World Cup 2026: Collecting the Best of the Beautiful Game

For over 50 years, collecting the World Cup meant one thing: Panini stickers.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is just months away, and many fans have been waiting for years ( or decades ) to see their national team compete on the biggest stage. Over 1. 5 billion people watched the 2022 final between Argentina and France, roughly 8 times more than the global viewership of the second-most-viewed Super Bowl of all time, and fans are clamoring for ways to better connect with the beautiful game.

For over 50 years, collecting the World Cup meant one thing: Panini stickers. Since 1970, peeling the adhesive backings and placing them in your book was a staple of the month-long event. However, the introduction of Panini Prizm World Cup for the 2014 tournament in Brazil marked a seismic shift, as the hobby pivoted from casual sticker-swapping to the high-stakes card investing we know today.

As we approach the World Cup’s return to North America, cardboard is more popular than ever, growing in popularity across the globe, introducing numbered parallels, autographs, and case hits to the equation. As always, getting ahead of the game presents one of the best opportunities for success, but with the opening whistle fast-approaching, the window is closing fast. Ready for the golazos, screamers, nutmegs, and more set to take place this June?