idea of how these boxes age. Here are the current market prices for Panini Chronicles Soccer hobby boxes.

Release	Value
2019-20 Panini Chronicles Soccer Hobby Box	$620
2020-21 Panini Chronicles Soccer Hobby Box	$250
2021-22 Panini Chronicles Soccer Hobby Box	$303

The 2019-20 price is more than double the value of a current box. But of course, that is an older box from a time and place when few would have imagined a need to stow away boxes of Panini Chronicles Soccer. The COVID-19 bubble and its possibilities had yet to fully materialize.

The last two boxes are around the price of the brand-new box. By the way, that is no coincidence. Panini realized they could sell a box worth about $300 for more than double that. Because, you know, people need to actually buy it.

So, it’s pretty clear that the potential to profit from stashing a Panini Chronicles Soccer hobby box is limited. The only exception would be if there were a sensational rookie on the level of Messi or Haaland. But even in that case, there would be better boxes for investment than this one.

2022-23 Panini Chronicles singles

As we know, Panini Chronicles Soccer includes a vast array of cards. We are equally aware that the vast majority of them are barely worth the printed paper.

But the allure of the Chronicles brand is that you can land a massive hit from another brand for a minimal investment. But how well do those cards do on the market? We took a look.

Card	Value
2019 Panini Chronicles Contenders Lionel Messi Ticket Auto /25 (PSA 9)	$5,100
2020 Panini Chronicles Contenders Diego Maradona Ticket /5 (PSA 10)	$2,300
2019 Panini Chronicles Rafael Leao Pitch Kings Rookie Card (PSA 10)	$1,500
2021 Panini Chronicles Raul Gonzalez National Treasures Treasured Signatures Auto 1/1 (SGC 9)	$1,350

These are some of my biggest sales from the last three months. As you can imagine, many of the biggest cards are Messi ones. And that is bad news since there are no Messi autos in the 2022-23 Panini Chronicles Soccer (however, there are some swatches).

Still, enough of the big cards in this release are worth several times the price of admission to justify ripping a box or two.

The final word of the 2022-23 Panini Chronicles soccer review

There are no big surprises in 2022-23 Panini Chronicles Soccer. It is what you would expect, a box full of fun but worthless cards.

The nice thing is that you can land the occasional good hit. But honestly, they are rarely anything but a Contenders ticket. Only some of the other cards are worth much.

The good news is that the lower box price makes this a much more justifiable buy. If you enjoy getting a variety of parallels and rookies that are only worth a little, a $289 box is far easier to justify than a $700.

And the occasional big card can make the trip worthwhile. However, do not consider stashing a 2022-23 Panini Chronicles Soccer box. There are better used for your storage space, like a pair of roller skates.