Sticker shock has taken on a new meaning in Metro Vancouver as the Panini World Cup sticker collection sees unprecedented demand ahead of the 2026 tournament. Ken Richardson, president of Pastime Sports and Games, a sports memorabilia shop with four locations in the Lower Mainland, reports that his stores have already sold 40,000 packs of Panini stickers, totaling 280,000 individual stickers, as of Tuesday afternoon. The seven-card packs retail for around $3 each, depending on the retailer.
Early Demand Surprises Retailers
Richardson admitted that the brisk sales caught him off guard. "I thought we'd be seeing this once the games had started," he said. "It's definitely started a little bit earlier than I had anticipated. It's sure off with a bang, and I know it's not unique to me. It's across Canada." He noted that distributor websites are already running low on inventory, as they did not foresee such high demand so early.
The 2026 World Cup features an expanded 48-team format, resulting in a record 980 stickers in the album, 310 more than the 2022 edition. Game action begins Thursday, with Canada opening against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday in Toronto before moving to B.C. Place for a June 18 match against Qatar.
Collecting Boom Reflects Broader Trends
Richardson attributes the surge to a general increase in sports trading card collecting. He estimates that five times more money is being spent on that portion of the memorabilia market compared to 2022, and his Panini sticker business is up 20-fold from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. "Let's say this year's World Cup was being played in England. We wouldn't have seen as much of a jump as we've seen now. There's just so many more kids collecting cards, whether it's hockey, baseball, Pokemon. The card collecting, whether it's sports or non-sports, is trending in a very positive direction," he explained.
Lina Villamil, 52, of Vancouver, along with her children Gabi, 24, and Tomas, 18, have been collecting since the 2014 tournament in Brazil. Lina, originally from Colombia, notes that sticker albums are even more popular in Latin America and Europe. She finds it harder to find stickers now compared to four years ago, with stores like London Drugs imposing a 10-pack purchase limit due to high demand. "I sent my son to two different places on the North Shore today — EB Games and a London Drugs — and they were both completely sold out," she said.
Community Trading Thrives Amid Shortage
As with hockey cards, trading Panini stickers has increased due to shortages. A Vancouver Exchange Facebook page for the 2026 Panini World Cup Stickers Album has 1,900 members, promoting meet-ups and swaps. Large displays of albums and sticker packs are also prominently featured at Costcos across Metro Vancouver.
Gabi Villamil described the trading experience as friendly but businesslike. "Admittedly, my mom did a lot of the trading for the initial books. But trading is really fun. People are very friendly. They're also there for business. There's some chatting and getting to know each other," she said. Lina added that they are missing 150 stickers to complete the album, and with many stores sold out, trading has become more difficult.
Completing a Panini book brings a sense of relief, according to Gabi. "The last few stickers are always the hardest to get and you're just itching to finish it. It's relieving and it's rewarding and it's exciting. With 48 teams this year, it's also way more challenging and way more expensive."
Affordability Drives Popularity
Richardson has also brought in other World Cup merchandise like jerseys, but they are not selling at the same rate. He believes the low price point of stickers is key to their appeal. "Values for things like hockey cards have been escalating at really, really high rates for the past five to 10 years. For an entry level, when you can buy a pack of stickers for three bucks, there are not many households that are priced out of that. If you are wanting to get into the fun and participate in the collecting side of an event, it's something that virtually every family can afford to take part in and realistically even complete their sets," he explained.
This year's Panini collection includes cards with various background colors and styles. According to a Sports Illustrated story, one Red Parallel appears in every 25 packs, while a Green Crumple Parallel is found in every 1,529 packs. Light Green is exclusive to Switzerland, and Orange is an Amazon exclusive. A one-of-one Lionel Messi 2022 sticker sold for US$139,000 at auction, as reported by The Athletic.
Future of Panini Stickers
The 2030 World Cup, jointly hosted by Morocco, Portugal, and Spain, is expected to be the last tournament for the Panini sticker book. In May, FIFA announced a long-term exclusive license with Topps, owned by Fanatics, to produce trading cards, stickers, and trading card games for the World Cup and other FIFA events starting in 2031. Financial details and the length of the agreement have not been disclosed.
