The Chicago Sports Spectacular Fall Edition returns to the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont over the weekend of November 20, 2026 for the second of the show's two flagship Chicago dates of the year. The Sports Spectacular is one of the longest-running and most respected dedicated sports-card-and-memorabilia shows in the entire Midwest, and the Fall edition lands deep into NFL, NBA, NHL, and college football season — peak collector engagement and peak willingness to spend. Hosted at the same Donald E. Stephens Convention Center that hosts the National Sports Collectors Convention each summer, the Sports Spectacular consistently fills hundreds of dealer tables across the convention hall and pulls collectors from across the Midwest.
The vendor floor is sports-card and memorabilia first. Tables stock deep MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, UFC, boxing, MMA, soccer, and college football inventory across every era — vintage Topps, Bowman, Fleer, Goudey, Play Ball, and pre-war tobacco runs from the early 1900s through the 1980s, junk-wax 1990s monster boxes, and modern Panini Prizm, Donruss Optic, Select, Mosaic, Topps Chrome, Bowman Chrome, Topps Dynasty, National Treasures, Flawless, and Immaculate. Chicago-team inventory — Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks, Cubs, White Sox, Fire, and Sky — and Notre Dame, Northwestern, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio State, and broader Big Ten college coverage moves heavily. Locked cases display PSA, BGS, SGC, and CGC graded slabs from low-end commons to grail-level vintage and modern, alongside autographed memorabilia, game-used jerseys, vintage equipment, signed photos, and a curated TCG presence with Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, and a handful of additional TCG dealers.
The show's signature feature is the autograph guest list — more than 60 sports stars typically headline each Sports Spectacular weekend with on-site autograph and photo-op signing. Confirmed guest lineups, signing schedules, and autograph and photo-op ticket pricing are posted on chicagosportsspectacular.com and the operator's Instagram (@chicagosportsshow) and Facebook channels closer to show week, and the highest-demand guests sell out their autograph tickets well in advance.
Show hours typically run a three-day Friday–Saturday–Sunday pattern. General admission has historically been $15 for Friday and $20 for Saturday and Sunday; kids 10 and under are $10, and kids 5 and under are free. Autograph and photo-op tickets are sold separately, both in advance and at the door. Buying advance autograph tickets for high-demand guests is strongly recommended.
The Donald E. Stephens Convention Center sits at 5555 N River Road, Rosemont, IL 60018, immediately adjacent to O'Hare International Airport and connected to the Hyatt Regency O'Hare and the Rosemont entertainment district. The complex is climate-controlled, ADA-accessible, and has paid on-site parking; the Blue Line's Rosemont stop is a short rideshare from the convention center. The same venue hosting the National in July means many National regulars know the building, the parking, and the surrounding dining well.
Who should attend? The Chicago Sports Spectacular is the marquee fall stop for serious sports-card collectors, vintage diggers, memorabilia collectors, autograph hunters, set builders, modern flippers, and families looking for a once-a-year guest-driven hobby weekend. The combination of a deep dealer floor and a 60-plus-athlete guest list makes the show a notably different experience from a typical card-show-only weekend.
To get the most out of the weekend, buy advance autograph tickets for high-demand guests as soon as the lineup is announced, plan an early Friday arrival for first crack at fresh inventory, build a written want list before you arrive, bring cash and digital-payment backups, pack a slab case and plenty of top loaders, and bring a trade binder if you like to deal. Follow chicagosportsspectacular.com and @chicagosportsshow on Instagram for the rolling guest lineup and ticket links.