The latest album is reportedly the biggest yet, with 980 stickers following the tournament’s expansion to 48 teams. A report says Panini had produced more than two billion packs before the competition, but supply has still struggled to keep pace.
Adam Martin, co-owner of Dave and Adam’s Card World, said his business had to reorder twice after underestimating interest. The demand has also moved beyond traditional football circles.
Martin said he took boxes to a Formula 1 race intending to give them to friends, only to encounter “a flood of interest from people asking where they could buy them.”
Panini’s World Cup tradition dates back to 1970, built around affordable packs, incomplete albums and the social ritual of trading duplicates. Most stickers have limited resale value, but rare editions and famous early appearances have added a speculative edge.
The report says newer border variations, including black one-of-one stickers featuring stars such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Lamine Yamal, have intensified that interest. Yet the album’s appeal still appears to rest on participation rather than profit.
Swap events have become part of the experience, from organised gatherings in New York to large-scale trading sessions in Santiago. That communal element gives the product a reach far beyond specialist collectors.
The current boom may also carry extra nostalgia. Panini is reportedly set to lose the World Cup collectibles licence after the 2030 tournament, with Topps expected to take over cards, stickers and other licensed products.
That makes this latest album potentially one of Panini’s final World Cup chapters. The next storyline will be whether scarcity fuels even greater demand - and how collectors respond when a new producer takes over the tradition.