Published on 4/30/2026
While fans await the starting whistle of the 2026 World Cup, fans of collecting Panini stickers face a special challenge, not related to dribbling skills, but rather to the budget of their pockets.
Since the Italian company “Panini” launched the first set of posters for the World Cup in 1970 in Mexico, the attempt to complete the album – which often ends in failure – has turned into a global obsession among young fans, and exchanging posters in stadiums has become an indispensable ritual.
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The hefty “completion” bill
But the upcoming World Cup, hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, will pose the biggest challenge yet, and may require a significant portion of pocket money.
With 48 teams participating in the tournament scheduled for June and July, which is the largest edition in the history of the World Cup, collectors will need 980 unique stickers, including 68 “special” stickers, to complete a 112-page album, which will be released to the public tomorrow, Thursday.
The price of one package, which includes seven stickers, is $1.69 in Britain, which means that even under ideal and unrealistic luck, and without any duplicate stickers, 140 packages would be needed for a total cost of $236.
But statistically speaking, completing the set may require purchasing more than a thousand packs to get all the players, which raises the cost to approximately $1,300.
Launching the largest group
Panini launched the largest collection in its history during a special event held at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday, where former England players David James, John Barnes and Gary Cahill recalled their childhood memories while searching for the stickers.
Former Chelsea defender Cahill said, “I grew up collecting Panini stickers, exchanging them with friends in the stands, and trying to complete the album in every tournament. For me, the album always represented the real beginning of the World Cup.”
He added, “Seeing my picture in the group was a rare moment of pride, and an embodiment of how these posters become part of the story of every World Cup.”
Panini confirmed that it will organize live “exchange stores” across Britain during May, to allow collectors the opportunity to find “essential” stickers, while a “sticker bus” will travel to various regions to distribute packs and albums.
As World Cup fever fades, it may be wise to keep the duplicate posters around, as older versions have an active and thriving market.
In 2021, a Panini poster dating back to 1979, showing Diego Maradona at the age of 19, was sold for $634,000 at auction.
