Disney has completed its Disney | Champion NFL Collection, pairing all 32 NFL teams with characters from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars. The collaboration brings together Disney Consumer Products, the NFL, Champion, and Fanatics in a line aimed squarely at fans who collect their team gear as seriously as they collect comics, figures, and other pop-culture merchandise.
First introduced through the Disney Fan Draft at Fanatics Fest NYC on July 16, 2026, the collection turns team identity, franchise history, regional culture, and fan traditions into character-driven apparel. With the full draft board now revealed, football fans can finally judge every matchup for themselves.
Every NFL Team Gets a Disney Character
The pairings stretch well beyond Disney animation. Marvel and Star Wars both play a substantial role, while Pixar contributes several of the collection’s more playful selections. Some matches are immediately recognizable, while others are built around deeper connections to a team’s history or personality.
AFC East: The Buffalo Bills are represented by Beast from Beauty and the Beast, while the Miami Dolphins receive King Triton. The New England Patriots get Marvel’s Captain America, and the New York Jets are paired with Buzz Lightyear.
AFC North: The Baltimore Ravens are matched with Diaval and Maleficent. The Cincinnati Bengals receive Shere Khan, the Cleveland Browns get Pluto, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are represented by Disney’s Pete.
AFC South: Jessie from Toy Story joins the Houston Texans, while the Indianapolis Colts are paired with Horace Horsecollar. The Jacksonville Jaguars receive Pepita, and the Tennessee Titans get one of Marvel’s biggest names: Thanos.
AFC West: The Denver Broncos are represented by Maximus, the Kansas City Chiefs get the Big Bad Wolf, and the Las Vegas Raiders receive Darth Vader. The Los Angeles Chargers round out the division with Hercules and Pegasus.
NFC East: Woody remains one of the most natural pairings in the line as the choice for the Dallas Cowboys. The New York Giants get Wreck-It Ralph, the Philadelphia Eagles receive Doctor Doom, and the Washington Commanders are represented by Hamm.
NFC North: Chicago’s selection is Baloo, while the Detroit Lions get Simba. The Green Bay Packers are paired with Star Wars’ Chewbacca, and the Minnesota Vikings receive Thor.
NFC South: The Atlanta Falcons are matched with the Millennium Falcon, a vehicle rather than a character. The Carolina Panthers get Bagheera, the New Orleans Saints receive Louis, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are represented by Captain Hook.
NFC West: Jafar and Iago join the Arizona Cardinals, while the Los Angeles Rams are paired with Sulley. The San Francisco 49ers receive Stinky Pete the Prospector, and the Seattle Seahawks get the “Mine, Mine, Mine” seagulls from Finding Nemo.
Some Picks Are Obvious. Others Need a Second Look.
The strongest part of the collection is its willingness to use more than surface-level team references. Woody and the Cowboys tap into classic cowboy imagery, while Darth Vader and the Raiders lean into the franchise’s long-standing association with menace, mystique, and stark visual design.
Other choices are built around regional or historical details. Chewbacca’s connection to the Packers emphasizes loyalty and the ability to endure harsh conditions, a fitting idea for football in Green Bay. Stinky Pete reflects the 49ers’ Gold Rush heritage, while the Commanders’ pairing with Hamm references the team’s historic “Hogs” identity.
There are also selections that operate primarily through color, attitude, or name recognition. Thanos and the Titans is an especially direct match, while the Chargers’ Hercules and Pegasus pairing plays with lightning, strength, and heroic spectacle. The result is a lineup designed to start conversations, including arguments over which teams received the cleverest choices.
That debate appears to be part of the point. Disney describes the designs as storytelling-led, with details and Easter eggs intended to reward fans who know their teams well. For collectors, that gives the apparel more appeal than a simple logo-and-character mash-up. The pieces become conversation items that can be judged both as sports merchandise and as licensed pop-culture design.
From Fanatics Fest to the Fan Closet
The collection debuted on a particularly appropriate stage. Fanatics Fest NYC brings together athletes, collectors, creators, families, and sports superfans, making it a natural venue for a collaboration that sits between team apparel and broader fandom culture.
The Disney Fan Draft was hosted by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Taylor Rooks, with appearances from current and former football stars as well as entertainment personalities. The first wave of merchandise was available through the Disney | Champion Fan Zone during the event, giving attendees early access to the initial selections.
The first eight pairings included Beast and the Bills, Woody and the Cowboys, Darth Vader and the Raiders, Captain America and the Patriots, Wreck-It Ralph and the Giants, Buzz Lightyear and the Jets, Captain Hook and the Buccaneers, and Hamm and the Commanders. The remaining teams were revealed on August 24, 2026, completing the collection ahead of the 2026 NFL season.
What Collectors Should Know
The line currently consists of T-shirts, crewnecks, and sweatshirts, combining Champion branding with NFL team marks and Disney-owned characters. It is not a comic series or an action-figure release, but Marvel and Star Wars fans may still find plenty to appreciate in the crossover approach.
Doctor Doom with the Eagles, Captain America with the Patriots, Thanos with the Titans, Thor with the Vikings, and Darth Vader with the Raiders give the collection a particularly strong appeal for superhero and science-fiction collectors. The designs also offer a more wearable alternative to traditional character merchandise, allowing fans to display multiple interests without committing to a full costume or convention-exclusive collectible.
The full Disney | Champion NFL Collection is available through NFL Shop, Fanatics, Disney Store, and select retailers nationwide. Availability, sizing, and individual team offerings may vary, so collectors interested in a specific pairing will want to check each retailer’s current inventory.
Whether every pick feels like a perfect fit is likely to depend on the fan wearing it. That is part of the collection’s appeal: like any good draft, it encourages strong opinions. Disney, Champion, the NFL, and Fanatics have created a line that treats sports fandom as another form of pop-culture collecting—and gives all 32 teams a character to argue about.
Sources
thewaltdisneycompany.com
disneyparksblog.com
