As excitement for the 2026 FIFA World Cup grows in the United States, many soccer fans have started collecting the new Panini World Cup sticker albums. However, finding sticker packs has become difficult because many stores are selling out quickly. Fans across the country have been searching multiple stores just to find a few packs, showing how popular soccer and the World Cup have become in the U.S. The 2026 album is also the biggest one Panini has ever produced because the tournament now includes 48 teams.
“I live in New York and I pre-ordered the album weeks ago, but it keeps getting delayed every time I check. It’s frustrating because I just want to start collecting,” said eighth grader Sebastian Quiros.
Many stores such as Walgreens, Walmart, and CVS have struggled to keep the stickers in stock. Some fans believe stores were not prepared for the huge demand. Because the 2026 World Cup will be hosted in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, interest in soccer has increased even more. Students and collectors have also started trading stickers at school and online, making the albums even more popular.
“Right now the only way I can finish it is by trading with my friends, but even after that I still don’t really make progress,” said fourth grader Nina Baez.
Social media has also played a major role in the trend. Videos of collectors opening sticker packs and showing rare stickers have spread quickly online. Some collectors are even buying large amounts of packs at once, making it harder for others to find them in stores. The excitement has created long searches for fans who simply want to complete their albums before the tournament begins. FIFA also recently announced that Panini will stop producing official World Cup sticker albums after the 2030 tournament. Beginning in 2031, the albums and trading cards will instead be made by Topps and Fanatics, ending Panini’s partnership with FIFA after more than 60 years.
Although the shortage has frustrated many collectors, it has also shown how much soccer’s popularity is growing in the United States. As the World Cup gets closer, fans will likely continue searching stores and trading stickers while excitement for the tournament continued to grow.
