EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – When Landon Donovan was a kid, every Christmas he would get a box of Panini soccer stickers. He’d sort through the stickers, filling in gaps in his album and getting to see stars often for the first time.
It wasn’t just about the experience — although finding a sticker he needed was always fun — but it also was one of the few ways he got to learn about soccer players from around the world.
The access to soccer information was limited for the now 43-year-old. The two ways he learned about soccer players were from FIFA video games and Panini stickers.
“I would get the packs, and I’d sit in my room for hours and open the packs, put the stickers on and I would learn about players and teams that I didn’t know anything about,” Donovan said while at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Wednesday. “It was part of my education.”
Donovan was at MetLife Stadium for Panini’s U.S. and Canada cover reveal for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup sticker album. The Panini World Cup sticker album made its debut in 1970 and every four years sparks a new generation of soccer fans.
As Donovan walked into a suite on Wednesday, he was greeted by poster-sized stickers of himself, including his first in 2002. Donovan is the all-time assists leader with the U.S. men’s national team and tied with Clint Dempsey as the all-time scoring leader.
“Getting that first sticker was legitimacy amongst my friends,” Donovan said. “I think at that point I’d already played in the Olympics. I had already played in an under-17 World Cup, but they were like, ‘Whatever.’ When they were able to open a pack and see it, it was like, ‘Oh my God, you’re actually a real player.’ In my friend circle, when we were obsessed with soccer, it was a huge moment.”
As soccer continues to grow globally, Panini is looking toward building the worldwide phenomenon of the sticker collection even more.
It has kept what makes the sticker book fun with representation of all the teams in the World Cup, which is boosted to 48 teams for 2026. But Panini has also added collector-type elements such as parallels for fans to chase. There will be parallels exclusive to North America such as Blue, Red, Purple, Green and Black 1-of-1.
“Panini’s always been viewed as that spark that ignites the fire and the excitement for the FIFA World Cup before the tournament ever starts, which is why it’s always historically been that the Panini album comes out several months before the tournament begins,” Panini senior vice president of marketing & athlete relations Jason Howarth said. “So it builds up that excitement and energy among the soccer community and the collector community all over the world.”
With the FIFA World Cup in the U.S., Canada and Mexico next year, there is a concerted effort to build the U.S. and North American audience for Panini. Wednesday’s event debuted the U.S. and Canada album cover, and the company hopes to make the U.S. the No. 1 region in sales for 2026.
Historically, Brazil has been the top country for World Cup sticker sales.
“It just ties into the cultural side of the game so much and so deeply that it’s massive every four years,” Howarth said. “I think we can’t envision what it’s going to look like. We have an idea, right? But we can’t even envision how massive it’s going to be here in the U.S., Canada and Mexico with this 2026 World Cup.”
The World Cup draw is on Friday with 42 of the 48 teams decided. The final six teams will be determined in the coming months.
The first-round games begin June 11.
While a cold day in December in New Jersey might seem like an early start to the World Cup buzz, those who love the sport are all in.
“I got them as a kid for Christmas, now your kids are opening them for Christmas,” Donovan said. “It’s really cool. And it’s hard to explain and describe what the attachment is, why it’s so exciting. But for little kids it’s just so much fun.”
While the Panini sticker collection doesn’t come out until April, the company is offering a special pre-order through Dec. 8 exclusively on Amazon. The box comes with 50 sticker packs and seven stickers in each pack along with an album.
It may not be a holiday gift this year, but Donovan knows when the album comes out, he’ll be scouring the pages and looking at all the players with his sons — just like he did as a kid.
“It’s nostalgic, but it’s also exciting for me because I have kids now,” Donovan said. “My two boys, they’re obsessed, obsessed, obsessed. The perception of value for my kids of these cards is exponentially higher than the actual value.”
