Inside the mad demand for World Cup football stickers that's 'not just for kids'

Football stickers have brought joy to millions for decades – especially since Panini started making World Cup sticker books for the 1970 tournament in Mexico. Here Charlotte Henry looks at what makes the hobby so popular in today's online world… Got… got… NEED! It's a refrain that's been heard on playgrounds across the world for decades, as kids hammer out deals for football stickers. With World Cup 2026 well underway, and a whopping 48 teams in the tournament, there are more players involved than ever before. And that means more stickers to collect. Surprisingly, one of the best places to do that is Selfridges in London. The upmarket department store, usually associated with designer clothing and posh perfumes, is currently a hub for collectors from around the planet. Panini FIFA World Cup 2026 sticker packs (Image: Cristian Bonaviri/NurPhoto/Shutterstock) Sticker-makers Panini have launched a pop-up shop in their Oxford Street flagship store, opened earlier this month by former England striker Emile Heskey. It will be open throughout the World Cup and beyond, at least until the end of July. When the Daily Star shows up, staff reveal some of the special products launched for the store sold out in a matter of days. Brand specialist Nathania Jones, who is helping manage the site, announced proudly: 'We've actually sold through our exclusives.' One premium pack even 'sold out in the first day'. At the heart of the space is a table with stickers spilled across it. People are spread around, trading with each other. Those that have never met before are bonding, socialising, and recreating the swapsies scenes we all remember. Footie fans gather to trade stickers in Santiago, Chile (Image: AP Photo/Esteban Felix) Jones explains that this happened completely by itself. 'There was no signage… people just started trading,' she says. Despite being in the toy department, it is not just kids coming to stand, but adults wanting to finish their collection too. And it can get serious. 'We've had someone come in with a binder and a full-on spreadsheet of what cards they need,' Jones adds. One of those standing at the trading table is Miguel. He's been collecting football stickers properly for over 20 years, since Euro 2004. How much has he spent on his hobby over all those years? 'No idea,' he says. 'I don't want to know!' Football stickers played a part in Miguel's childhood growing up in Portugal, too. He remembers packing them into envelopes for the factory to earn some pocket money. His best sticker this time? None other than Portuguese icon, Cristiano Ronaldo. That's one he definitely won't be swapping. Social media has helped fuel interest in the Panini pop-up. Given it is estimated that completing an album cost over £1000, it's not surprising that people are looking for different ways to get hold of the stickers they need. 'You can't complete without swapping,' another visitor admits. The first Panini World Cup sticker album from 1970 (Image: Internet grab) Stickers have been a feature of the football fandom for decades. And it has mostly been Panini that we associate with them. The company was founded by two Italian brothers and launched its first album in the UK for the 1970 Mexico World Cup. A Euro album, featuring exotic clubs from around the continent, arrived here in 1977. A year later, the company brought out its first album featuring only English and Scottish teams. With the business changing hands a couple of times, including a sale to British tycoon Robert Maxwell, Panini failed to bring out an album for the first ever Premier League season in 1992. It took until 1994 for a different company, Merlin, to provide collectors with an album for this brave new era of English football. Older albums and individual stickers, such as an early one of Diego 'Hand of God' Maradona, can be worth huge amounts of money. In fact, you don't have to go back all that far to bring in some cash. In 2025, a Lionel Messi sticker from his first World Cup in 2006 sold for £825.85. Obviously, many others go for a less on eBay and other online platforms. The condition of the stickers and unsealed packets is crucial. Governing body Fifa has agreed that collectibles company Topps will be making the stickers from the 2030 World Cup, which will take place in Morocco, Portugal and Spain. Topps make Premier League stickers at the moment, while Panini make the ones for the EFL collection, covering the Championship, League One and League Two. And given the decades of tradition involved, the decision has not been universally well-received. Panini's famous logo It is the Merlin stickers that I particularly remember collecting in my childhood. There were countless trips to the local newsagents to pick up new packets, hoping to find my favourite players inside. Countless playtimes were spent going through friends' collections, seeing what they had that I didn't. As well as being great fun, this hobby taught all of us negotiation skills from an early age. Shinies were more valuable, and you usually had to hand over at least two standard stickers to get one of those in return. You might be pushed even further if there was an item you really needed. Later in my childhood, football cards came about. Similar transactions took place. Indeed, Panini still makes cards today (and they are in the Selfridges pop-up). There was always something particularly special about stickers, though. Carefully peeling them away from the back and precisely placing them into the album. Watching the book fill up. It was, still is, quite a thrill. (Yes, I'm buying this tournament's collection.) In an age in which most hobbies and collections are digital, the tactile nature of football sticker collection is a nice contrast. I hope it continues for many years to come.